Orange roughy is like the cool kid at the seafood table. It’s light, flaky, and goes with just about anything. We remember our first time trying it at a friend’s dinner party—everyone was raving about the flavour and texture.
Finding the right sides to pair with orange roughy can make a regular meal feel like a fancy feast. We’ve discovered some winning combos that turn a simple fish dinner into something memorable. From zesty salads to buttery veggies, there’s a side to elevate every bite.
So, if you’re ready to spice up your dinner plate and impress your guests, check out our top picks for what to serve with orange roughy!
Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Orange Roughy?
For the uninitiated, orange roughy or red roughy is a large deep-sea fish from the slimehead family.
As the name suggests, it is known for its bright orange skin.
Roughies tend to have a bad reputation for being around too long.
However, when cooked in the right manner, the fish has a slightly sweet, delicate and mild flavor that’ll make anyone’s palate happy and satisfied.
Its taste can be compared to that of pollock or tilapia.
While fish makes a great main dish, it may not be very filling and rather seem dull on its own.
Hence, serving side dishes with orange roughy can round out your meal and enhance its flavor.
What to Serve with Orange Roughy? 7 Best Side Dishes
After weeks of trying out a variety of side dishes with our delicious orange roughy entrée, we’ve landed on our seven best picks.
Find them below:
1 – Rice
Let’s start with the most popular pair – orange roughy with rice.
You can enjoy rice in two different styles with orange roughy.
First, if you’ve prepared your fish in strong and flavorful seasonings, then you can simply serve it with some steamed white rice on the side.
This will round out your meal without overbearing the flavor of your orange roughy.
Second, if you’ve cooked your fish with minimal ingredients and milder seasonings, you can add more flavors to your white rice.
Talking about flavorful rice, we think infusing some lemon or orange juice in your rice can bring out a nice tangy flavor.
Or, if you want something more interesting, you can go for this wild rice with mushroom recipe here.
2 – Grilled Vegetables
Are you serving grilled orange roughy for lunch or dinner? Pair it with some grilled vegetables on the side, and you’ll be left satisfied without feeling overstuffed.
Whether you want to roast or barbecue your veggies, that’s up to you.
Either way, you’re guaranteed a scrumptious and healthy meal when you pair orange roughy and veggies together.
Bell peppers, sweet potatoes, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, and more – you can choose any vegetable of your liking for this recipe.
For a quick meal, just chop your veggies and sauté them in butter and garlic.
Serve hot with your fish, and enjoy.
3 – Citrus Sauce
On days when you only want to savor your orange roughy, you can do so by dipping it in a citrus sauce.
You should consider serving orange roughy with citrus sauce on the side because it elevates the flavor of your star dish.
Plus, it is refreshing and fresh.
For making the sauce, start by cooking garlic for about 30 seconds on a frying pan in butter.
Make sure to keep the heat low.
Then, add orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, thinly sliced green onions, and parsley.
Next, add butter and cook until creamy.
You can either use the sauce as a dip or pour it on top of your orange roughy.
4 – French Fries
It’s hard to beat a classic fish and chips combo.
If you’re having your orange roughy breaded and deep-fried, then it literally begs for a plate of crispy French fries.
Just bake some potato wedges.
This way, they’re crisp and tasty, yet lower in fat.
Once done, take them out of the oven or air fryer, dress them with your favorite seasonings, and enjoy with your creamy orange roughy.
5 – Risotto
You already know rice goes well with orange roughy.
So, why not take it up a notch and pair it with risotto for a hearty meal?
Now, you may think of making risotto as a pretty hard task.
However, this special recipe calls for baking the risotto instead of the traditional way of endlessly stirring it.
This means you save half the time in preparation.
Yet, the result is the same creamy, tender, and nutty-tasting rice infused in cheese.
6 – Pasta
Not a big fan of white rice, but want a filling side? Consider pasta.
This is a versatile side dish that pairs well with several entrées, including fish.
When it comes to serving pasta with orange roughy, you might want to go for a tomato-based or cream-based pasta sauce.
The tartness and creamy flavor of pasta really complement the slightly sweet taste of orange roughy.
On the other hand, you can also go for a pasta puttanesca to really bring out the flavor of orange roughy with the use of olives, capers, anchovies and parsley over spaghetti.
7 – Greek Lemon Potatoes
Greek potatoes, when cooked with lemon juice, garlic, and oregano, create a mouth-watering Mediterranean side.
It’s usually served with mild white fish like tilapia.
Since orange roughy is known to have a similar taste as tilapia, you may as well pair it with some Greek lemon potatoes and savor your meal.
Moreover, since potatoes come packed with fiber, they also make for a healthy side dish that you can pair with your fish.
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