Seafood That's Fast and Family Friendly

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

Fish and seafood are such an important part of our diet, contributing lean protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are so beneficial to vision and brain development. In fact, Omega 3’s such as DHA are deemed so crucial that many prenatal vitamins and infant formulas now include them. The current dietary recommendation is to get at least two servings of seafood per week. With that in mind, there is a bit of concern over fish that contain mercury, such as swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel; these should be avoided by young children and pregnant women, along with limiting tuna consumption to no more than six ounces per week.

Well, I have to own up to one of my major failures so far as the chief chef and dietician for my family. You see, I can’t get my own kid to eat fish! And it’s not for lack of trying. I’ve cooked all different types of fish--from bland cod to more flavorful salmon–-simply broiled, sautéed, and child friendly fish sticks. I’ve even offered him a bit of cooked sushi roll. But so far, no luck.

Our latest misadventure has been giving him fish shaped cod nuggets from the box (sometimes he will eat a packaged food before he tries my homemade version). I thought we had some success after about the tenth time serving them, but he must have been REALLY hungry. For the very next time I heated those same fish nuggets, he eagerly took a bite of one, thinking it was a chicken nugget, and dramatically spit it back out onto the plate. Then he proceeded to cram his mouth with bread, as if to get rid of the “awful” taste.

But I will continue to try, and hope that as the years go on, he’ll accept nutritious fish as a food he can eat on an at least weekly basis along with the rest of the family! I remain a firm believer in giving children multiple exposures to a variety of foods in the hopes that they will eventually make their own healthy eating choices.

The following are a few ideas for family friendly seafood options that are great for busy weeknights and which may please even your pickiest eaters. The beauty in cooking seafood is that a lot of it can be cooked in no time at all, perfect for the daily dash to get dinner on the table. Freshness is key, my game plan is usually to serve seafood on shopping day, if possible.

For dinner last night we had delicious Shrimp Scampi over pasta (My husband and myself, shellfish introduction will come later for my son). Shrimp is one of the most kid friendly seafood choices and what’s not to love about a delicious blend of shrimp, garlic, butter, and parsley? It’s best served with spaghetti or linguine, or as an alternative, split toasted French bread.

Next is a classic on-the-border recipe: Fish Tacos. These were a great hit when I taught cooking classes to school age kids and it’s a lot of fun to set up an assemble-your-own taco bar with all the fixings: crispy baked tilapia or other white fish, cool sour cream and refreshing salsa and pickled jalapenos.

Finally, an old family favorite recipe from my childhood: Baked Cod or Scrod with Breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. This is hardly a traditional recipe, for in Italian cuisine, putting cheese and fish together is almost sacrilege. But my Italian mother knew that this was a sure way to get us to eat our fish and we loved it! It’s a simple dinner of cod/scrod topped with a light coating of breadcrumbs, and dotted with butter (or olive oil) and parmesan cheese. Set on a broiling pan (line with foil for easy cleanup) and broil under low heat for about 10 minutes until cooked through. Once the fish is cooked, add a squeeze of lemon. It’s still a comfort food for me!

So let me know if you have had any breakthroughs getting your children to eat seafood! I plan to keep on trying with my little guy, and as he gets older, I’ll continue to test out these and more family friendly seafood ideas.

Serves/Makes: 6

***Pickled Red Onion and Jalapenos***

• 1 red onion (about 12 ounce size), halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise
• 5 whole small jalapenos
• 2 cups seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

***Baja cream***

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lime peel
• 1 pinch salt

***Fish***

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 pound skinless mild white fish, such as tilapia or bass fillets, cut into 1/2x1/2-inch strips
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Vegetable or Canola oil (for coating baking pan)

***To serve***

• salsa
• grated cheese
• guacamole