My sister and I live in a quaint 2 bedroom apartment in Folsom, CA. We often help each other out and share the chores around the apartment. We share the cleaning, we share the laundry, we share the driving, and of course, we share the cooking. Well, today is my turn to cook. For a while now, we have had a fish filet in our freezer that we have not known what to do with. So, today, I decided to put that bad boy to good use. I knew exactly what I was going to do with it too. I was going to season it thoroughly with some Ms. Dash, garlic, onions and seasoning salt. Then I was going to bake it.

That sounded all well and good, but you can't have fish alone as a meal. I needed to figure out what else I was going to serve to my sister. I consulted my other sister. She gave me a few ideas, including mashed potatoes ( hadn't thought of that), rice, peas, stringbeans, corn, a salad and potatoe wedges. "Fish and chips?! Why didn't I think of that?" I thought. But we didn't have any potatoes and we're on a tight budget. So, I finally decided on macaroni & cheese and baked beans.

But as a result of all of my research, I have comprised this list of side dishes that go with fish, so that anyone else that is faced with my dilemma can have a reference point for their cooking needs. Now, I feel that this list is all inclusive. So, if your fish is salmon, samon, tilapia, tuna, catfish, carp, chub, flounder, halibut, herring, perch, sardine, whiting or yellowtail; I believe you can find a side dish among this list that will be tasty and will compliment your meal.

So, here are the side dishes to go with fish:

You want to go with something starchy to go with the high protein fish that you are going to eat. For that, corn is a good option. It is sweet, which is a different flavor than the fish. Different flavors are always good in a meal, because they keep you from having a monotonous dining experience. Some types of corn are:

• corn on the cob
• creamed corn

A salad is a good way to keep it interesting and healthy. Fish is already a healthy option (provided it is not lathered in butter), so why not maintain the healthful theme with a leafy green salad or some of our other salad option listed below:

• ceasar salad
• fruit salad
• potato salad
• egg salad
• broccoli slaw
• cole slaw
  
  Rice is one of the best side dishes for fish. Mostly, because of all the starch that it contains. Also, it is grainy, which is a different consistency than the fish and people like a variety of tastes and consistencies in their mouth for an exciting and delicious dining experience. Some forms of rice include:

• white rice
• "dirty" rice
• fried rice
• Spanish rice

Pasta is another starchy option for you. It does wonders to compliment the dish. The texture of pasta is slippery like some forms of fish such as calamari, but other types of fish such as tilapia and samon should be just right to go with any of the following types of pasta:

• macaroni & cheese
• fettucini alfredo
• Chinese noodles

Potatoes are perhaps the starchiest of them all. That is probably why there are so many "Fish & Chips" restaurants all over the world. They are big business. The "chips" of which they speak are usually potato wedges. Here are some variations of the potato for you to consider:

• mashed potatoes
• potato wedges
• tater tots

Vegetables are usually healthy (depending on how you prepare them). However, they also compliment the fish. Some ideas for nice vegetable side dishes are:

• baked beans
• sweet peas
• string beans
• string bean casserol

And finally, bread. Are you noticing a theme here? Starch compliments proteins! So, for a balanced diet, you're going to want to have at least one of each at you meal (don't forget about your fruits and veggies, though!) Here are some bread options for you:

• corn bread
• dinner rolls
• biscuits
• English muffins
• Pita chips w/ guacamole or salsa (or some variation of this)

I hope this has helped you as much as it helped me to decide what I'm going to cook for dinner tonight. Bon Appétit!