When you’re thinking about firing up the grill, the first thing you think of is the main course: meat or fish. But veggies are just as important, not just for health reasons, but also for flavour.
Getting the pairing with the main dish right lets you create a complete taste experience during your meal. Would you ever serve lunch or dinner without a side dish?
There are some ideas for grilled meat sides in this article. Today, we’re actually going to focus on what to serve with fish!
Photo by Clark Douglas on Unsplash
Roast potatoes
A classic that always delivers! Potatoes have always been the perfect companion for fish, especially white fish like sea bream, sea bass, turbot or sole.
A tasty alternative is to bake in foil, so you can use the embers of the barbecue.
Photo by Gavin Tyte on Unsplash
Diced baby tomatoes
Baby tomatoes are another great classic summer ingredient and are a perfect side dish for grilled fish. You can dice them with lots of other veggies, depending on what dish you want to serve. Need some examples? Baby tomatoes and olives with white fish; baby tomatoes and red onion with snapper, calamari or prawns; baby tomatoes, celery and white onion with salmon.
While you are waiting for your grilled food, your guests can also use them for a tasty bruschetta, naturally toasted on the grill!
Grilled courgettes (as a salsa)
We are staying with the idea of tradition, but now shifting the focus to the most delicate vegetable to grill. Courgettes go perfectly with fish and can also be used to create an easy (and tasty!) salsa: boil them in water, blend them down, add oil and some herbs or spices, ideally the ones used for the fish.
Caponata of aubergine (or grilled aubergines)
Again, we’ve picked a really simple dish. Like courgettes, aubergines are a perfect pairing with grilled fish. You can grill them and season them with a drizzle of oil and sprinkled herbs or prepare a caponata to be served cold.
Again, be careful with the spices and condiments, keeping them as similar to the ones you use for the fish as possible!
Green beans
People often forget, but green beans go great with fish. You can serve them with lightly fried onions (don’t overdo it though!), flavoured with herbs like mint or even dressed with a no-garlic pesto.
What do you normally serve with your favourite grilled fish recipes? Tell us in the comments!
