For those of you who can’t resist spicy meals that put a little sparkle of sweat on your brow, here are 9 recipes that bring heat to your wild-caught seafood with flavors that originate from all the spice-loving corners of the culinary world.
Cod and Spot Prawn Moqueca
Moqueca, a signature dish from the northern state of Bahia, Brazil, is an addictively spicy seafood stew that you can enjoy even when the weather is hot. This version from America’s Test Kitchen is made with cod and large shrimp — so you’ll want to bust out your spot prawns to make this. To give the recipe the most authentic flavor, try to get your hands on dende oil and pickled dedo de moça peppers; annatto oil can be used in place of dende oil, and pickled scotch bonnets are similar in flavor to the Brazilian peppers.
Southwestern-Spiced Cod
This Southwestern-inspired cod recipe from Food Network gets its heat from multiple layers of spice. The cod fillets are rubbed with a bit of ancho powder then broiled, enhancing the smoky heat of this particular pepper. As a complement to this flavor, you’ll whisk together a mayo spiced with both the ancho powder and pickled jalapeños that can be enjoyed on the fish or with a side of cornbread.
Curried Salmon Soup
Dr. Weil’s recipe for a curried salmon soup is made with Thai red curry paste, which will bring the heat you love in dishes like this. Use an extra dose of the curry paste for an extra spicy soup, or add in slices of fresh chili for another layer of both spice and flavor. The soup is made creamy with cashew milk (you can use coconut, if you prefer), which helps to balance out the heat of the curry paste.
Grilled Salmon with Sweet and Spicy Szechuan Sauce
Do you love that tongue-tingling fire of Szechuan cuisine? You’ll want to harness that heat for this grilled salmon recipe from Shape, which combines the spice of szechuan peppercorns with the sweetness of blueberry jam to create an unexpected but delicious sauce for a simply grilled fillet. Remember, to get crispy skin on the grill, having clean and hot grates, a little patience, and a good spatula will make flipping and retrieving your salmon a foolproof endeavor.
Spicy Salmon Roll
To make a killer spicy salmon roll, you need great salmon (we’ve got you covered there), a perfectly spicy-savory mayo, and some rolling skills. Bobby Flay’s recipe for spicy salmon rolls combines mayo with gochujang for some sweet heat and fish sauce for an intense layer of umami. Make this with raw fish if you want something classic, or mix up leftover flaked salmon with the spicy mayo as your filling.
Kimchi and Cauliflower Fried Rice Skillet with Salmon
The spicy, tangy flavor of kimchi brings the heat to this low-carb fried cauliflower rice and salmon skillet from Kula’s Kitchen. While the recipe suggests adding mushrooms and carrots to the skillet, you can keep things interesting by using whatever veggies you prefer. As for the salmon, our suggestion is to first pan-sear your salmon in the cast-iron skillet, then set aside your fish and use the same pan over medium heat to fry up the rest of your ingredients to make it a one-pan meal. Or, make this skillet with a leftover fillet of salmon, flaked and mixed in at the end to heat through.
Wasabi-Sambal Spiced Halibut
If you’re the kind of foodie who thinks twice the spice is twice as nice, this seared halibut from Epicurious, served with two spicy sauces, is right up your alley. Between a wasabi cream and a sambal vinaigrette — both are ridiculously easy to make — a fillet of halibut cooked in a sizzling hot cast-iron skillet becomes the perfect canvas for the twin heats of the sauces.
Broiled Sablefish with Wasabi Mayo
The refreshing, sinus clearing heat of wasabi is paired up with the fatty richness of sablefish in this easy recipe from Rachel Ray. Mix up wasabi paste and mayo to make a spicy topping for your fillet of fish — start with the amount suggested in the recipe, but add more until it suits your taste — then set the fish under a hot broiler until it’s easily flaked with a fork into silky morsels. Halibut and cod can be substituted in this recipe. Though they won’t be quite as moist as sablefish, the mayo will help to keep their fillets tender; check on them a few minutes earlier for doneness.
Five-Spice Halibut Tacos with Sriracha Crema Karista Bennett’s roasted halibut tacos get an Asian fusion infusion of spice from a dusting of five spice powder on the fillets, a sweet and spicy crema kicked up with sriracha, and a cooling apple and cabbage slaw to balance out the heat of everything else loaded into your tacos.
