19 Baked Fish Recipes

Baked Flounder With Lemon and Butter — The Spruce/Ulyana Verbytska

Whether you want to eat less meat, or just adore seafood, these delicious baked fish recipes are fabulous to know about. We've included our favorite ideas for cooking fish in the oven, including easy weeknight meals that are quick to get on the table, plus fancy fish recipes to serve when you want to impress company.

How Do You Select and Cook Fish?

01 of 19

Thai Baked Whole Fish in Garlic-Chili Sauce

The Spruce/Victoria Heydt

Use your oven for this delicious whole baked fish in an aromatic, spicy, and sweet Thai-style sauce. Cut slits in both sides of the fish before sealing it in a tinfoil packet with sauce ingredients, to infuse it with amazing flavor.
02 of 19

Baked Sardines With Garlic and Oregano

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If you are familiar only with canned sardines, this whole baked fish will be a revelation. Prepare the tiny fish in the Greek style for the oven with garlic, oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, and simple seasonings. You will need to buy the fish on the day of cooking, as fresh sardines do not last well longer than a day in the fridge.
03 of 19

Lemon-Garlic Baked Salmon Fillet

The Spruce

Salmon is America's favorite fish and this easy baked lemon-garlic salmon is a great way to enjoy it. Only a handful of basic pantry ingredients are needed to flavor salmon fillets, which you wrap up in foil packets for the oven, to produce moist, perfectly-cooked fish.
04 of 19

Baked Halibut With Mushroom Cream Sauce

Diana Rattray

Bake firm-fleshed halibut fillets with a little butter, salt, and pepper, then top with a delicious mushroom-cream sauce to produce tasty meal that is special enough for company. If you lack sherry for making the sauce, substitute it with an equal amount of apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.

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05 of 19

Baked Flounder With Lemon and Butter

The Spruce/Ulyana Verbytska

Here's a quick and easy weeknight recipe that proves just how flavorful baked fish can be. Create a simple, seasoned lemon-butter sauce to bring out the natural, mild sweetness of flounder and help the delicate-textured fillets retain moistness when baked. Serve with the included garlic aioli.
06 of 19

Baked Stuffed Cod With Bacon

The Spruce/Diana Chistruga

To make this New England-style dish, start by filling a whole meaty, saltwater cod (or haddock) with your go-to holiday stuffing recipe. Layer bacon strips over the fish before placing in the oven to impart a great, smoky flavor, and serve the fish whole for slicing at the table, for an impressive presentation.
07 of 19

Herbed Sea Bass Baked in Paper

alle12/Getty Images

Elegant stuffed sea bass is a beautiful, Greek-inspired way to enjoy the fish. Wrap the fillets in parchment paper, layered with fresh sliced tomatoes and place them in a dish of white wine. The sea bass steams in its packet inside the hot oven for perfectly flaky, tender fish.
08 of 19

Mexican Baked White Fish in Cilantro Sauce

Robin Grose

Use a bounty of cilantro from the garden to make this beautiful Mexican baked fish. Whirl the leafy herb in a blender with buttery sauteed onions, cream, garlic, and lime juice, and pour the herbaceous sauce over tilapia or sole fillets for oven-baking to perfection.

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09 of 19

Baked Teriyaki Salmon

Leah Maroney

Asian flavors and salmon make the perfect pairing and this recipe for baked teriyaki salmon is a delicious example. The salmon is marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger powders, and cornstarch and then baked. The marinade is cooked down until thick and spooned over the fillets, along with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and chopped scallion.
10 of 19

Baked Sole With Mint and Ginger

Molly Watson

When you're rushing to get dinner on the table, reach for this health-conscious recipe that takes only 30 minutes. Simply scatter sole with mint leaves and fresh ginger for baking quickly in the oven. Serve over white or brown cooked rice with steamed vegetables on the side.
11 of 19

Haddock Newburg

Cultura/Diana Miller/Getty Images

Haddock Newburg is a budget-friendly tweak on the famous restaurant dish featuring lobster. Cook the fillets with a little butter, salt, and pepper, then nestle the fish into prepared puff pastry shells, topping them with a rich and creamy sauce for baking. Serve to important guests, perhaps with a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio.
12 of 19

Baked Bonito With Herbs and Potatoes

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Bonito is a cousin of tuna and mackerel with similar dark, flavorful flesh that needs little seasoning. Cook it easily as the Greek do with this recipe for baked bonito with oregano flakes and lemon-garlic roasted potatoes that makes a delicious complete family meal.

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13 of 19

Potato Chip-Crusted Fish Fillets With Lemon-Garlic Aioli

Getty Images/Paul Poplis

Potato-chip crusted fish fillets are much more delicious than store-bought fish sticks and are a great way to get even picky eaters to give fish a try. For extra-crunchy fillets, do a double coating of egg and chips (dipping coated fillets back into egg, and again into crumbled chips) before baking.
14 of 19

Moroccan Baked Fish Tagine With Vegetables

Michelle Garrett/Getty Images

Use a chermoula sauce made with olive oil and fragrant Moroccan-style spices to flavor a whole baked fish, plus potatoes, tomatoes, olives, carrots, and green bell peppers, for an impressive one-dish meal. Allow time for marinating fish several hours or overnight to maximize flavor.
15 of 19

Baked Tilapia With Buttery Crumb Topping

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

Make delicious tilapia with a crunchy, buttery breadcrumb topping in less than 30 minutes with this everyday fish recipe. Feel free to add some grated Parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs for added flavor before baking fish.
16 of 19

Baked Swordfish Steaks

Diana Rattray

Meaty, baked swordfish steaks with Creole seasonings are a great alternative to red meat when you crave protein for dinner. Bake the fish with a colorful vegetable medley including tomatoes, mushrooms, celery, onions, and bell peppers for a nutritious, one-dish family meal.

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17 of 19

Baked Stuffed Sole or Flounder

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In less than an hour, you can make easy, sophisticated stuffed fish for dinner parties. Roll fish fillets around a tasty stuffing made with fresh breadcrumbs, sauteed onions and celery, and simple seasonings for baking in muffin tins. Serve with rice and lemon wedges for squeezing.
18 of 19

Spanish Baked Fish With Lemon Wine Sauce

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Spanish cuisine includes plenty of seafood and this sophisticated seafood entree would be at home in any Spanish restaurant. Make it for a romantic dinner with this simple 30-minute recipe. Use a firm-fleshed white fish, such as cod, pollack, or haddock, and top with lemon zest when serving, for added brightness.
19 of 19

Greek Baked Perch in Yogurt Marinade

Mia Mueller Schoel/Katie Workman/themom100.com

Marinating fish fillets in Greek yogurt is an inspired way to keep them moist and tender, while adding creaminess and tangy flavor. This easy recipe calls for perch, but you could use another mild, flaky white fish, such as flounder or halibut. Baking time is only 15 minutes, but allow at least an hour for marinating fish before cooking.