25 Leftover Fish Recipes and Ideas for Using Up Leftover Fish (2024)

Are you wondering what to do with leftover fish? From fish soup to fish tacos, these leftover fish recipes will make you excited to have fish leftovers.

I cook fish quite often but rarely have leftover fish. My husband and two oldest children like fish so much that they usually polish off whatever fishI have cooked for dinner. And if they don’t finish it off for dinner, they will eat the leftovers for breakfast or lunch the next day. The only time I have leftover fish is when my neighbor goes salmon fishing and brings me back salmon steaks so large they don’t fit in a 13 x 9 pan and even then it goes fast!I have to act fast if I want to experiment with leftover fish recipes for dinner the next day. So I turned to my friends and asked them for theirfavoriterecipes that could be adapted to include leftover fish.

Few of the recipes below actually call for leftover cooked fish. I am sharing them to inspire you. If you match the flavors of your leftover fish to the flavors used in one of the following recipes you can cut down on the time it takes to make dinner. When you use fish leftovers in these recipes, add it when the recipe calls for the cooked fish to be added to the other ingredients or as the final step and cook until just heated through.

I often start with one of these fish recipes and then use the leftovers in one of the recipes below.

25Leftover Fish Recipes and Ideas

Fish Soup Recipes:

It is easy to use leftover cooked fish in soup recipes. You save time since the leftover fish is already cooked. Just add the leftover fish as the last step and cook until the fish is heated through.

Salmon Dill Chowder

Tuna or Seafood Chowder

Southwest Tilapia Chowder

Cantonese Fish Soup

Thai Fish Soup

Salmon Chowder

Portuguese Traditional Fish Soup

Rustic Tomato & Coconut Fish Soup

Mediterranean Fish Stew

Fish Pasta Recipes:

Fish leftovers work well in hot or cold pasta salads. Assemble the pasta salad and then add the cooked fish. Toss to coat and then serve or chill for later.

Neptune’s Pasta

Asian Glazed Fish Pasta

The (Not Barefoot) Contessa’s Fish Pasta

Fish Salad Recipes:

April of 21st Century Housewife says she uses leftover salmon in salads. Here are a few fish salad recipes that could easily be adapted to include leftover fish.

Spicy Fish Taco Bowls

Tuna and Couscous Salad

Tuna andTabboulehSalad

Blackened Fish Salad Recipe

Honey Mustard Salmon Salad

Salmon and Blueberry Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Salmon, Potato, and Green Bean Salad

Fish Taco Recipes:

My husband and father enjoy fish tacos. You can stretch leftover fish taco recipes by adding beans, tomatoes, and/or corn in place of some of the fish called for in the recipe if you wish.

Tilapia Fish Tacos

Blackened Fish Tacos

Cilantro and Lime Fish Tacos

Mexican Salmon Quesadillas with Avocado Cream Sauce

Use Leftover Cooked Fish to make Fish Patties

Leah from Simplistic Savings says she uses leftover salmon or trout to make patties. She didn’t have a recipe, but this Baked Tilapia Cake Recipe from Miz Helen would make a great base for creating fish patties out of leftover fish. As would this Panko Salmon Cakes Recipeor this Chipotle Salmon Corn Cakes recipe from Shirley at Gluten Free Easily.

Use Leftover Fish to Make Fish and Rice Bowls

I like to combine leftover rice, leftover fish, and either cooked vegetables, fresh greens, or berries to make a fish and rice bowl. Sometimes I substitute pasta or quinoa for the rice. Then I choose a salad dressing and drizzle it over the top.

How do you like to use leftover fish? Or are you like me and rarely have any leftover fish.