Thank you everyone for your answers; taking bits and pieces from many of you, here's what I finally did. I slow-poached the frozen white fish in garlic-infused milk to reduced to fishy smell and taste, then baked it to remove the moisture. Next, I crumbled the fish and combined it with some razor-thin diced red onion, fine-chopped celery, rough-cut dill pickles, cracked pepper, lemon juice, mayonaise and breadcrumbs. I hand tossed it, adding different ingredients until the mixture felt firm. Then, I cut 10-inch tortillas into quarters and slit them to fit into a 'PAM'ed 6 tray muffin pan and placed a hand-rolled ball of the fish mixture into the tortilla 'catcher's mitt'. I baked it until the tortilla was crispy and drizzled with a chipotle mayonnaise across the top, calling them fish taco tartlets. Kids loved the mix of sour pickle and hot mayo.
After looking for inspriation here, I did this: seasonsed some flour with a generous amount of ground white(/black) pepper and salt and dipped/covered the semi defrosted white fish fillets in the flour, then fried in butter on a medium to high heat to get it a little crusty/crunchy and to keep them moist inside. I added some shopped parsley too towards end. Didn't even need the lemon... my 23 month old wolfed it down!
After looking for inspriation here, I did this: seasonsed some flour with a generous amount of ground white(/black) pepper and salt and dipped/covered the semi defrosted white fish fillets in the flour, then fried in butter on a medium to high heat to get it a little crusty/crunchy and to keep them moist inside. I added some shopped parsley too towards end. Didn't even need the lemon... my 23 month old wolfed it down!
This might be kind of weird, but I always loved my fish sticks with honey. It made them taste less bland and added a much-needed sweetness for my terrible sweet tooth. And if you get pure honey, then it's at least a healthy addition (somewhat)!
I dredge pieces of fish in egg whites and then panko, bake at 350 till done and serve. My son likes ketchup with it as he loves fish and chips. It's really good.
I dredge pieces of fish in egg whites and then panko, bake at 350 till done and serve. My son likes ketchup with it as he loves fish and chips. It's really good.
This M. Stewart recipe for Lemon Parsley Fish Cakes (use cod or other similar mild white fish) would also be tasty for kids, I think. They can be frozen.
http://www.marthastewart.com/340986/lemon-parsley-fish-cakes
These panko-crusted fish sticks from a "Jenny's In the Kitchen" feature on this site are very good. No one will tell if you make it with (defrosted) frozen fish. http://food52.com/blog/2968-lime-and-tarragon-aioli-with-panko-crusted-fish-sticks
I have never heard of fish in saor - I looked it up and plan to try it this week - thanks, Maedi! I find that the frozen Dover sole at trader Joe's is very tender and delicate. Just sautéed with butter and a pinch of herbs it is a passable meal. I do remember those tialapia filets a tough as cardboard from my childhood, though. Just pay closs attention to the timing as nothing is worse than over cooked fish.
You could actually substitute white fish for salmon for Salmon Moqueca (can't link on iPad but look it up)- I did it with tilapia and it was quite delicious. Maybe just tone down the spiciness for kids, but a bowl of tomato, sweet potato, carrot, zucchini and fish in a coconut sauce is warming for the soul. I like to serve it over spagetti squash, but simple rice is probably good too.
As a former kid who dreaded the days we had frozen white fish for dinner, I completely sympathize with any all all aversions to the stuff. You might as well give me a mouthful of bedsheets, which might even taste better than the fish. Fish and chips was passable, but that, in my book, got boring very quickly. Perhaps you could identify flavor combinations your kids really like--pizza, for instance, or sweet-sour--and use those flavors in seasoning the fish. One way that I really do like fish, and will even order it if prepared in a restaurant, is fish in saor, a Venetian preparation that uses onions, raisins and pine nuts. It has lots of flavor and is juicy enough so that you don't get the sensation of chewing cotton. Yet, the combination is mild and a bit sweet, and might appeal to a child.
This is indeed a classic Venetian dish. Although in Venice the fish would most likely be fresh sardines rather than frozen fish. But an excellent sweet and sour prepration.
Bake it, flake it, and use it to make fish cakes - on a plate, on a bun, pretty kid friendly. Or, use it to make chowder - you can add bacon and corn too. My kids also loved fish tacos (bread it and pan fry it) - let them add their own salsa, avocado, shredded cabbage, what not.
Enlist a friend to help. Invite them to dinner and serve fish to the adults and something else for the kids. Have the friend say "Why don't your kids eat fish" and answer "They're not ready for grown up food".
Monita, Dynamo & HalfPint offer great suggestions. Perhaps start them slow and encrust them with a parmesean, breadcrumb or a hashbrown crust and serve as baked filets or fish sticks. To this day I love dipping sauces, so perhaps a some favorite dipping sauces could entice them.. Baking the fish in parchment is fun - favorite veggies, including potato or sweet potato wedges. A simple honey mustard, lemon butter or asian glaze could ease the in.
Maybe you can brush on a teriyaki glaze then bake it. Fish doesn't take long to bake so you don't need to worry about the glaze burning.
Or you can also make fish en papillote (fish baked in parchment). Here you can do a variety of seasonings or sauces with or without vegetables. Skies the limit. My go-to is a drizzle of soy sauce & sesame seed oil, with some shallots or scallions scattered on top. Or you can smear the fish with some Thai curry paste (something milder for kids) add some baby corn. Anyhoo, there's something about getting little packets of dinner that's very enticing.
I suppose you can make frozen white fish delicious for a kid if you cut into sticks, bread and fry them and serve with lots of catsup and french fries.
Frankly, if I were a kid I wouldn't like it either. I'd go with canned tuna any day. Frozen white fish is almost terrible to taste for anyone (even a child). In future you could consider salt cod, which needs to be soaked for 48 hours...but in its dried state it lasts almost for eternity. Both good canned tuna and prepared salt cod are very amenable to baking. If that's the way you want to go.
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http://www.marthastewart.com/340986/lemon-parsley-fish-cakes
You could actually substitute white fish for salmon for Salmon Moqueca (can't link on iPad but look it up)- I did it with tilapia and it was quite delicious. Maybe just tone down the spiciness for kids, but a bowl of tomato, sweet potato, carrot, zucchini and fish in a coconut sauce is warming for the soul. I like to serve it over spagetti squash, but simple rice is probably good too.
Voted the Best Reply!
sauce....
Or you can also make fish en papillote (fish baked in parchment). Here you can do a variety of seasonings or sauces with or without vegetables. Skies the limit. My go-to is a drizzle of soy sauce & sesame seed oil, with some shallots or scallions scattered on top. Or you can smear the fish with some Thai curry paste (something milder for kids) add some baby corn. Anyhoo, there's something about getting little packets of dinner that's very enticing.