Often it is worth considering pairing the wine with the sauce rather than the main protein ingredient. This may be the case when you are preparing some of the more elaborate classic seafood dishes.
Modern tastes and fashions in food and wine tend to stretch the limits of conventions, often with exciting results. Knowing when and how to break the rules is a skill that develops with experience.
Of course some red wines are to big bodied and tannic to serve with fish. If you have some high alcohol and concentrated Australian Shiraz, a Red Bordeaux, an Italian Barolo or a Californian Zinfandel then perhaps they can be reserved for serving with red meat.
Grilled fish and other seafood are suitable for matching with lighter fruity red wine styles. However delicate seafood dishes, such as poached fish are not really suitable for red wines.
Here are some suggestions from Italy, France and Spain where red wines would complement the recipes as well as or even better than white wines.
Turbot Braised in Red Wine
In Italy these flat fish are known as rombo. Their firm white flesh is suitable for braising. In his book The Wine Lover Cooks Italian, Brain St Pierre includes a recipe for Turbot braised in Valpolicella. The fish is braised in red wine along with garlic, herbs tomatoes and vegetables. The wine suggestion for cooking and serving with the dish is Valpolicella Classico, a light red style from North Eastern Italy, but other light red wines such as a Barbera could be substituted.
Provencal Fish Soup
A mixture of seafood, vegetables and garlic is seared in olive oil and then stewed with wine, tomatoes and herbs. The mixture is then passed though a mouli to make a thick soup and is served with rouille, a type of mayonnaise enhanced with saffron, garlic, cayenne and roasted red peppers. This is a hearty and flavorsome combination that you could enjoy with a Cote de Rhone red wine.
Brandade de Morue
This is a classic French recipe consisting of a pure of salt cod garlic and potatoes. The fish needs to be soaked in water for a day or two beforehand. The pure can be used to fill canapes or spread on lightly toasted crusty bread. Brandade can be enjoyed with a lighter style red wine such as a Beaujolais or perhaps a Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. A similar dish is also served in Spain as Cazuelitas de Bacalao.
Zarzuela
This recipe is another Spanish favourite. It consists of a mixture of different types of fish fillets along with some prawns, squid, mussels and clams all stewed in a sauce made with garlic, tomatoes and wine. You can use either red or white wine in the recipe as well as for serving with the dish. A typical Spanish red wine made from Tempranillo grown in Rioja or Somontano would be ideal.
As well as the recipes above you can consider serving red wine with any robust seafood dish including a simple piece of fish grilled or barbecued.
