8 Ways to Get Kids (and Anyone Else) Excited About Seafood

 
By: Foodlets
Anne Disrude
Marina Malchin

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Anne Disrude Marina Malchin ,Anne DisrudeMarina Malchin

So, you keep hearing about potential health benefits of fish, but your family isn’t exactly keen on it. Now what? Instead of swearing it off your dinner menu forever, look to these eight magical recipes. Yes, they’re full of good-for-you fish, but they’re also full of flavors that my family and yours will enjoy, making them go-to dinner picks. If you’ve ever wanted to start feeding your crew more seafood, this is an excellent place to start.

Baked Fish and Chips (pictured above)

You’ll never guess what secret ingredient the chefs in Food Network Kitchen use to create a hefty crunch without frying. Hint: You may have had it for breakfast.

Two rows of Salmon Cakes on a plate next a whole lemon and a dish of yellow sauce

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Two rows of Salmon Cakes on a plate next a whole lemon and a dish of yellow sauce

These crispy cakes from Melissa d’Arabian are seafood starter food. With smoky bacon, tangy lemon, Dijon mustard and grated Parmesan, these quick-fix bites guarantee that your crew is in for a flavorful treat.

Tacos are the preferred vehicle for every kid food, so it makes sense that we can stuff them with fish and kids be happy about it too.

The first time I had this dish was in Italy. Between all that fragrant olive oil and fresh rosemary, the result was like no fish I’d ever tasted, and every time I make it, I’m transported back again.

Photo by: Picasa

Picasa

My kids totally shocked me by completely loving this dish. There’s so much flavor packed into a light and juicy broth, and fish takes on a gorgeously mild flavor up against all those tomatoes.

Photo by: Picasa

Picasa

I think 15 minutes is the perfect amount of time to spend on an experimental dinner. Except in this case, I’m guessing your crew will end up loving it. Mine sure does.

When I made this for my non-fish-loving husband, he took a single bite, just to be a good sport. But after that, he couldn’t stop eating it, and he shocked both of us by enjoying it. That’s the Barefoot Contessa for you.

If there’s one thing my kids will actually ask for, it’s shrimp. The flavor is light, the texture is perfect and, best of all, you can cook a decadent shrimp dinner like this one from Ina in a hurry.

Charity Curley Mathews lives in North Carolina with her husband, four small kids, two puppies and 20,000 bees. She’s a contributor to InStyle, The Huffington Post and eHow Food and the founder of Foodlets.com, a food and parenting blog where every recipe is full of fresh ingredients, simple to make and kid-tested x4. You can follow her on Facebook.

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