Top 18 Edible Fish: Which Fish Tastes Best

It floats and tastes good! Fish is healthy With the scaled friends, however, it is easy to lose track – here we present the most popular edible fish from the sea and rivers!

Sea ​​or river?

When it comes to fish, there is one big differentiator: saltwater fish or freshwater fish. What comes straight from the sea to the table usually has a more intense fish taste, but it also doesn’t take well to the gentle spices. Freshwater fish from rivers and lakes are gentler and usually less rich in fat, so they harmonize very well with other intensive ingredients.

But which fish tastes the best? In the top 18 edible fish, you will find the best from freshwater and saltwater!

The most popular sea fish

Saltwater fish often has an unmistakable taste and usually very firm flesh. If you want to cook the fish, you don’t have to prepare a complicated brew. These sea fish are most often found on the plates.

• Alaska Pollock

In the North Pacific, Alaska Pollock is caught and flash frozen straight away. Its white or slightly pink flesh is very low in fat and is a suitable alternative for all types of preparation that do not require freshly caught fish.

• sea bream

The sea bream is one of the most popular edible fish in the Mediterranean. It is particularly tasty with Mediterranean herbs such as thyme and rosemary. The meat is super tender and practically bone-free. The sea bream tastes particularly delicious fried or grilled.

• herring

This fish is one of the most popular food fish, especially in northern Germany. Only the bones are sometimes very tedious, but whether as rollmops, grilled, fried, or in a salad – the unmistakable tender fish with the fatty meat is known everywhere. Salted, it can be kept for a very long time.

• cod

The cod also falls apart easily, you can recognize the whole fish by a light sideline, so it is easy to distinguish from the perch. The fish is particularly low in fat and therefore well suited for a calorie-reduced diet. The fishing season from January to April is crucial, as that is when the particularly fine-tasting “skrei” can be caught.

Fish breaks down quickly on the grill, so it’s most commonly boiled, poached, steamed, or baked.

• mackerel

Tender, juicy meat with very high-fat content. The fish tastes particularly good smoked or grilled, and because of its juicy structure, it can also be used as a preserve. The aroma of smoked mackerel is very penetrating and gives fish soups or curry salads an intense kick.

• Pangasius

Pangasius has been known around the world since the mid-1990s. It is low in fat and is usually sold frozen as farmed fish. The mild fish meat is the ideal substitute fish if the original recipe cannot be obtained. The fish tastes mild and is easy to fillet.

• Redfish

The redfish provides white to delicate pink fish fillets, particularly rich in iodine. The fish disintegrates easily and therefore tastes particularly good gratinated, roasted or in a crust. It is less suitable for grilling. It is important to pay attention to sustainably caught fish in order to avoid straining the stock.

• plaice

The popular flatfish is traditionally served as a whole fried fish. Its white flesh has a beautiful, laminar structure. It is excellent for grilling whole and is also sold as fillets. However, the bones can be easily removed from the whole place. Hearty side dishes go well with plaice, it tastes strong and contains many omega-3 fatty acids. A butter sauce or simple remoulade goes well with the fine, intense meat, or how about a classic Finkenwerder-style place?

• hake

This sea predator mainly eats smaller fish such as herring or mackerel. It has very white, firm flesh and cooks, roasts, or poaches well. Its flavorful meat doesn’t pair well with the roasted flavors of a grill, so cooking it on a bed of vegetables is more recommended. Since it is at home in the Atlantic and the Pacific, there are many recipes for it in Asian cuisine as well as in South America. He lets you catch and consume all year round.

• coalfish

Do not confuse it with Alaska Pollock! Saithe or coalfish is a representative of the cod. The flesh is similar to cod, it is often used for fish fingers as its flavor is mild, and children like it. One more reason why it is one of the top food fish. Saithe is particularly low in fat and can be easily prepared in many ways. The best fishing time is October to February.

• tuna

Please only buy from sustainable sources – because tuna fishing often destroys the habitats of other sea creatures. The firm, aromatic meat is perfect for roasted as a steak or preserved, the fat content is high at 8.5% per 100g.

Popular freshwater fish

• eel

Like the salmon, the eel is a wanderer between fresh and salt water. Tasty, very rich in fat, and can be enjoyed whole smoked.

• perch

Fresh fish, frozen or straight from the river over the grill: the perch has fine, white flesh and can be caught all year round. The bones are a bit stubborn.

• Trout

The noble fish is often grilled or fried as a whole. The fish with the firm, slightly greyish flesh also tastes delicious when smoked. Removing the bones can be a hassle, so fillet is preferable.

• pike

The predatory fish has sharp bones, and very lean meat and quickly dries out on the grill. You can catch it, especially in autumn, and use it to make fish cakes.

• carp

The carp is one of the top food fish ever. The fishing season begins in autumn. Older animals can smell mossy – so they are caught alive and placed in a pool of running water to enhance the taste. The firm flesh is particularly suitable for cooking.

• Salmon

This fish is at home in both worlds – it frolics in the saltwater around the estuaries, where it can also be caught. At spawning time it swims upstream in the freshwater, so you shouldn’t fish it here for reasons of stock protection.

The fish, with its firm, pink-colored flesh, tastes good fried, grilled, or au gratin. Wild salmon contains less fat than farmed salmon, both are particularly rich in vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids.

• walleye

The zander with the white, tender meat is caught in the European river systems. It is suitable as a fillet from the pan, breaded or whole from the grill. The bones are easy to remove.

Which fish do you like best? Tell us your top food fish in the comments.