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Loimulohi is a traditional method of preparing salmon or rainbow trout. The fish is smoked on a wooden plank that's placed vertically over an open fire. Before the process, the salmon is usually seasoned with sea salt and drizzled or brushed with lemon juice, honey, or juniper berries.
The cooking time depends on the distance from the coals. Once done, the smoky fish can be eaten straight off the plank.
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Shorshe ilish is a traditional dish that employs ilish fish as its star ingredient. Sliced ilish is slowly simmered in a thick broth consisting of ground mustard seeds and green chili peppers, as well as mustard oil and other spices such as turmeric, cumin, and red chili powder.
The variation of the dish may include the addition of milk or yogurt (doi). This hearty fish dish is usually served with steamed rice on the side.
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Šaran u rašljama is a traditional dish that is a specialty of the Croatian region of Baranja. It consists of a large carp that is placed in a divining rod and slowly cooked over a wood fire, giving it a unique smokiness and aroma.
About ten minutes before the carp is fully cooked, it is sprinkled with salt and ground red paprika for extra flavor. It is recommended to serve the carp with spring onions, a potato salad, and a glass of white wine on the side.
Saramură is an authentic Romanian dish, typically made with grilled fish that is briefly simmered in vegetable broth. The fish is usually cooked on a griddle pan or a skillet with heated sea salt, and then transferred to another skillet with boiling water, chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, fresh herbs, garlic, and lemon juice.
Once cooked, the fish is transferred to a plate, drizzled with vegetable sauce, and traditionally served alongisde mamaliga. Saramură prepared with grilled fish is a typical dish in the region of Dobrogea, while in some parts of Romania, this dish is also prepared with grilled meat such as chicken wings.
Masgouf is a fish dish eaten all around Iraq and often referred to as the national dish of the country. The fish used to prepare masgouf is usually freshwater carp, which is butterflied, marinated, set on skewers, then grilled next to an open fire.
To give it a crispy exterior, the fish is commonly covered with salt before cooking, while the marinating step may be omitted if the fish is fresh and of good quality. Although it is eaten throughout Iraq, the dish is especially popular in cities along the river Tigris.
MOST ICONIC Masgouf
View morePatarashca is a traditional fish dish originating from the Peruvian jungle. The dish consists of freshwater fish that's stuffed and grilled. The ingredients include whole fish, onions, hot chili peppers, sacha culantro, oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper.
The fish is cleaned, then stuffed with the combination of sacha culantro, onions, garlic, oil, hot peppers, and cumin. Once stuffed, it's wrapped in bijao leaves and placed on the grill to cook until done. Once done, patarashca is traditionally served with roasted plantains or boiled cassava on the side.
Tambaqui na brasa is a fish dish consisting of a whole tambaqui fish that's covered inside and out with a marinade typically made with olive oil, salt, pepper, various herbs, garlic, and lime slices, but that will differ from recipe to recipe. The fish is then grilled until it catches color and is cooked through.
Rice, rice and beans, tucupi sauce, and lemon slices usually accompany the dish.
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Boga a la parilla or boga on the grill is an Argentine fish delicacy consisting of grilled boga, a type of freshwater fish which is highly appreciated in Argentina. A whole fish is opened up and seasoned with spices, herbs, oil, lemon juice, and (sometimes) white wine.
It is then placed on the grill and cooked to perfection on both sides. The fish is also commonly rubbed with dry chimichurri mix or flavored with different sauces such as salsa criolla, salsa provenzal, or salsa de maracuyá.
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Fried catfish or southern fried catfish is a traditional fish specialty from the American South. Catfish fillets are first soaked in buttermilk and then rolled in cornmeal mixture before they are deep-fried in hot oil. The cornmeal crust gives the fish a unique flavor and nice crispiness on the outside while remaining tender and moist on the inside.
Fried catfish is traditionally served alongside cornmeal dumplings, known as hush puppies, tartar sauce, coleslaw, and (sometimes) fried pickles. This beloved Southern fish dish is available in numerous fish fry eateries in the South.
MOST ICONIC Fried Catfish
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Quenelles de brochet are a traditional French dish made from pike fish (brochet). These delicate dumplings are created by finely mincing the fish and combining it with a mixture known as a panade, which consists of milk, butter, flour, and eggs.
Heavy cream is often added to enrich the mixture, resulting in a smooth and light consistency. The mixture is then seasoned with salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and sometimes herbs like chives or parsley. The preparation of quenelles de brochet begins with making the panade.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 89 Freshwater Fish Dishes in the World” list until February 13, 2025, 1,167 ratings were recorded, of which 647 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.