What spices go with white fish

Bouillabaisse, zarzuela and countless Mediterranean fish stews depend on it. White fish is delicate enough that saffron reads clearly, and saffron's slight bitterness balances the sweetness of the fish.

Add alongside: Tomato, Garlic, Orange

Sour fish curries run from Kerala to Malaysia to Indonesia, and tamarind is the souring agent in most of them. Acid firms the flesh slightly and cuts the oiliness, and the fruit body gives the sauce a depth that lime alone cannot.

How: In a Keralan or Goan fish curry; In a Malay-style sour fish soup

Add alongside: Turmeric, Fenugreek, Mustard seed

• Add it before the fish rather than after — the acid needs time in the sauce, and the fish does not want the extra cooking.

Court-bouillon and Mediterranean fish stews are built on it. Fish cooks too fast to take a long infusion, so the bay goes into the liquid first and the fish goes in after — one of the few cases where the aromatic and the main ingredient are never cooked together.

How: Simmered in the poaching liquid before the fish is added

Add alongside: Black pepper, Lemon, Parsley

The standard East Asian treatment for a mild fish: ginger simmered with it in Japanese nitsuke, steamed over it in Cantonese cooking. It suppresses the fishy note without adding a flavour strong enough to bury a delicate fillet, which is a narrow target most spices miss.

Add alongside: White pepper, Garlic, Sesame seed

The standing pairing of the Konkan coast. Kokum sours a fish curry without the heaviness of tamarind, and its acidity firms the flesh slightly rather than breaking it down as a stronger acid over a longer cook would. Because the pieces are lifted out, the sourness can be judged against the fish rather than committed before it goes in.

How: Simmered in a Konkan or Goan fish curry; With coconut milk and green chilli

Add alongside: Turmeric, Coriander seed, Curry leaf

• Much retail kokum is salted, so taste before seasoning a delicate fish curry.

Coriander's citrus character suits fish naturally and is light enough not to bury it. A standard component of Levantine and North African fish spicing.

Add alongside: Cumin, Garlic

A Mediterranean pairing that runs from Provençal fish stews to Turkish and Greek cooking, and it is the same logic as fennel with fish: anethole is clean and sweet enough to lift a delicate fillet without burying it. Aniseed is the more delicate of the two and needs a lighter hand.

Add alongside: Fennel seed, Lemon, Saffron

Ajwain is a standard component of the batter and marinade for Amritsari fish, where its thyme-like sharpness works against oily fried batter much as lemon would and survives the frying that would destroy a leafy herb.

How: In a gram-flour batter for fried fish; In a marinade with ginger and chilli

Add alongside: Amchoor, Turmeric, Chilli powder

A delicate fish is the case where lemongrass has the clearest advantage over lemon: it perfumes without acidifying, so the flesh stays soft. Steaming or grilling in a leaf parcel with bruised stalks underneath is the standard Southeast Asian treatment and puts the aroma into the fish without any liquid at all.

How: Bruised stalks laid under a whole fish for steaming or grilling; In a coconut broth for poached fish

Add alongside: Galangal, Turmeric, Coriander leaf

• Long boiling drives off the fresh top note and leaves the duller, more resinous part behind.

Widely used in South and Southeast Asian fish cooking for colour and a mild earthiness, and traditionally rubbed on before frying.

Add alongside: Cayenne pepper, Coriander seed

• Use sparingly; turmeric's bitterness is more noticeable against delicate fish than against meat.

Gulf fish dishes use dried lime for the same reason lemon is used everywhere else, with the difference that it can be cooked into the dish from the start rather than added at the end. The musty note suits robust fish better than delicate ones.

How: Ground into a rub for baked fish; Whole in a fish and rice dish

Add alongside: Turmeric, Coriander seed, Black pepper

Where black pepper can sit heavily on delicate fish, grains of paradise has a faster, cleaner finish and a citric lift that behaves more like a squeeze of lemon. It is one of the few pungent spices that suits white fish without dominating it.

How: Ground over grilled or baked fish at the table; In a light rub with lemon zest

Add alongside: Lemon, Fennel seed, Parsley

• Grind it fresh — the floral note that makes it work here is the first thing an old jar loses.

A lean, delicate fish is exactly where black pepper is too heavy — its roasted, woody depth sits on top of the fish rather than beside it. Green pepper is milder and brighter and adds pungency without weight, which makes it one of the few peppers that suits white fish in any quantity.

How: Crushed into a butter or cream sauce for poached fish; Whole corns in a Thai stir-fry with fish

Add alongside: Dill, Lemon, Lemongrass