500-Calorie Dinners: Fish
Fish should make its way into your diet at least two times per week. Fish are a lean, healthy source of protein, and the oily kinds (such as salmon, tuna and sardines) deliver those heart- and brain-healthy omega-3 fats you need in your diet. In these easy 500-calorie meals, our best fish recipes combine with simple sides to create a complete and healthy meal. Why 500 calories? This is a healthy amount to aim for at dinner, especially if you're trying to lose weight. When following a 1,500-calorie diet (a calorie level most people will lose weight following), 500 calories at dinner is an appropriate amount to aim for. Scan these recipes to find your favorites and browse our other healthy fish and seafood recipes.
Superfood Chopped Salad with Salmon & Creamy Garlic Dressing
409 calories
In this impressive superfood salad, curly kale forms the base and a multitude of chopped veggies-broccoli, cabbage and carrots-get added in. Super-simple broiled salmon is cooked and ready in a quick 10 minutes and tops the salad, along with a creamy yogurt dressing.
Serve with:
• An extra 2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds (93 calories)
Total: 502 calories
Baked Fish Tacos with Avocado
296 calories
Instead of deep-frying, the fish fillets in this quick-and-easy 5-ingredient recipe are coated with a flavorful seasoning blend and baked. Top with store-bought pico de gallo for ease (or make your own), sliced avocado and hot sauce, if you want to kick the heat up. Several varieties of flaky white fish can be used for these tacos, like cod, haddock or mahi mahi. When you go to the market to purchase fish, the best strategy is to be flexible and choose the variety that looks freshest that day.
Serve with:
• 1 cup Mexican Coleslaw and 1 serving tortilla chips (about 7 chips) (193 calories)
Total: 489 calories
Seared Sesame-Tuna Bowls
534 calories
This tuna bowl looks impressive but is actually quite an easy recipe to put together. Tuna fillets are coated in sesame seeds and cooked, first on the stovetop to crisp up and then the whole skillet goes in the oven to finish cooking. We use black sesame seeds but if you can't find them, white sesame seeds will work just the same. Added to a dish with brown rice, edamame, cucumbers, ginger, scallions, cilantro and a creamy tahini sauce, this savory Asian-inspired tuna bowl is a complete 500-calorie meal on its own.
Total: 534 calories
Salmon & Asparagus with Lemon-Garlic Butter Sauce
269 calories
This sheet-pan dinner is both easy to make and a breeze to clean up, as everything cooks together on one pan. The simple lemon-garlic butter sauce that coats the fish and the asparagus is one you'll want to use in other recipes-it's an easy and delicious combo that would go well with chicken, shrimp, scallops, other fish and just as a topping for simple steamed veggies.
Serve with:
• 1 cup Easy Brown Rice (226 calories)
Total: 495 calories
Asian Tilapia with Stir-Fried Green Beans
212 calories
Tilapia fillets are marinated in a tasty ginger-sesame-soy sauce before cooking quickly on the stovetop. Served with crisp green beans coated in sesame seeds, this easy Asian-style fish makes a light but filling main course.
Serve with:
• 1 serving Cold Soba Noodles and, for dessert, 1/2 cup Pineapple Nice Cream (277 calories)
Total: 489 calories
Air-Fryer Fish Cakes
399 calories
Sweet chili sauce and fresh cilantro flavor these easy to-make fish cakes. Typically deep-fried, these tasty fish patties are instead coated in a thin layer of cooking spray and cooked in an air-fryer, resulting in a healthier, lower-calorie fish cake. Any white fish will work, so select what looks freshest at the best price. The squeeze of lime at the end really brings everything together perfectly, so don't skip it.
Serve with:
• 1 cup Vegan Thai Cucumber Salad (105 calories)
Total: 504 calories
Dijon Salmon with Green Bean Pilaf
442 calories
In this quick dinner recipe, the delicious garlicky-mustardy mayo that tops baked salmon is very versatile. Make extra to use as a dip for fries or to jazz up tuna salad. Precooked brown rice helps get this healthy dinner on the table fast, but if you have other leftover whole grains, such as quinoa or farro, they work well here too.
Serve with:
• An extra 1/2 Tbsp. pine nuts (28 calories)
Total: 470 calories
Alaskan Cod Chowder
270 calories
In this healthy fish chowder recipe, heavy cream is replaced with milk and flour-thickened fish (or seafood) broth to achieve that same creamy consistency while keeping the calories in check. Sautéing onions and celery together with seasonings to start the dish helps to deepen the flavor of the broth, and mixing in green beans and potatoes later adds even more veggies to this lightened-up version of a traditional chowder. The cod goes in last as it cooks quickly, in less than 5 minutes.
Serve with:
• 1 4-inch chunk whole-wheat baguette (240 calories)
Total: 510 calories
Easy Salmon Cakes
350 calories
These easy-to-make salmon cakes are a great way to use convenient canned salmon or leftover salmon. The ingredients are simple and include items you likely already have in your kitchen (like breadcrumbs, mustard, eggs and onion), making for a fast, no-fuss dinner. The tangy Creamy Dill Sauce that tops these cakes provides a tart and cooling balance.
Serve with:
• An extra 1 Tbsp. Creamy Dill Sauce + 2 cups spinach, 1/2 cup sliced cucumber and 1/4 cup sliced red onion tossed in 1 tsp. each olive oil and lemon juice (126 calories)
Total: 476 calories
Snapper Piccata
228 calories
Lean snapper in a buttery lemon-caper sauce is an easy main dish, ready in just 30 minutes. The classic combination of lemon, butter and capers that makes this simple sauce is one that goes well on just about anything from scallops to shrimp, chicken or pork.
Serve with:
• 1 cup cooked whole-wheat pasta topped with 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese and 1 cup steamed broccoli florets (266 calories)
Total: 494 calories