Snapper (pictured)

Lightly sweet with sturdy flesh, snapper packs a generous serving of selenium, which regulates white blood cell function.
Try it … blackened with orange butter at Fahlstrom’s Fresh Fish Market ($39), sliced thin and served raw with black tobiko and miso at Kai Zan ($17), or deep-fried whole and served with a spicy garlic sauce at Mariscos La Costa ($25).

Branzino

Also known as European seabass and occasionally referred to on menus as loup de mer, this oceanic fish has a mild flavor and small bones, making it ideal for serving whole. It’s also low in fat.
Try it … salt-crusted at Nico Osteria ($48), roasted with fennel and citrus at Piccolo Sogno ($37), or sautéed with bok choy and vin blanc at Les Nomades (part of a $130 prix fixe menu).

Salmon

This ubiquitous pink-fleshed fish — both the wild-caught Pacific and the farmed Atlantic kinds — is a stellar source of omega-3s, and the wild Pacific variety provides a day’s worth of vitamin D.
Try it … grilled with a teriyaki barbecue sauce at Oyster Bah ($24), pan-seared with wild mushrooms and pesto at Anteprima ($24), or cured into lox and served on a bagel at Brobagel ($9).

Sole

This flatfish, which is slightly lower in protein than other seafood, yields thin, flaky fillets that take well to fast cooking. It’s reliably low in mercury, an environmental toxin that accumulates in many fish populations.
Try it … pan-fried with pole beans and beets at Brindille ($57), seared in a brown butter sauce at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab ($48), or served whole for two with a lobster hollandaise sauce at Beacon Tavern ($76).

Halibut

Eating the clean-tasting, meaty white flesh of this fish keeps you fuller longer, thanks to a serious punch of protein (nearly 20 grams in a three-ounce serving).
Try it … roasted and served with an English pea purée at GT Fish & Oyster ($32), seared with Sicilian lemons and fennel at RPM Italian ($32), or poached with bok choy and chamomile at Elske (part of a $90 prix fixe menu).