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.
