Cod

Caldo de oso is traditionally made with catfish, though any white fish will work in this soup, a specialty of Chihuahua in Mexico.

This lightly miso-marinated salmon is served with a bright green spinach sauce underneath.

In this easy weeknight dinner, the fish is the chip. Coat fish fillets with sour cream and panko breadcrumbs, then bake until crisp and golden brown.

Mild, flaky cod gets an ideal counterpart in this silky-creamy miso–butternut squash sauce. The sauce delivers plenty of flavor thanks to miso and ginger, topped with lemon, cilantro, and chili crisp. The cooking time will vary depending on the fish’s thickness, so keep an eye on it as it cooks; you will know it is done when the fish flakes easily at the push of a fork.

This simple butternut squash soup packs a lot of flavor thanks to miso and ginger in the base, plus punchy finishers like lemon juice, cilantro, and chili crisp.

The collar is one of my favorite parts of the fish. Baste it with naturally sweet and salty flavor from briny kombu and dark sweet prunes. The briny and sweet sauce is easy to make ahead and store in the refrigerator. The collars of a large fish, such as cod, is the part between the head and the body; it has a (healthy omega-3) fatty richness that is ultra-satisfying.

This dish is inspired by a classic Cantonese preparation, which is traditionally battered and deep-fried. Here, the fish is pan-seared in hot oil, but still gets plenty of texture and flavor from ginger, caramelized scallions, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Nothing against pan-frying fish to get that crispy skin, but cod and other whitefish shine brightest when nestled into a rich bed of aromatics and steamed to tender flakiness.

Coconut milk and lots of aromatics bring life into this fish chowder. And just when you thought oyster crackers couldn’t get better, you’ll cook them in butter and smother them in paprika.

Olives and superfast pickled onions provide tangy balance for creamy-crispy potatoes and roast cod.

This recipe moves fast—stay on top of it by prepping and lining up your ingredients before you start cooking.

In this recipe, white fish gets smothered in a garlicky olive paste, then wrapped in chard leaves before simmering in a lemony, cilantro-laced sauce.

With the nearly year-round availability of zucchini and cherry and grape tomatoes, this dish brings color and flavor to the table any time you’d like.

Give vegetables a head start in a hot oven before turning the heat way down. Then lay the fish on top, and let everything finish cooking together.

If you’re going to turn on the oven in August, it better be for a good reason: This sauce, made from broiled tomatoes and peppers, is tangy, smoky, juicy, and definitely worth it.

Slow-roasting provides the best insurance for moist, super-flaky fish without the need for much tending—which means you can direct most of your attention elsewhere this Valentine’s Day.