How To Pair Fish With Cheese (And Why Some Think You Shouldn't)

To create the perfect meal, you will need to be aware of the seemingly innumerable ways that you can pair different foods and beverages with one another to maximize your dinner's flavor profile. There are certain food pairings and taste combinations that even the most novice culinary minds are aware of. Many of you have likely enjoyed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a childhood staple that brings together the perfectly contrasting sensations of salty peanut spread and sweet jelly. But did you know that white chocolate scientifically pairs perfectly with briny caviar? Furthermore, if you find yourself being served a fish dinner after the caviar and chocolate appetizer, would you be shocked to see the seafood selection served with a glass of sparkling white, which flies in the face of a pervasive wine pairing myth?

Another notion surrounding what food should be paired with fish and seafood centers around cheese. Some folks feel that the two should never touch, but if you're careful about both the cheese and the fish you choose, you can access some truly phenomenal flavors.

You have likely heard that there is a stigma associated with pairing fish and cheese, but you may be surprised to learn that this concern is not shared in most places. In fact, it's really only an issue in Italy and only a select few regions of the European nation at that.

It isn't entirely clear how the culinary restriction first came to be. The concern is understandable, to a certain extent. Obviously, seafood is a spectrum, but a lot of fish and other edible aquatic critters have very subtle flavor profiles, which can easily be obscured by the taste of a powerful, funky cheese. However, the rule could potentially be explained by the structure of Italy itself. Large regions of the nation are landlocked, and as such, have developed styles of cuisine that are more seafood-shy than their seafaring neighbor regions. However, the modern world has granted people access to previously inaccessible ingredients, so adhering to long-standing food pairing notions isn't necessarily the best course of action any longer.

If you do subscribe to the ban on pairing fish and cheese, you will be missing out on delicious dishes from every corner of the world. For example, in the South American nation of Chile, much of which is situated alongside the Pacific Ocean, a regional, Parmesan-adjacent cheese is routinely grated over delicately seasoned baked mussels in a dish that is appropriately titled machas à la parmesana. Similarly, moules au Roquefort is a French dish that flies in the face of the general subtle cheese and seafood edict by pairing blue cheese and muscles. Greek cuisine has garides saganaki, a shrimp and feta staple.

For those who reside in the United States, finding a seafood and cheese pairing is a surprisingly simple task. A drive through the Golden Arches is all it takes for you to enjoy a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, a fried fish sandwich that features a half slice of American cheese between its steamed buns. If you want to enjoy a simple seafood and cheese pairing at home, you can enjoy this salmon dip, which combines cream cheese with the dish's titular fish. The same combination is the star of bagels and lox, a cream cheese and smoked salmon sandwich that has come to represent New York City's Jewish community.