26 Fish & Seafood Dinner Recipes for the Mediterranean Diet

December 29, 2020

Fish and seafood are two key ingredients of the Mediterranean diet and it’s easy to incorporate these ingredients into a healthy and delicious dinner. Whether it’s salmon, shrimp or cod, these proteins pair well with other staples of the diet like vegetables and whole grains. Recipes like Linguine with Creamy White Clam Sauce and Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa Salad are flavorful and nutritious.

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Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens

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In this healthy salmon dinner, you'll get a dose of greens and green dressing! Chowing down on 6 or more servings of dark leafy greens a week can help keep your brain in top shape. This dish features the Test Kitchen's current go-to method for doctoring a can of chickpeas: spice them up and roast until crispy.

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Mediterranean Cod with Roasted Tomatoes

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Oregano, thyme and paprika flavor the cod in this 15-minute, Mediterranean-inspired meal. Olives, capers and roasted cherry tomatoes add color and zest to each bite.

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Linguine with Creamy White Clam Sauce

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Ripe tomato and fresh basil give this quick recipe tons of flavor. Serve this healthy pasta dinner with crusty garlic bread and steamed green beans.

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Shrimp Scampi

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Shrimp scampi is a favorite dish at many Italian restaurants but our version takes just 20 minutes to prepare, so it's perfect for a weeknight dinner at home. Large shrimp are cooked with garlic and then served over linguine pasta with a buttery-wine sauce--it's so good your family may think you ordered takeout!

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Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa Salad

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This zesty quinoa salad is delicious all on its own, with some serious Mediterranean flair. Make a double batch for lunches later in the week.

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Beet & Shrimp Winter Salad

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This healthy dinner salad recipe gets its staying power from protein-packed shrimp and fiber-rich barley. With a simple red-wine vinaigrette, this quick salad makes just one serving but is easy to double or triple. Look for precooked beets with other prepared vegetables in the produce department.

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Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon, and Fennel

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This warm, flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes.

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Black Bass with Sautéed Vegetables & Cioppino Jus

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Black bass has a delicate flavor that begs to be paired with something bold, like the cioppino-inspired jus in this healthy seafood recipe. The jus takes some time to make but we promise it's worth it. You'll have some left over: do as our editor-in-chief did and try it as a bloody mary base. Or use it to make risotto or a seafood stew.

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Creamy Salmon & Sugar Snap Cauliflower Gnocchi

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Tender cauliflower gnocchi combine with a quick cream sauce, tender peas and flaky salmon for an unforgettable weeknight dinner. This one is so good you might make it for special occasions. If you don't like smoked salmon, use fresh.

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Puglian-Style Paella

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In this Italian paella recipe, potatoes and other vegetables are layered with mussels and rice and baked in a casserole dish. Be sure to cover the rice completely with vegetables to ensure it cooks properly.

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Seared Salmon with Pesto Fettuccine

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The brightness of basil pesto is a nice match for the buttery flavor of salmon in this quick and healthy dinner recipe. Refrigerated pesto, found near fresh sauces and salsas at most stores, is prettier and has a better taste than jarred.

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Spaghetti with Halibut & Lemon

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In this delicious and simple pasta recipe, halibut is “cooked” ceviche-style in a zesty lemon marinade then tossed with warm spaghetti. While the fish marinates, throw together a salad for an easy and healthy dinner.

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Fish Stew with Olives, Capers & Potatoes

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The olive, caper and tomato-based sauce in this healthy fish stew recipe gives this very traditional Italian dish tons of flavor. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

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Quick Shrimp Puttanesca

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Because refrigerated fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta, this Italian pasta dish will be on the table lickety-split! Puttanesca, traditionally made with tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies and garlic, gets a makeover with shrimp for extra protein and artichoke hearts to boost the vegetable servings (and the fiber!). If you can't find frozen artichoke hearts, sub in drained canned artichoke hearts.

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Trapanese Pesto Pasta & Zoodles with Salmon

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Trapanese pesto is the Sicilian version of the sauce that uses tomatoes and almonds instead of pine nuts. This savory pesto sauce coats low-carb zucchini noodles and heart-healthy seared salmon to create an absolutely delicious pasta dinner.

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Shrimp Oreganata Cauliflower Gnocchi

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This cauliflower gnocchi dinner is ready in just minutes on busy nights. A simple flavor-packed sauce marries the tender pasta with cooked shrimp. If you don't eat shrimp, use rotisserie chicken instead.

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Creamy Scallop & Pea Fettuccine

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This rich pasta dish is full of sweet seared scallops and plump peas. Low-fat milk and flour thicken the sauce, giving it creamy texture without the extra calories and fat found in traditional cream sauces. Serve with a small Caesar salad on the side.

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Greek Roasted Fish with Vegetables

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This dish is packed with flavor and fits perfectly into a Mediterranean diet.

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Sheet-Pan Shrimp & Beets

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For this easy sheet-pan dinner, beets get a head start in the oven while you prep the shrimp and kale. For a prettier presentation, leave the shrimp tails intact. Serve this one-pan recipe with a cool glass of rosé.

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Salmon & Asparagus with Lemon-Garlic Butter Sauce

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Looking for a recipe to help you eat more heart-healthy fish and veggies? Add this salmon and asparagus dinner to your rotation. Not only is it healthy and delicious, this sheet-pan dinner is also easy to make and a breeze to clean up.

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Seafood Couscous Paella

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Whole-wheat couscous soaks up this savory saffron-infused broth.

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Scallop Piccata on Angel Hair

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Superfine angel hair and delicate scallops are coated with a light lemon, white wine and caper sauce.

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Lemon-Caper Black Cod with Broccoli & Potatoes

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In this healthy, 30-minute fish recipe, cooking the fillets skin-side down makes it easy to keep them intact when you flip them. Be sure to pat the fish dry before cooking--it's the key to getting the skin crispy.

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Dijon Salmon with Green Bean Pilaf

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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.

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Shrimp Piccata with Zucchini Noodles

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The tangy lemon-caper sauce in this healthy Italian makeover recipe is a natural with shrimp. Serving it over zucchini noodles (aka zoodles) keeps the dish summery and low-cal, but it's also delicious with whole-wheat spaghetti.

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Roasted Cod with Warm Tomato-Olive-Caper Tapenade

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The Mediterranean flavors of a warm tomato tapenade will brighten all kinds of white fish as well as chicken. Make It a Meal: Orzo and sauteed spinach will round out this meal.

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