Fish and Cheese
You probably think you know what we’re going to say about fish and cheese – that they should never go together? Well, it may be a rule in Italian cooking that cheese and fish do not belong together. But, we side with the French who believe that rule is nonsense. Mixing fish and dairy can be one of the most creative and delectable combinations especially since it is less common.
Since seafood has subtle flavors, deciding what cheese goes with fish should be carefully chosen and avoiding strong-flavored cheese.
Delicate Seafood
Some seafood is delicate – such as oysters, clams and flounder – and should be cooked carefully and simply. These delicate fish should not be paired with strong cheese since they will completely overwhelm the nice delicate flavors of the fish itself. So how do you decide how to cheese the fish? Lean toward a mild approachable well-known cheese that most diner’s palette will recognize.
How to Pair Fish and Cheese
When paired correctly, cheese and seafood will bring out the best in each flavor elevating to new heights. For instance, combining an alfredo sauce with seafood pasta brings out incredibly balanced flavors. This is perhaps one of the most famous seafood cheese sauce combination. And how could someone reject such a popular combination?
Another delicious combination of seafood and cheese, originating in France, is mussels served in a blue cheese broth with garlic and wine. Also in Chile, clams are famously prepared in butter, wine and Parmesan.
There are so many ways to pair seafood and cheese that if you simply search cheese fish you will find a wide range of incredible combinations – pages and pages. While Italian chefs may not agree, the rest of the world seems to be on board.
You don’t need to be a fancy chef to pair seafood and milk. For instance, think about cheese pizza topped with anchovies. Or even bagel and cream cheese with lox – an extremely well known and loved combination of fish and cheese.
Seafood and Cheese Combination
Salmon Quesadilla
This is our favorite combination, as we serve it often as a special! Just try it and you’ll be instantly supportive of combining these two food groups. Follow this recipe to make it at home.
Bubbly cheese coated fish
There is nothing like a bubbly parmesan cheese coating on top of a fresh fish dish. Especially when garnished with parsley or lemon.
Greek flavors
I bet you could have guessed this one. A delicious moist mild fish pairs so nicely with feta cheese and baked down whole tomatoes. Greek food is widely loved, delicious, and definitely combines the two groups.
Tuna Melt
Hello, of course! If you’ve ever had a tuna melt you KNOW this combination is magical. Tuna, often mixed with mayonnaise and onions, topped with parmesan cheese, and melted on top. The crunch, the melding of flavors, the joy. Absolutely fool proof example for pairing fish and cheeses.
Fish Tacos
This is an obviously good reason to combine seafood and cheese. Who doesn’t love a grilled fish in a tortilla with all the fixings and of course including cotija cheese. This is a match made in heaven.
Smoked Salmon Pasta
This combination may be less obvious, but equally as tasty. A creamy cheesy pasta sauce is the perfect accompaniment to balance out .
Crab Dip
Chips dipped into cheesy crab dip? Yes, please! This is a great combination for sports events like the super bowl, or any time people get together to socialize in a common space. For a tasty recipe to try this at home, we recommend this one. We also offer great tips for how to cook crab!
As you can see, seafood and cheese can be combined to make some of the yummiest foods.
