Food and Recipes Seafood Fish 25 Easy And Flavorful Side Dishes To Serve With Fish These recipes will help any fresh catch shine. By Cameron Beall Cameron Beall Cameron Beall is a writer, marketer, photographer, and creative with over a year of experience with Southern Living in the realm of homes and home building. She was infatuated by home design from a young age, credit to her mother and grandmother. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on July 25, 2024 Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox As much of the South is along a coastline or near fresh water lakes, we're partial to a good seafood dinner. While shrimp and other shellfish find their way into many of our favorite dishes like gumbo and shrimp boils, it's hard to beat a simply prepared piece of fish. These flavorful side dishes will highlight and brighten up your fresh catch. Whether you're looking for something to serve with seared tuna, blackened mahi mahi, fried catfish, trout almandine, pan-roasted snapper or branzino, or oven-baked halibut—we have a side dish to accompany it! 45 Side Dishes For Salmon Dinners That Are Easy And Delicious 01 of 25 Hush Puppies Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Fried catfish or cod on the menu? Serve it up beach style with these delicious hushpuppies. get the recipe 02 of 25 Roasted Broccolini With Pecans And Lemon Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Micah Morton; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch Swap out your go-to steamed broccoli for a more flavorful veggie side like this broccolini with pecans and roasted lemon. get the recipe 03 of 25 Mango Salsa Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Rebecca Cummins Mango, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, and lime juice come together for an easy tropical topping or side for any flaky white fish. get the recipe 04 of 25 Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Whether as a small side salad or full meal, a simple seared piece of salmon, tuna, or your choice of fish atop this filling salad makes for an easy supper. get the recipe 05 of 25 Air Fryer Asparagus Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Most methods of preparing fish don't require long cook times, which is why a quick and easy side dish makes for the perfect pairing. Start this asparagus in your air fryer before preparing and searing your fish filet and the two will be done at the same time. get the recipe 06 of 25 Vegetarian Dirty Rice Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Food Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Is there anything a heaping scoop of dirty rice doesn't go with? Packed with veggies and seasonings, it's the perfect side dish to a piece of simply seared or blackened white fish. get the recipe 07 of 25 Roasted Brussels Sprouts Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox For a hardy dinner, serve up a healthy helping of crispy Brussel sprouts alongside a nice piece of salmon over grits or polenta. get the recipe 08 of 25 Cucumber Tomato Salad Greg Dupree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Pile this cucumber, tomato, shallot, and herb salad over top of oven-roasted white fish and let the fliet soak in all the yummy juices. get the recipe 09 of 25 Cheese Grits Stacy K. Allen, Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Shell Royster It's hard to beat a creamy bowl of cheese grits no matter what you're serving them alongside, but they especially make a nice base for a crispy piece of saucy salmon. get the recipe 10 of 25 Roasted Green Beans With Spicy-Sweet Glazed Shallots Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely From a piece of pan-seared branzino or tuna to oven-baked halibut, you can't go wrong with these flavorful roasted greens and shallots. get the recipe 11 of 25 Best-Ever Succotash Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle There's nothing better to pair with a fresh piece of fish than an equally fresh side dish like this summertime favorite loaded with in-season tomatoes, okra, corn, lima beans, and more. get the recipe 12 of 25 Herb Rice Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Build your own bowl with this herby, lemony rice as the base. (Just skip the shrimp cooking instructions.) Use fresh chopped herbs of your choice or a mix including thyme, chives, and parsley. get the recipe 13 of 25 Tangy Rainbow Slaw Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely For an asian-inspired dish, serve up seared tuna with this crunchy and tangy slaw. get the recipe 14 of 25 Speedy Grain Salad With Sugar Snap Peas Frederick Hardy II, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley For a filling lunch or easy and light dinner, skip the chicken and instead top this farrow and snap pea salad with your favorite piece of fish like mahi mahi, tuna, or salmon. get the recipe 15 of 25 Spiced-Up Shoestring Fries Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Enjoy a classic fish and chips meal with these gussied-up french fries. get the recipe 16 of 25 Classic Fresh Field Peas Will Dickey; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn There's little a generous spoonful of fresh field peas won't compliment. Enjoy this traditional recipe extra-Southern style with fried catfish or for something lighter try something light trout, sol, or flounder. get the recipe 17 of 25 Crisp And Elegant Frenched Green Bean Salad Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Daley This vibrant dish with green beans and a medley of tomatoes is just the thing to brighten up any ho-hum piece of white fish. get the recipe 18 of 25 Creamy Risotto Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Swap out shrimp for your fish of choice (we'd recommend a seared or blackened white fish, snapper, or trout) and add a roasted veggie alongside this creamy risotto for a delicious and indulgent dinner. get the recipe 19 of 25 Oven-Roasted Asparagus Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox There's no better side for trout almondine than some equally almondy roasted asparagus. This recipe would also pair nicely with pan-seared or parchment roasted halibut, mahi mahi, cod, or salmon. get the recipe 20 of 25 Zucchini, Squash, And Corn Casserole Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox For a veggie heavy side, you'll want to add this delicious casserole to the menu—no explanation needed because Southerners know any squash or corn casserole is always welcome on the table. get the recipe 21 of 25 Smashed-Cucumber Salad Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Any type of juicy or saucy side, like these marinated cucumbers, is bound to pair nicely with a piece of fish as it can soak in the additional flavors. get the recipe 22 of 25 Lemony White Bean Salad with Broccoli Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Keep it light and fresh with a filling side salad that can easily accompany a piece of fried, pan-seared, or blackened fish of your choosing. get the recipe 23 of 25 Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta Salad with Field Peas ANTONIS ACHILLEOS; PROP STYLING: CLAIRE SPOLLEN; FOOD STYLING: RISHON HANNERS For an easy meal or leftovers lunch, add a flaky piece of salmon to this pasta salad and dinner is served! get the recipe 24 of 25 Roasted Potatoes Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox We're never one to say no to any form of potatoes as a side dish, and that includes when the main is fish. Try a piece of roasted lemony cod with your spuds. get the recipe 25 of 25 Sautéed Spinach PoppyB/Getty Images Sautéed spinach is another staple side that goes with just about anything. Enjoy it with your fish of choice for a light and healthy meal. get the recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit