The Best Herbs & Spices to Flavour Your Fish

Fish and seafood are wonderful proteins to work with - they cook quickly, they can be used across any cuisine, and their variety of forms and textures ensures that you never get bored experimenting in the kitchen. To enhance their mild and delicate taste, go beyond serving fish with just a side of lemon and look to a world of herbs and spices to flavour your catch of the day. Whether it's trout, salmon, pike, pickerel, perch, catfish, bass or any other seafood, you can go from an ordinary fish dish to one with extraordinary flavour, with just a handful of herbs and spices.

What herbs go best with fish?

When making a dish with fish, consider the flavour it already has and bring it out by adding herbs that further complement it. Some of the best herbs to use with fish are basil, tarragon, dill, and parsley.

• Basil enhances the flavour while adding a slight sweetness and is lovely when used with halibut or cod.
• Tarragon imparts a sweet liquorice-like taste and works especially well with white-fleshed fish such as bass or tilapia.
• Dill provides a slightly sour and savory note which goes great when combined with salmon or trout. Pair it with paprika, to give a delightful lemony and peppery zing to your fish.
• Parsley adds a touch of pepper and grassy notes and is a wonderful all-rounder for any kind of fish.
• If you like to experiment with native ingredients, we recommend seasoning your barramundi or bass with our Australian Bush Herbs. Featuring Australian coriander, pumpkin, lemon myrtle, bush tomato, sea salt, onion, native thyme, aniseed myrtle, and chives, this blend is wonderful when added to a breading mix.

What spices go best with fish?

When using spices with fish, it’s important to keep in mind that a little goes a long way. You don’t want to overpower the delicate flavour of the fish with too much spice. Start with a small amount and add more if necessary. With the right combination of spices, you can take your fish dishes to the next level. Here are a few spices that naturally complement fish:

• Ginger has a warm and slightly sweet taste that can add depth to a variety of fish, including salmon, tilapia, and cod. It is also great when used in stir-fries, curries, and sushi rolls.
• Cumin has a nutty and pungent flavour that pairs well with fish. Sprinkle over the fish before cooking or add it to a marinade.
• Coriander has a fresh and citrusy flavour and works wonders for grilled salmon when mixed with cumin.
• Smoked paprika infuses fish dishes with a deep and smoky flavour. It is particularly delicious when paired with grilled or baked fish. Best used as a dry rub before cooking.
• Native lemon pepper adds a bright and refreshing taste to the fish, while the black pepper adds a little bit of heat. You can use lemon pepper as a dry rub or sprinkle it over the fish before cooking.

How to bake fish with spices

What Spice Blends go best with fish?

• Salt & Pepper Squid Spice is a delightful blend of three types of pepper, chilli and salt that is designed to cook squid with. Our Fiery Salt & Pepper Squid recipe will give you the most mouth-watering salt and pepper squid ever, served with a garnish of fresh parsley and coriander. If you’d like to experiment in the kitchen, squid goes best with (any or a combination of) onion, garlic, and herbs like parsley, basil and oregano, and of course, salt and pepper.
• Smoky Almond Dukkah makes a lovely crust for salmon. While dukkah usually brings out the flavours of the Middle East to a dish, using it as a crust for fish also adds crunch and sweetness to an otherwise tender dish. Try it with our Dukkah Crusted Salmon recipe and enjoy the perfect pairing of the spice, couscous and green vegetables in the dish.
• BBQ Pepper Spice is great if you're looking for a seasoning that is sweet and spicy, but not necessarily hot. For the BBQ Pepper Crusted Tuna, pound the peppercorns until they are coarsely ground, ideally using a mortar and pestle.
• Fish spice takes the guesswork out of your cooking by providing you with a warm, savoury and floral mix of spices and herbs to use on your fish. We recommend mixing it 1:3 with olive oil and generously coating the fish. Our Baked Fish, served with the Creamy Saffron Sauce, helps echo the creaminess of the sauce yet still have enough acidity to cleanse the palate. You can also try Fish Spice in a homemade stew. Spiced with a hit of lemon, this Fish Stew has a great depth of flavour. This recipe serves up fish fillets (flathead or red mullet) and clams with the exciting tomato flavours to create a fragrant Mediterranean dish. Make sure to serve with plenty of crusty bread and butter to scoop up the juices.

How to bake a whole fish with spices

Baking a whole flat fish might sound intimidating, but it's not too challenging. If you're planning on seasoning the fish through the centre, then you'll need to cut a slit midway through it to create a cavity. You can also purchase the fish from the fishmonger and request for it to be cleaned before taking it home.

Our Whole Baked Fish recipe fills the cavity with the sliced leek, garlic, lemon slices and a paste made by mixing Australian Bush Herbs and butter. As the recipe calls for a white fish like snapper or barramundi, you won't be dealing with a large amount of fat (compared to a fish like salmon or herring) and you'll need to protect the flesh to avoid it from drying out during the bake – that's what the paste will do.