Enjoy the ease and out-of-this-world taste of home cooked fish when you use this simple warm and spicy fish rub for seasoning.
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Fish doesn’t need a lot of fuss. That’s the beauty of it. Whether it’s an herb butter to create an instant sauce or a homemade spice blend, a fish dinner is simple, real food.
I’ve been making homemade spice blends for a very long time. No expensive jarred mixes or foil packets for this chick! Making a custom spice blend takes just a few minutes and it really speeds up meal prep. No measuring and messing around — just quick and easy flavor.
Bonus: you get to control what goes into the mix! No excess preservatives or fillers!
This Warm and Spicy Fish Rub is no exception. It mixes together in minutes and packs a great punch. The ginger, cayenne, and garlic give it a little kick which is a nice for livening up the taste buds. Go light if you’re timid on the spice scale or rub it in thickly if you like some heat. You can grill, saute, or broil the fish pieces and serve with a few lemon wedges. Easy peasy.
What is a good seasoning for fish?
This seasoning is perfect on fish! It’s warm and slightly spicy. And you may have these herbs and spices already in your pantry.
- Garlic Powder
- Salt
- Paprika
- Dried dill
- Dried thyme
- Ground ginger
- Cayenne pepper
- Black pepper
Serving suggestions
This warm and spicy Fish Rub is delicious on fish and shrimp as well as stirred into seafood salad. Use it to season marinades or dressings as well.
Instructions
Mixing up this spice rub takes just minutes. Measure out the different spices in a jar or dish with a lid. Stir well to combine. Cover and store in a cool, dry place.
To use the blend: Brush fish fillets or steaks with cooking oil; season heavily with a custom spice blend, and cook in a skillet or on the grill.
Recipe costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- garlic powder – $0.12
- salt – $0.02
- paprika $0.02
- dill – $0.37
- thyme – $0.01
- ginger – $0.07
- cayenne – $0.02
- black pepper – $0.01
A batch of spicy fish seasoning costs just $0.64 per batch. A similar commercial spice at the grocery store costs $2.99. Homemade is cheaper!
How to save more
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of fish and bulk spices can help keep the price down.
- Buying in bulk – Dill is the most expensive ingredient in this recipe. Search for it at the lowest price you can find. Using dried herbs and spices within 3 to 6 months is key to maintaining their flavor. It would make sense to buy small bottles, however small bottles are pricier than larger ones. For herbs spices that I use in great quantity, I buy large packages from Costco or Amazon. I fill my small jar and then store the larger package in the freezer to extend its shelf life. For spices I use infrequently, I buy small amounts from the bulk jars at the health food store. In this way, I always have potent dried herbs and spices.
- Grow and dry your own dill. Dill is super easy to grow and is a prolific plant. Grow a plant and dry the leaves for cheap!
Kitchen equipment
One of the great things about cooking fish is that it cooks so quickly and needs little work in its preparation.
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
For this recipe, I rely on a supply of mason jars with plastic lids for storing my spice mixes
Warm and Spicy Fish Rub
Ingredients
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container in the cupboard or freezer.
- To serve: Brush fish steaks or fillets with oil. Sprinkle a generous amount of seasoning on the fish and rub it in. Cook the fish over a hot grill until it begins to flake. Alternatively, you can broil or saute the seasoned fish. You can tell the fish is done when it pulls apart easily.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of fish and bulk spices can help keep the price down.
- Buying in bulk – Using dried herbs and spices within 3 to 6 months is key to maintaining their flavor. It would make sense to buy small bottles, however small bottles are pricier than larger ones. For herbs spices that I use in great quantity, I buy large packages from Costco or Amazon. I fill my small jar and then store the larger package in the freezer to extend its shelf life. For spices I use infrequently, I buy small amounts from the bulk jars at the health food store. In this way, I always have potent dried herbs and spices.
Nutrition
This post was originally published October 5, 2011. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Alice E
I just make my second batch of this! I’ve been meaning to check back in to thank you and rate this. I have used it both when sautéing fish and when baking fish. If not rubbing the fish, I just sprinkle it on the fish and cook it. Hubby said a definite yes when I asked if he wanted me to use it again! I keep some of it in one of those little shakers that look like a mason jar with a handle and shaker lid that they sell for salt/pepper shakers and the bulk of it in a small mason jar. I would give this 5 stars for sure, but don’t see the rating on this one so I’m just adding it in my comment. This and the IQF frozen fish portions make fish a quick meal for the two of us.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad you’re enjoying it! We are still working on moving all recipes to the starred format. It’s slow going with 1600 posts! Thank you so much, Alice, for popping in here with feedback. I appreciate you!
Alice E
Thank you for re-visiting these standards for us newbies. This is timely for me since I’ve got a batch of fish in the freezer that I bought on sale.
Jessica Fisher
Let me know what you think!
Donna
I tried it on tilapia his week and it was amazing. Next up is salmon. Thank you for sharing.
Jessica Fisher
Glad you enjoyed it!
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup
I’m getting ready to make this for about the 100th time. My whole family loves this – thanks so much!
Jessica Fisher
Well, that’s great to know!
Morsels of Life
Thanks for hosting! I’m always on the lookout for new fish recipes, and I think I’m trying this one next!
Mary E.S.
That sounds so good and since I am having trouble getting my boys to eat fish I think I am going to try this.Thank’s for a different way to fix fish.
Sandi
It may be breakfast time, but that looks really good to me right now. Have you found a particular type of fish best for this? I usually use salmon and tilapia, but I think I’ve only put salmon on the grill. If something else works better, I’m willing to give it a try. My son has not yet found any food originating from the ocean that he does not like, so we are open to new culinary adventures.
Jessica
@Sandi, we typically use salmon, tuna, or halibut. Sometimes shark or tilapia. It depends. We are careful not to have more than once a week and to vary the kinds so that the high mercury fish are rare in our diet.
Jen Blacker
Thank you so much for hosting. This week I shared my Mexican Rice recipe.