Posts Tagged ‘cooking for kids’

When Can You Feed Fish to a Baby?

Monday, September 7th, 2009
Serve up some tilapia with that first birthday cake!

Serve up some tilapia with that first birthday cake!

Many parents are eager to start giving fish to young children, but when is it safe? According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, fish is one of the most common food allergens. But most experts agree that you can safely introduce fish into your child’s diet after his or her first birthday.

Why Wait Until After Baby’s First Birthday?

After the first year of life, the immune and digestive systems are more developed than before that milestone. If you have allergies such as hay fever, asthma, or food allergies in your family medical history, experts recommend holding off on introducing fish until after age three. Just in case.

Signs of food allergy include the following:

  • swelling of the tongue, lips, and face
  • skin rash
  • wheezing
  • abdominal cramping
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea

If your child shows any symptoms after eating fish (or any other food), consult the doctor immediately.

Even though food allergies can be serious, only 4 to 6 percent of babies and young children will develop one. In many countries where fish makes up a larger portion of the average diet, babies eat may fish earlier than other proteins. However, in the United States, we usually don’t give fish until after a baby is already eating pureed fruits and vegetables, along with strained meats and poultry.

First Fish: How to Present It

Here are a few tips to ensure your child’s first fish experiences are good ones:

  • make sure the fish is properly deboned and minced or pureed
  • offer small amounts at first
  • introduce only one type of fish at a time

The American Academy of Pediatrics also warns against feeding children raw or undercooked fish. That means no ceviche or sushi.

The Worry Over Mercury

Some fish contain high levels of methylmercury, a metal that may be harmful (in high doses) to a child’s developing brain and nervous system. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends avoiding large predatory fish. These include:

  • shark
  • swordfish
  • king mackerel
  • tilefish
  • tuna

For more specific guidelines as to portion size and frequency, check out the Healthy Fish Guide, provided by the Washington State Department of Health

 Further Reading:

American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Background Article on Food Allergies

American Academy of Pediatrics Advice on Starting Solid Foods

Image Credit: stuart~, Flickr

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Get Kids Hooked on Fish

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

child_eating_fish

You know you want the kids to eat fish, but how do you get them hooked?

Chicago chef and instructor Laura Valcour, who teachers cooking classes for kids, suggests there are several ways to get kids to eat fish.

She recommends:

  • Serve them fish that isn’t fishy tasting. Tilapia is inexpensive, easy to cook and has a mild taste that kids enjoy. (Frozen bags of Regal Springs Tilapia at Costco and Krogers are inexpensive and taste as good as fresh fish).

I can’t agree more with this one. One of my kids absolutely goes insane for salmon, but most kids don’t . And speaking of salmon, that brings up another point about fishy tasting fish. Sometimes fish gets that icky taste when it’s overcooked. Tilapia’s one of the easiest fish to cook so you’re less likely to make a fishy faux pas.

  • Keep the “fish” word to a minimum. Some kids may not try fish because they assume they won’t like it. Once they try it, they often learn to love it.

My jury’s still out on straight-up deception, but if kids are young enough, you can pass fish off as chicken. Why not?

  • Involve kids in the preparation and cooking process, which will help get them excited about the meal.

I guess if you have more patience than I do, this is a good idea. It depends on the age of the kids, as well as their interests and personalities.

  • Make the dish they love, just substitute fish. For example, instead of meat tacos, try fish tacos (using a very mild fish such as tilapia or white fish).

They probably won’t even notice the switch.

  • Use creative dips and sauces. Try ketchup, barbecue sauce and even honey.

Breaded, fried, and ketchup-ed? Not the healthiest option, but I promise you almost any child will eat it.

  • Let them play with their food. Encourage them to help garnish, make smiley faces on the fish with herbs and olives and build towers with fish sticks. Also, put a marinade into a squeeze bottle and let kids decorate the fish.

I LOVE the squeeze bottle idea. Let them decorate the plate too. Fancy chefs do it; why not our kids?

  • Experiment with fun shapes and sizes. Use cookie cutters to create star, heart and diamond shapes.

I’m not down with this one, but more power to you. (I draw the line at tiny triangle sandwiches.)

  • Take your kids to the fish counter and ask them to select the one they’d like to try.

Could work, so long as the fish are not alive, in which case this could cause some serious nightmares at my house.

  • Lead by example, when your children see you enjoying fish, they will want to try it too.

This is by far the most important tip. If eating fish is just a normal part of family life, kids will eat it. Trust me. My kids eat fish all the time.

I would add that some good old fashioned ‘because I said so’ goes a long way. If you want your kids to eat fish, they will. You’re in charge, remember?

To download five kid-friendly fish recipes, log on to www.RegalSprings.com and click on “Friday Fish for Kids” recipes.

Image Credit: eyeliam, Flickr

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How to Steam Fish

Friday, August 7th, 2009
Steam fish at home without the fancy gadgets.

Steam fish at home without the fancy gadgets.

Steaming is one of the healthiest ways to cook fish. Because it involves no added fat, you get the pure protein goodness of the fish without any added calories. Steamed tilapia is healthy and delicious. Add as much flavor as you like, or keep it bland (read: kid-friendly) by seasoning the liquid only and not the fish directly.

Tips For Steaming Fish

Steaming is cooking with steam, which is produced by boiling liquid in the bottom of a saucepan and letting the heat cook your fish. The fish does not come into contact with the liquid - only the steam. Steaming is one of the easiest ways to cook fish when you follow some simple guidelines:

  • Include an acid ingredient in the cooking liquid. This could be lemon juice or a nice balsamic vinegar.
  • Consider seasoning the fish directly with herbs, spices, ginger, shallots, or your favorite sauce.
  • Bring two inches of liquid to a boil before placing the fish in position.
  • Place the fish on a rack or in a steamer basket to prevent it from coming into contact with the liquid.
  • Cover and cook until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

If you don’t have a steamer rack or basket, you can place fish portions between two plates and put this over a saucepan of boiling liquid. This method retains every last bit of the fish’s natural juices and flavor, and its especially nice when you want to savor the subtle taste of a fish without any seasoning. I like mine with lots of flavor, but some people (especially little people) like foods that taste like nothing.

Snazz Up Your Steamed Fish

There are many ways to dress up a steamed fish. A lot of people use bouillon in the steaming liquid, which is a great option if plan to serve the steamed fish with a sauce. You can make a simple one by reducing the liquid after the fish is cooked.

Steaming in seaweed is another way to prepare the fish that adds some unique flavor, but it might not be a great option if you’re trying to get kids to eat the final product. Ginger is a traditional favorite for adding a bit of flavor to fish, while also cutting down on any fishy cooking odors in the kitchen.

Oh my gosh - I just thought of something really awful: steamed tilapia with ketchup! It’s gross but I can’t think of a kid who wouldn’t go for it! You do what you have to, right?

How about you? How do you like your steamed fish? Share your creative ideas in the comments!

Image Credit: th0mi, Flickr

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Classic Recipe: Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

fishnchips2_cosmopoliticianflickr

This is your basic breaded, fried fish, made delicious with tilapia. Here’s the thing about getting your family to eat more fish - sometimes you have to compromise. While breading and frying isn’t my first choice for a healthy meal , it’s hard to deny the tastiness factor of fried fish. If your family likes it and you serve it once in a while, maybe they won’t fight you so much on the lower calorie recipes!

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning*
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tilapia fillets
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil** 

* I would personally use more, but you know how those kids will complain… If you’re going to back off on the spice, consider adding some Paprika to give it a little color. It’s mild enough that picky eaters shouldn’t even notice.

** This is totally personal preference, but I would go with olive oil. It’s supposed to be healthier, right? 

Directions:

  1. In a shallow bowl, combine the eggs and lemon juice.
  2. In another shallow bowl (or plate), mix together flour, cornmeal, Cajun seasoning and salt.
  3. Dip tilapia into egg mixture, then coat with cornmeal mixture.
  4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Fry fillets for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. You might want to do this in batches if your skillet isn’t too large.

Serve it up with baked french fries and green beans. If you really want to make *certain* people happy, glop some tartar sauce onto the plate and call it good!  

Got a great recipe? Enter the contest!

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Recipe: Tilapia Piccata

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Here’s a simple tilapia dish that sounds fancy and packs a wallop of taste. Added bonus: little kids like to say ‘piccata’! If yours don’t care for anything in a hue of green, you can easily adapt the recipe, or pull the kids portions out before adding the final delicious touches!

tilapia_piccata_adactioflickr

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces of your favorite uncooked pasta (orzo is nice if you can get it, or angel hair spaghetti)
  • 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 tilapia fillets (about 6 oz each)
  • 3 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1/4 cup white wine*
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (if you can - my “fresh” almost always comes in a bottle)
  • 1 tablespoon drained capers (they’re usually next to the olives at the store)

Directions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
  2. Stir in tomatoes, 1/4 tsp salt, parsley, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
    - If you’re adapting for the kids, leave the parsley out here. We’ll add it later.
  3. Combine remaining 1/4 tsp salt, remaining 1/8 tsp pepper and flour in a large shallow bowl. Dredge fish in flour mixture.
  4. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
  5. Add fish to pan and cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
  6. Remove fish from pan and keep warm. (An empty microwave works well.)
  7. Add wine, juice and capers to pan, cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add remaining 2 tbsp butter to pan, stir until butter melts.
    - If you’re adapting for picky eaters, leave out the capers. Then add them, along with the parsley, as a final garnish.
  8. Serve fish with sauce and pasta.

* Yes, you can leave out the wine, but don’t! Remember, the alcohol burns off in the cooking. In other words, no toddlers will end up tipsy after eating this meal! However, if you don’t want the wine, substitute with chicken broth.

This is one of those recipes I love - easy enough for every day, but pretty enough for guests. Enjoy!

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Gone Fishing for Tilapia News and Recipes

Monday, May 25th, 2009
Tilapia: easy to buy, easy to cook.

Tilapia: easy to buy, easy to cook.

Everybody’s talking tilapia! And cooking it up in ways that’ll send your family back for seconds.

My Muffin Thursdays posted a mouth watering recipe for Blackened Tilapia Sandwiches.

What I loved about this idea was that you get loads of flavor without adding much additional fat or calories since the flavor comes from herbs and spices. This spice combination has a cajun feel that goes great in sandwiches. If you want an even lower-calorie option, you could certainly serve the tilapia plain with a salad, rice pilaf, or fresh fruits and veggies.

Hank Shaw’s case against tilapia is my case for it. Remember, kids like boring food!

You can sub in tilapia for any recipe you find on this site for a white fish, such as striped bass, Pacific rock cod, real cod, haddock, walleye, croakers, black seabass, etc, etc. Cheap to raise (and tilapia is entirely farm-raised in North America), tilapia’s chief qualities are it’s neutral (I say boring) flavor and its cost: Tilapia is typically the cheapest thing in the counter.

Grow.Cook.Eat. has a cool recipe that is delicious, sustainable, and economical! Check out Chile and Cilantro Stuffed Tilapia.

I’ve noticed lately that I’ve been eating less fish. Not because I don’t love it… but because it’s generally so expensive. ($18 per pound for Tuna?? Are you kidding me ??) And in these tough times, I’m watching every penny. Tilipia costs less than $10/pound for boneless fillets, and a 4 oz. portion is surprisingly generous.

STJoeNews.net ran a story about tilapia’s growing popularity.

“More than 10 years ago I said tilapia would become very popular because it fits into what we like — firm, white and relatively easy to handle,” says Corky Clark, professor of culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America, who has taught seafood identification for more than 20 years.

Schweet Schtuff gave us Brown Butter Sauteed Tilapia with Roasted Almonds. Yum!

Seafood is one of the favorite dish in our household. So when I got some nice Tilapia fillets at Costco, I thought of whipping up a new dish. Usually it’s Pizza Friday, but I decided to do a Seafood Friday instead.

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Cheesy Broiled Tilapia

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
You can go all out with fresh Parmesan, but the shaker bottle works just as well.

You can go all out with fresh Parmesan, but the shaker bottle works just as well.

The best thing about this cheesy tilapia recipe is that it’s very rich, but at the same time, very nutritious and low in calories. It was passed along to me through the mommy grapevine. I heard it originated with a nutritionist so you know it has to be good for you. And I can testify (and my husband and kids will agree) that it’s also quite tasty!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp grated Romano cheese*
  • 2 tbsp softened butter
  • 1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp low-fat mayonnaise**
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or from the bottle, it’s okay!)
  • 1/8 tsp dried basil
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp onion or garlic powder (or both! experiment!)
  • 1/8 tsp celery salt
  • 1 pound (4-6) tilapia fillets.

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven broiler and line a roasting or baking pan with foil.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the fish.
  3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the pan and broil a few inches from the heat for about 2-3 minutes.
  4. Flip the fish and broil another 2 minutes.
  5. Take the fish out of the oven and cover with the cheesy mixture on the top only.
  6. Broil 2 more minutes or until the topping is golden and bubbly and the fish flakes with a fork.

This recipe is to die for! Seriously consider doubling it. I know my kids will eat two fillets each and my husband will keep going until I cut him off.

Can you make this recipe even better? If so you might want to enter the chef contest!

* Here’s the thing about recipes: you don’t have to follow the instructions exactly. The first time I made this recipe I used the Romano it calls for and it was great. But then the Romano eventually ran out and really, it’s not like that’s on my regular list of cheeses to buy. When I made it without the Romano (doubling up on the Parmesan to compensate) nothing happened. So guess what? Now I only use Parmesan. Because really, life’s a little too short to stock one-recipe cheeses!

** Seriously? What is up with the crazy measurements? Again, I’m providing you the real recipe, but let me just assure you that nothing bad will happen if you just guestimate 1 1/2 tablespoons. Also, if you don’t normally eat low-fat mayo, no worries. A few extra calories isn’t going to kill the recipe.

Image Credit: missy&theuniverse, Flickr

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Recipe: Indian Tilapia

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
Mix up the spices in advance to simplify this easy recipe.

Mix up the spices in advance to simplify this easy recipe.

I adapted this fish recipe from one I found a few years ago for spiced shrimp. I love the flavor of Indian spices, and surprisingly - the kids enjoy it too. The turmeric gives this fish dish a wonderful yellow color. It’s great served over rice or couscous.
 

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander*
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin*
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric*
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 3 scallions (green onions), sliced
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 6 tilapia fillets
  1. Mix the first four ingredients and half the sliced onions in a large bowl.
  2. Add the fish and coat well with the spice mixture.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  
  4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
  5. Add the fish and cook about 2 minutes on each side, or until almost done (almost flaky with a fork).
  6. Add the lemon juice and cook 1-2 minutes more until fish flakes easily with a fork.
  7. Serve immediately. Do not over cook.

*I starred the spices because this recipe comes together pretty quickly, but it’s even faster if you have the spice mix already made up. If so, you can substitute the first three ingredients with 3 1/2 teaspoons of your Indian Spice Blend.

To make the Indian Spice Blend, combine:

- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric 

The other tweak you can do with this recipe if you want is to add some cayenne pepper to taste. I’m usually cooking for kids so I don’t add it, but if you like a kick to your fish, pepper would be a delicious addition!

Image Credit: madpai, Flickr

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