Sides for Fish Meals: Match the Side to the Cooking

Search for sides for fish and you get one long list: rice, potatoes, salad, asparagus, slaw. Each of them suits some fish and clashes with others. Creamy coleslaw is perfect next to fried cod and dull next to a buttery baked fillet that is already rich.

So look at the pan before you look at the list. How the fish was cooked tells you what the plate is missing.

What are the best sides for fish meals?

The best sides for fish meals depend on how the fish was cooked. Fried fish goes with slaw, pickles or fries. Grilled salmon goes with rice, a cucumber salad or roasted potatoes. Steamed white fish goes with garlicky greens or seasoned rice. Fish in sauce goes with bread, rice or mash.

Read across a row and you have a whole plate. The middle column matters most. Once you know what the fish is missing, you can swap any side on the list for something you already have, as long as it brings that missing thing.

I build an app named Today’s Mealow, and I asked it for a light solo dinner in downtown Boston. The cat put grilled salmon at the top, with a chicken Caesar salad from another place below it. That salmon is the second row of the table: oily fish off the grill. Ordering it, I’d ask for a lemon wedge and whatever plain starch the kitchen has, and skip a creamy side, since the fish already brings the richness.

How do you choose side dishes for fish you haven’t cooked before?

To choose side dishes for an unfamiliar fish, ask two questions. Is the fish oily or lean? Is it crisp, soft or swimming in sauce? Oily fish needs acid and something plain. Lean fish needs more flavor beside it. Crisp fish needs something cold. Saucy fish needs a starch.

Oily fish has darker, richer flesh: salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, bluefish. Lean fish has white, mild flesh: cod, haddock, halibut, tilapia, sole, flounder. If the label doesn’t help, look at the color of the raw fillet.

Then check the texture you’ll end up with. A crisp skin or a batter is already crunchy, so the side can be soft. A poached fillet is soft all the way through, so give it something with a bite, like blistered green beans or a crisp salad.

What sides go with fried fish?

Sides for fried fish should be sharp, cold or crunchy so the plate doesn’t turn heavy. Vinegar coleslaw, dill pickles, a tomato and onion salad and lemon wedges all cut through the batter. Fries, hush puppies and mushy peas are the classic starches when you want a full fish-fry plate.

Pick one starch and one sharp thing. Fries and hush puppies together are two fried sides next to fried fish, which is a lot. Fries plus a vinegar slaw, or hush puppies plus pickles and sliced raw onion, gives you the crunch and the contrast.

Bringing something to a fish fry? Deviled eggs, a big bowl of slaw, or corn on the cob all travel well and sit happily next to anything battered. If you’re short on time, here’s corn done in the microwave.

What should you serve with salmon?

Serve salmon with something plain and something fresh. Steamed rice or new potatoes take care of the plain part. A cucumber salad, roasted asparagus, or a squeeze of lemon over greens take care of the fresh part. Salmon is already rich, so creamy sides can make it feel heavy.

The glaze changes the pick. A soy or teriyaki glaze points to rice, sesame cucumbers and steamed broccoli. A lemon and dill salmon points to potatoes and a green salad. A maple or mustard glaze is sweet, so pair it with something bitter or sharp, like arugula or roasted Brussels sprouts.

For roasted potatoes, cut them small so they finish with the fish. Here’s how to dice a potato into even cubes.

What sauce goes with fish?

The sauce for fish should bring what the fish is missing. Tartar sauce and remoulade give fried fish a sharp, cold dip. Lemon butter and salsa verde brighten mild white fish. Soy, ginger and scallion oil suit steamed fish. A yogurt and dill sauce works with grilled salmon.

A good dipping sauce doubles as a side when you’re short on time. A bowl of tartar sauce next to a plate of fried fish and fries is a complete meal. Salsa verde made with parsley, capers and lemon is a sauce and a green thing at once.

For a quick fresh salsa to spoon over grilled fish, chop tomatoes with red onion, lime and cilantro. The tomato dicing guide covers the knife work.

What sides should you order with fish at a restaurant?

At a restaurant, order fish sides by the same rule as at home. Look at how the fish comes, then ask for the side that brings what it lacks. Battered fish wants slaw instead of a second fried side. A plain grilled fillet can take the richer side, like gratin or mash.

Menus often pair fish with a default side you can swap. If the grilled salmon comes with a cream sauce and buttery mash, ask to switch one of them for a salad or greens. If the fish of the day is steamed, the garlicky vegetable side is usually the better choice than plain rice.

If you’re torn between fish and something else on the menu entirely, the restaurant ordering checklist walks through that decision.

Still deciding whether tonight is a fish night at all? Tell Today’s Mealow your mood and anything you skip, and it picks 3 dishes from real places near you, each with a one-line reason.

Pick tonight’s dinner