What could be the perfect dish to go with a cup of steamed basmati or fragrant jasmine rice? A fish prepared steamed or baked and smothered with savory sauces spiced up with curry paste, red chilli and crushed garlic.

For those who want a different take on their regular dish why not resort to spice to add heat either to the fish directly by means of a rub or on the sauce the dish is served with. Use aromatic herbs with pronounced strong flavored fish as the two will complement each other. For delicately flavored fish, lighter spices or herbs should be used so you don't overpower the taste of the main ingredient.

Some mild to moderately flavored fish like large tuna and salmon are rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids. These are available whole or in big slabs for institutional buyers or pre cut loins and steaks for home consumption.

Add a savory kick of herbs like fennel and chives to a simple seafood soup. Asian cuisine has a lot of dishes of this kind. In Korea, maeuntang sauce gives a distinctly hot quality to dishes. The sauce is made from gochujang (Korean chilli pepper paste), gochugaru (chilli powder), garlic, onion, grated ginger, cooking wine and light soy sauce.

In Szechuan cuisine, peppercorns and dried chilli peppers are dominantly used in a lot of dishes. Create a hot and savory Szechuan soup(raviole aux cepes) with fillets combined with aromatic spices, hot bean sauce, ginger and chili flakes. Fish cakes served with a fragrant sweet spicybasil dip is a popular appetizer in Thai restaurants. This simple dish is crisp on the outside with a breadcrumb coating and moist inside, delectably spiced with kaffir lime leaves, chilli powder, ground cumin, coriander, fresh red chilli, coconut milk and shrimp paste.

Cajun and Creole cooking(recette marc veyrat) methods can also be applied to seafood for a dry but equally sumptuous dish. Considered to be an hot way to prepare food, Cajun cuisine originated from a mix of French, Canadian, African and Native American influences. It soulfully uses cayenne peppers, giving the dish a reddish color. Creole cuisine, made famous by New Orleans settlers, uses less cayenne pepper and more tomatoes, herbs and garlic resulting in rich and bold sauces without really biting your tongue.

Aside from splashing lemon, lime juice or vinegar, spicing up ingredients can mask the fishiness of the entire dish. Remember that the longer a dish sits in the refrigerator, it tends to become even spicier.