Why Fish Belongs on Your Midweek Menu

After a long day at work, the last thing most of us want is to spend an hour in the kitchen. Yet somehow, the temptation to reach for a takeaway menu or a ready meal wins far too often — and that quickly adds up, both in calories and in pounds. Fish is the quiet hero of weeknight cooking: it cooks fast, it's naturally flavourful, and it delivers a genuinely impressive plate without demanding much of you in return.

The NHS recommends eating at least two portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily, to support heart health and provide essential omega-3 fatty acids. Yet many UK households still regard fish as either a Friday treat or something fiddly to prepare. The truth is almost the opposite. A salmon fillet or a bag of prawns can be transformed into a restaurant-quality dinner in the time it takes to boil a kettle and scroll through your phone.

Below you'll find two reliable midweek fish recipes — a zingy lemon and herb pan-fried salmon and a speedy garlic prawn linguine — along with practical tips for keeping costs down without compromising on flavour.

Recipe 1: Lemon and Herb Pan-Fried Salmon

Serves: 2 | Time: 20 minutes | Cost per serving: approximately £3.20

Ingredients

  • 2 salmon fillets (skin on, approx. 150g each)
  • 1 lemon, zested and halved
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
  • A small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 200g tenderstem broccoli or fine green beans, to serve

Method

  1. Remove the salmon from the fridge 10 minutes before cooking so it reaches room temperature — this helps it cook evenly.
  2. Pat the fillets dry with kitchen paper and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat until it shimmers.
  4. Place the salmon skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for the first 30 seconds to prevent it from curling.
  5. Cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes until the skin is crisp and the flesh has turned opaque about two-thirds of the way up.
  6. Flip the fillets, add the garlic to the pan, and cook for a further 2–3 minutes.
  7. Squeeze half the lemon over the fish, scatter the parsley and lemon zest, and remove from the heat.
  8. While the salmon rests, steam or blanch your greens for 3–4 minutes.
  9. Serve immediately with a wedge of the remaining lemon.

Recipe 2: Garlic Prawn Linguine

Serves: 2 | Time: 22 minutes | Cost per serving: approximately £2.80

Ingredients

  • 200g linguine or spaghetti
  • 200g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined (fresh or frozen and thoroughly defrosted)
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced (optional)
  • 100ml dry white wine or chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • A small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook the linguine according to packet instructions, reserving a ladleful of pasta water before draining.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat.
  3. Add the garlic and chilli and cook gently for 1–2 minutes until softened but not browned.
  4. Turn the heat up to high, add the prawns in a single layer, and cook for 1–2 minutes until they turn pink and curl.
  5. Pour in the wine or stock and let it bubble for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol.
  6. Add the drained pasta to the pan along with a splash of the reserved pasta water and toss everything together vigorously.
  7. Remove from the heat, stir through the lemon zest, juice, and parsley, and season to taste.
  8. Divide between two warmed bowls and serve at once.

Tips, Variations, and Budget Advice

Go frozen without guilt. Frozen fish fillets and prawns are just as nutritious as fresh — sometimes more so, as they're frozen at sea within hours of being caught. Keeping a bag of frozen salmon fillets or raw prawns in the freezer means you're always one defrost away from a proper dinner.

Sustainable choices matter. Look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue tick when buying fish, whether fresh or packaged. It's a reliable signal that the fish has been responsibly sourced — and MSC-certified products are widely available in major supermarkets at no significant premium.

Swap the fish. The lemon herb method works equally well with sea bass, trout, or cod. For the prawn pasta, try swapping prawns for tinned tuna or even frozen peas for a plant-based version that's just as satisfying.

Keep costs in check. Fish suppers needn't be expensive — frozen fillets from the likes of Aldi, Lidl, or the supermarket own-brand ranges regularly come in well under £2 per portion. If you're also trying to stretch your household budget further, it's worth reviewing your broader outgoings. Comparing energy tariffs, broadband deals, or insurance premiums via a site like QuidCompare can free up a surprising amount of money each month — cash that's far better spent on a decent piece of fish than on an overpriced contract.

Prepping ahead. Both dishes come together so quickly that there's little to prep in advance, but chopping garlic and parsley during your lunch break (if you work from home) and storing them in a small sealed container saves even more time come dinnertime.

The Bigger Picture

Getting more fish into your weekly routine isn't just good for your health — it's a versatile, cost-effective way to break out of dinner monotony. Once you're comfortable with the basics of pan-frying a fillet or tossing prawns through pasta, the variations are almost endless: Thai-inspired fish cakes, miso-glazed mackerel, or a simple fishcakes-from-leftovers situation on a Thursday night. Start with one of the recipes above this week and see how quickly it becomes a staple.