Get that whole fish (salmon, rockfish, whatever’s local and cheap) and toss it in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper, and some lemon slices and fresh herbs shoved in its belly. Looks heckin’ beautiful on a big tray in the middle of the table, is fun to pick and at eat with whatever side dish you want, and is cheap!
Plus leftovers are great to add to stuff like pasta or omelettes.