Wild-caught Alaskan rockfish is a lean whitefish that pairs well with bold flavors. Many of the recipes that work for other white fish such as Pacific halibut or Pacific cod can be adapted to rockfish fillets, but the best rockfish recipes are ones that feature seasoning blends and sauces that complement its robust taste.
These Alaskan rockfish recipes bring out the best in this fish:
Best Rockfish Recipes
1. Cornmeal Crusted Rockfish
This easy recipe for cornmeal crusted fish is flaky, golden, and perfectly spiced. The flat profile of rockfish fillets makes them a great fish for breading — especially with a nutty, hearty crust of cornmeal.
2. Air-Fried Rockfish With Curry Mayo
In this recipe for air-fried fish, rockfish is dressed up with the bold flavor of an easy curry mayonnaise, made by mixing mayo with whatever curry powder you have in your pantry. As the rockfish air fries, the curry mayo bastes the fish in flavor and a little fat, keeping the fillets moist so that they’re perfectly flaky. The mayo also caramelizes beautifully, so you’ll have a gorgeously golden air fried fish fillet by the time the rockfish is cooked through.
3. Pan-Fried Rockfish With Vinegary Caper-Anchovy Sauce
Our recipe for pan-fried rockfish pairs up this flavor-forward white fish with an equally robust caper-anchovy sauce — a vinegary sauce that doubles as a bright dressing to brighten up a side of greens or vegetables.
4. Grilled Rockfish With Herby Zhug
The shining star of this recipe for grilled rockfish is the zhug — an herby Yemeni hot sauce that is so delicious and versatile that after making it once, you’ll want it as a fridge staple, like mayo or ketchup. Flavorful Pacific rockfish, hot off the grill, is an ideal base to highlight the warmth of the toasted spices, the kick from the serranos, and the brightness of the herbs, lemon, and garlic.
5. Roasted Radish and Rockfish Farro Bowl With Garlicky Dill Yogurt
This hearty grain bowl features baked rockfish as a lean, flavorful protein. Quick-cooking vegetables, like radish and asparagus, are baked alongside the fish to keep the prep easy — each ingredient takes approximately the same time to cook. The entire meal will be ready to enjoy in under 20 minutes.
6. Baked Rockfish With Chili Garlic Sauce
Store-bought chili garlic sauce makes this baked rockfish recipe an effortless weeknight meal. The spiced fillets are served over a stir-fried bed of noodles, dressed simply with garlic, scallions and soy sauce. A handful of cilantro finishes the meal with a fresh, herbaceous pop of flavor and color.
7. Rockfish With Buttery Cracker Crust
The cracker crusted fish is paired with a meuniere-inspired sauce, making this one of the tastiest rockfish recipes you can pull together on weeknight. It's inspired by one of the most classic and beloved French seafood dishes — sole meuniere. The key ingredient for our adaptation is crushed ritz crackers, which coat the rockfish fillets to produce a buttery, golden crust.
8. Blackened Rockfish Sandwich
Pan-fried rockfish's robust taste and firm, flaky texture make it an ideal variety of white fish to use in a blackened fish recipe — a bold filling for fish tacos or, in this case, a flavorful topping for a zesty blackened fish sandwich. A cajun-inspired fish blackening rub adds smokey spice to the fillets, requiring less than 5 minutes in a hot pan to add delicious color to the fillets.
9. Air Fryer Rockfish Tacos
Flaky, flavorful rockfish becomes a golden and crispy filling for this easy air fryer fish taco recipe. From start to finish, you can have a healthy taco dinner on the table in under 20 minutes. It’s also a fun recipe to make, whether you’re taking the lead or delegating tasks to a helper in the kitchen.
10. Rockfish Milanese With Golden Panko Crust
Make a fast fish milanese with rockfish. Flavorful fillets of rockfish are breaded in crispy panko breadcrumbs for maxed out texture, in the tradition of classic milanese-style preparations — thin cuts of protein, breaded and fried and served alongside a fresh salad.
