If you are looking for a way to use up leftover catch or simply want a milder, flakier alternative to canned tuna, try this Rockfish Salad. A little fresher, lighter, and more sustainable, it comes together within 20 minutes and doesn't have too much mayo either.
This is a good salad to make anytime rockfish is available, which is just about year round. You could also make this from leftover sauteed rockfish with lemon caper butter sauce.
Serve with a kale baby spinach salad, butternut squash apple soup, or easy chocolate covered figs for dessert.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sustainable Choice: Rockfish is widely considered a smart, sustainable seafood choice, particularly from the U.S. West Coast.
- Mild Flavor Profile: Unlike the strong metallic taste sometimes found in canned tuna, rockfish is sweet, mild, and pearly white.
- Toothsome Texture: Fresh cooked rockfish has a bit more texture when its flaked than canned tuna, which can be mushy when mixed with mayo.
- Zero Waste: This is the excellent way to use up leftover baked or pan-fried white fish.
Ingredients
This recipe starts with fresh, uncooked rockfish, but you can substitute leftover fish you have on hand.
- Rockfish: Often called Rock Cod or Pacific Snapper, rockfish refers to a large genus of marine fish known for its mild, sweet flavor and tender, flaky white meat.
- Prized along the West Coast, rockfish is an excellent, sustainable substitute for any recipe calling for white fish, especially when used in salads or tacos, where its sturdy texture prevents it from becoming mushy.
- Substitute with any mild flavored white fish (ling cod, halibut, snapper), though any fish will really work such as salmon, tuna, or even mackerel.
- Mayo: I really don't like mayo, until I found Primal Foods avocado oil mayo, which is so buttery.
- Substitute with vegan mayo, mashed avocado, mashed chickpeas/white beans, or hummus.
- Optional - Celery: A classic addition to tuna salads to add crunch. You could also add it to this salad.
See recipe card for quantities.
Benefits of using rockfish instead of tuna
- Sustainable and affordable
- Milder flavor and less “fishy” aroma
- Readily available on the West Coast
Instructions
Once the fish is cooked, the salad comes together within minutes.
- Step 1: Season the rockfish on both sides with olive oil and Old Bay seasoning. (Alternately, just use salt and pepper)
- Step 2: The rockfish should take about 8-12 minutes to cook at 375 degrees F, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
- Step 3: Let the rockfish cool completely before adding the remaining seasonings.
- Step 4: The fish will flake into very fine shreds, the more you keep breaking it apart.
Hint: If you don't love mayo, you can use a vegan based mayo. Alternately you can use a little mashed avocado or even some hummus, so it will hold together.
Serving Variations
Rockfish salad is versatile! Here are a few ways to serve it:
Stuffed Avocado: Scoop out a little extra avocado meat and fill the center with rockfish salad for a high-protein and very filling meal.
The Classic Melt: Pile it onto sourdough bread, top with sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese (or vegan cheese), and broil until bubbly.
Low-Carb Lettuce Cups: Spoon the salad into Bibb or butter lettuce leaves for a Keto-friendly/Paleo lunch.
The Appetizer: Serve in a bowl surrounded by hearty crackers or cucumber rounds.
FAQs
Can I use frozen rockfish? Thaw the fillets completely in the refrigerator, pat them dry, and then proceed with the recipe.
How long does this keep in the fridge? Seafood salad is best eaten fresh, but it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can I make this dairy-free? The recipe uses mayonnaise (which is dairy-free), but double-check your mayo label. If you are avoiding eggs, you can use a vegan mayo or mashed avocado or mashed white beans or chickpeas as a binder.
Variation Ideas
Dill Pickle Rockfish Salad
- Add chopped dill pickles
- Swap Dijon for whole grain mustard
Mediterranean Rockfish Salad
- Add olives, parsley, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- Reduce mayo and add a little more olive oil
Spicy Rockfish Salad
- Mix in Calabrian chili oil or sriracha
- Add chopped green onion
Recipe
Creamy Rockfish Salad (an inviting twist on classic tuna salad)
Ingredients
- 8 oz rockfish fillets skin off, deboned
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 2 Tb mayonnaise such as Primal Foods Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
- 1 Tb capers roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 Tb onion chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill chopped and a few whole sprigs for garnish
- salt to taste
- lettuce cups, crackers, or bread for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Pat rockfish fillets dry. Coat with olive oil and then Old Bay seasoning on both sides. Place on an oiled or pachment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Let cool thoroughly.
- Place cooled fillets into a mixing bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Stir together with a fork, breaking up the fillets as you go into shreds.
- Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, and black pepper if you please.
- Serve with lettuce cups, whole grain bread, or crackers.
Notes
Nutrition
Fortune Cookie
Forever is composed of nows.
Emily Dickinson
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