Seafood Recipes: Easy Salmon, Shrimp and Fish Ideas

How we cook seafood on a weeknight

The single most useful rule: fish is done when it turns opaque and flakes easily, or reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Many cooks pull salmon earlier, around 125°F, for a moist center. Shrimp are ready when they curl into a loose C; a tight O means they went too far.

Frozen seafood is often fresher than the fish counter, because it is frozen right after the catch. Thaw it overnight in the fridge or in a sealed bag in cold water, then pat it very dry so it sears instead of steaming.

Each recipe here tells you which fish or shellfish you can swap in, so you can cook with whatever looks best or costs least that week.

Short on time? Baked Tilapia with Lemon Garlic Butter is the quickest here at 20 min, with 8 min of hands-on work.