Fish is one of those dishes that is an acquired taste. Seafood can be very off-putting for beginner fish eaters. If you didn’t grow up eating seafood, you need to introduce yourself to it slowly. Seafood has a lot of benefits, not least omega-3 acids, and is a nice low-fat dish. And as adults need to eat at least two portions of seafood a week, we need to support our health and our children’s health. But what happens when we don’t like fish? Let’s show you some approaches to get you started.
Find the Least “Fishy” Fish
As much as you would like to buy crab and disguise it in a bisque if you’ve got members of the family that don’t like very fishy fish, you’ve got to go for the mild fish that you can cook in a number of different ways. A lot of white fish can be quite sweet in flavour, and you could try some of the following fish:
- Cod. This is a great beginner fish because it can be flavoured with a number of combinations. Of course, fish fingers are a very popular British staple, but you can make your own fish fingers as well. All you need is fresh cod cuts into strips and lightly dust them with breadcrumbs and herbs.
- Swordfish. You might be surprised to find swordfish on this list, but it’s a very excellent fish for beginners. It’s got a very mild flavour, but it also works well with a variety of marinades and seasonings. Swordfish can be compared to tender cuts of steak in terms of its texture, which means that it can be an amazing meal that pairs with loads of different types of dishes. Swordfish and chips anyone?
- Alaskan Pollock. This fish has a very mild flavour and usually has a higher fat content because these fish come from colder waters and evolved to stay warm. Pollock is slightly firmer in texture than cod and has larger flakes, making it a great choice to go in soups.
How Can We Get the Fishy Taste Out of Fish?
Sometimes our children or loved ones will complain of the fishy taste because it’s already in their minds. For children, one of the tricks is to try and get them involved in it as early as possible, but that umami flavour, which is the savoury, briny, and salty flavour, can be dampened down by marinating your fish in lemon or a serving your fish with wedges of lemon for a cleaner flavour.
If your child likes the acidity but not necessarily the lemon flavour, you could always go for something like vinegar. Additionally, you could opt for fish that has been flash-frozen, as this doesn’t taste very fishy. You can also benefit from cooking with other types of citrus. For example, you can cook salmon with an orange slice and white onions in a tin foil pouch.
Not everybody likes fish, but if you are new to seafood and you want to enjoy the health benefits of this tasty dish, there are ways around it. Before you know it, your loved ones and your kids will be upgrading their tastebuds to this amazing oyster dip and many more fishy dishes!
