Featured Seafood Recipes

Featured Seafood Recipes

A collection of tested recipes that celebrate the flavors of the coast. Each one is written for home cooks, with clear steps and notes on what really matters.

1. Grilled Swordfish with Lemon-Caper Butter

A simple, elegant weeknight dinner. Swordfish holds up beautifully on the grill and pairs perfectly with a bright butter sauce.

Serves: 4 | Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 swordfish steaks (about 6 oz each, 1-inch thick)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp capers, drained
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Steps

  1. Heat grill to high (450°F). Brush swordfish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Grill 4 minutes per side without moving. The fish should release cleanly when it’s ready to flip.
  3. While fish grills, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium. Add capers and cook 1 minute. Off heat, add lemon juice and parsley.
  4. Plate the fish and spoon caper butter over top. Serve immediately.

2. New England Clam Chowder

The real thing: cream-based, chunky, and deeply savory. No tomatoes, no shortcuts.

Serves: 6 | Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs littleneck or cherrystone clams, scrubbed
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2 cups clam juice (bottled)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and white pepper to taste
  • Fresh chives or parsley to garnish

Steps

  1. Steam clams in 1 cup water until they open, about 8–10 minutes. Discard any that don’t open. Remove meat from shells, chop roughly. Reserve steaming liquid, strain through cheesecloth.
  2. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium until crispy. Remove bacon, leave fat in pot.
  3. Sauté onion and celery in bacon fat until softened, 6 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute more.
  4. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir to combine. Cook 2 minutes.
  5. Add potatoes, clam juice, reserved clam liquid, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
  6. Stir in cream and milk. Add clam meat. Heat through but do not boil.
  7. Season with salt and white pepper. Remove bay leaf.
  8. Serve topped with bacon and chives.

3. Shrimp Tacos with Mango Slaw

Fast, fresh, and coastal — the best weeknight taco.

Serves: 4 | Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Shrimp:

  • 1.5 lbs large shrimp (16/20), peeled and deveined
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt

Mango Slaw:

  • 2 cups shredded cabbage
  • 1 ripe mango, peeled and julienned
  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Salt to taste

To Serve:

  • 8 corn tortillas, warmed
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Cilantro
  • Lime wedges
  • Hot sauce

Steps

  1. Toss shrimp with olive oil and spices. Let sit 10 minutes.
  2. Make slaw: combine cabbage, mango, and red onion. Dress with lime juice, honey, and salt. Toss well.
  3. Cook shrimp in a hot cast iron skillet, 2 minutes per side, until pink and slightly charred.
  4. Assemble tacos: tortilla, shrimp, slaw, avocado, cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

4. Pan-Seared Salmon with Crispy Skin

The fundamental technique for cooking salmon at home — perfect crispy skin every time.

Serves: 2 | Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 salmon fillets, skin-on (6 oz each)
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil (grapeseed or avocado)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed

Steps

  1. Pat salmon completely dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
  2. Heat oil in a stainless or cast iron skillet over high heat until shimmering and just beginning to smoke.
  3. Place salmon skin-side down. Immediately press down firmly with a spatula for 10 seconds to prevent curling.
  4. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes until the flesh is opaque three-quarters of the way up the side.
  5. Flip. Add butter, thyme, and garlic. Tilt pan and baste the fish with the foaming butter for 1–2 minutes.
  6. Serve immediately, skin side up to preserve crispiness.

5. Classic Ceviche

No heat required. Acid does the cooking.

Serves: 4 | Time: 30 minutes (plus marinating)

Ingredients

  • 1 lb very fresh halibut, sea bass, or snapper, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1 cup fresh lime juice (about 8 limes)
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 small red onion, very finely diced
  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 avocado, diced, for serving
  • Tostadas or plantain chips

Steps

  1. Combine fish with lime and lemon juice in a non-reactive bowl. The fish should be completely submerged. Refrigerate 15–25 minutes.
  2. When fish turns opaque and “cooked” looking, drain off about half the juice.
  3. Add onion, jalapeños, tomatoes, and cilantro. Season with salt.
  4. Serve immediately topped with avocado on tostadas.

6. Steamed Mussels in White Wine

The fastest impressive dinner you can make.

Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a starter | Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • Crusty bread to serve

Steps

  1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Sauté garlic and shallot until softened, 2 minutes.
  2. Add white wine and bring to a boil.
  3. Add mussels, cover, and cook over high heat until mussels open, about 4–6 minutes. Shake the pot once or twice.
  4. Discard any mussels that didn’t open. Stir in butter, lemon juice, and parsley.
  5. Transfer to a large bowl with all the broth. Serve with plenty of crusty bread for dipping.