Fishy Issues

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limismith
limismith Posts: 156 Member
in Recipes
I am looking for a little help or advice!

I am a vegetarian that eats seafood (yes, those exist), but I am not overly kitchen savvy. Being from the midwest where fresh seafood is in short supply, my option are whatever I can find frozen at Walmart or the local grocery store (No Target or Trader Joes here).

Can anyone out there tell me what to purchase or how to prepare it? I've tried frozen tilapia, shrimp, and salmon with no success. Maybe I am not doing a good job cooking, or maybe my selection just sucks. Brand suggestions, or recipes - anything along those lines would be great.

Can't wait to hear back on this one!!!

Replies

  • PageSalyers
    PageSalyers Posts: 51 Member
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    No Target? Wow!
  • shanolap
    shanolap Posts: 1,204 Member
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    www.eatingwell.com
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
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    You must not be cookin the talipa right. That's all we ever buy is frozen fish. And it always turns out great. But i'm not sure how my fiance prepares it. I don't do the cookin. LOL
  • AmyW4225
    AmyW4225 Posts: 302 Member
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    I buy the frozen salmon at Walmart. I can't think of the brand right now. I put some lemon juice and some lemon pepper on them and steam them in the Zip N' Steam bags. So good!!
  • maria7bella
    maria7bella Posts: 13
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    whatever you do...don't overcook!
  • StarlaDesiree
    StarlaDesiree Posts: 33 Member
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    I'm a Pescetarian too. However, I only eat vegan meals when I'm at home, so I'm probably not much help in this department.. I also live in the midwest, but was never really able to find very good seafood in the frozen departments at the grocers. The best I found was that any frozen shrimp is alright, at least. You might see if you have a fishery/fish monger in your area. They might have fish flown in from one of the coasts.
  • Libbyly
    Libbyly Posts: 175
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    Fish can be easy but it's also delicate. Do you think you're over cooking it? Sometimes people (including myself) use the "BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY" approach to cooking fish and end up decimating it in the over. Most fish only take a short time to cook.

    Make sure if you're using shrimp you allow them to defrost before cooking. Maybe try a Shrimp Curry - I have a good fish & creole fish curry I can send you.

    And salmon is easy enough too - again let it defrost fully - maybe for 5 hours+. Rub it with a little black pepper and a half spoon of low fat spread. Cook it on a baking sheet in the oven at 190C for 12-15 mins (max) and serve it with steamed asparagus and some low fat chive cheese spread.
  • Purvey
    Purvey Posts: 13 Member
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    Hi, I am not total vegan either. Get the frozen shrimp that have already been cooked and frozen. Put them in a steamer for a few minutes or sautee with garlic and spices. Even with the steaming spices add flavor. For the tallapia and salmon, let thaw in fridge for a couple hours, mix a little olive oil with spices of your choice, place the fish in the container, place lid on and keep in fridge for at least 30 minutes. It doesn't take a long time to marinate fish. I find an iron skillet great for cooking the fish. Heat the skillet to medium high, turn the fish in the marinade then place in the skillet. The tallipia usually is very thin, so it only takes a total of about 5 minutes. Turn half way through. If you are using an iron skillet you can actually turn the heat off before the time is up on the second side as there will be enough heat to finish the cooking. I find that with an inch thick salmon steak it takes about 8 minutes total. Do not overcook or it will be horrible. If you have a gas grill the fish is wonderful cooked on it. Hope this helps.
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
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    Here's a couple things I like to do:

    1. Roll it in italion style bread crumbs and bake it. If you want the crumbs to stick better, dip the fish in beaten eggs before dipping it into the crumbs.
    2. Curry Fish with veggies over rice. Start with Red Curry paste (International aisle at grocery store) and add milk/coconut milk until you get the right mix. It's hot stuff and I can't handle the proportions in the instructions.
    3. Slow cooker curry: If the red curry is too hot, then you can experiment with the brand called "Golden Curry". The recipe calls for onions. Slow cooking is always gonna stink up the house so I sometimes set this to cook outside on my deck. I throw in onions on the bottom (to caramelize), carrots and potatoes, and then meat on top.
    4. Plank it. There's some untreated cedar planks you can buy. Soak for 2 hours. Lay some salmon on it with a little seasalt on top. Grill. The flavor of the wood will get smoked right into it.
    5. If I'm making a bowl (Baja Fresh style) I find it very easy to stirfry shrimp and tilapia with some Smoky Flavored Hot Sauce, tomatoes and onions. Lay that down on a bed of sliced up lettuce. Add avocado and a spray of lemon or lime juice and you're set.

    Wow. This topic is making me hungry.
  • jmikels67
    jmikels67 Posts: 116
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    Perhaps you need a milder fish, in addition to making sure not to overcook. I'm in western Ohio, so no super fresh seafood here either. I love to buy frozen fish filets for meals. My family likes pollock or cod, you can get both frozen at Walmart. Be sure to defrost first, if you don't have time to put in fridge, use your microwave's defrost for fish setting to thaw thoroughly. A simple but delicious way to prepare it is to place thawed filets in a baking dish, lightly spray with a butter spray (like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter) then sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning (also found at Walmart). We like a moderate amount of seasoning, but you can adjust to taste. Then place uncovered in microwave, and cook on high. 1-2 filets - 5-7 minutes, 3-4 filets - 7-9 minutes 5-6 filets - 10 minutes. You want the fish to be white all the way through, but not over cooked or it will be tough and rubbery. This prep method is quick and simple, and doesn't add much in the way of calories to the fish. And best of all - it's delicious!
    Good luck to you!
  • Angiebug1969
    Angiebug1969 Posts: 152
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    TILAPIA is one of my favorites! Here's how I do it:

    Thaw the frozen filets. Sprinkle with garlic powder & Old Bay Seasoning and a squeeze of lime juice. Spray a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil with non-stick spray... lay your filet onto the foil & toss it on the grill (or under the broiler). You can choose to flip it after a few minutes if you want it "browned" a little, however, I tend to leave it alone & let it cook through... not overly done though.

    Top it with some fresh pico de gallo with crushed pineapple stirred in - DELISH! I serve it with jasmine rice.



    SALMON: I cook the same way usually. But, I baked some salmon in the oven (each steak was sealed in aluminum foil until the last few minutes of cooking). For the last 5 minutes, I topped each steak with a mixture of spinach, ricotta cheese, pine nuts, garlic powder, salt & pepper. I allowed it to cook for the last 5 minutes in the oven. This was amazing!

    Keep experimenting... the web has so many great recipes out there!
  • Angiebug1969
    Angiebug1969 Posts: 152
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    4. Plank it. There's some untreated cedar planks you can buy. Soak for 2 hours. Lay some salmon on it with a little seasalt on top. Grill. The flavor of the wood will get smoked right into it.
    5. If I'm making a bowl (Baja Fresh style) I find it very easy to stirfry shrimp and tilapia with some Smoky Flavored Hot Sauce, tomatoes and onions. Lay that down on a bed of sliced up lettuce. Add avocado and a spray of lemon or lime juice and you're set.

    Wow. This topic is making me hungry.
    [/quote}

    GOOD GRIEF these sound GREAT! Wanna come cook for me?? LoL!
  • JulieSD
    JulieSD Posts: 567
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    One of my two favorite salmon recipes and the salad that I love with it! :)

    Ingredients

    1/2 cup olive oil
    1/3 cup molasses
    2 teaspoons minced garlic
    1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel or use 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
    4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
    salt and pepper
    Directions

    In a small bowl, combine the oil, molasses, garlic and lemon peel; set aside half of the mixture for serving. Salt and Pepper my fillets in a glass baking dish. Pour mixture over salmon and back at 375 for about 20 minutes.

    Ingredients
    2 large seedless cucumbers, sliced thin
    1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced thin
    2 teaspoons salt
    1/4 cup minced carrot
    1/3 cup rice vinegar
    1 teaspoon ground ginger
    5 teaspoons white sugar
    1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
    Directions

    Use a vegetable peeler to peel stripes in the cucumbers leaving half the skin. Halve the cucumbers lengthwise. Use spoon to remove the seeds from the cucumber halves. Slice the halves thinly.
    Place the cucumber, onion, and 2 teaspoons salt in a bowl with enough water to cover; allow to marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander and transfer to a large bowl; add carrot to the mixture.
    Stir the rice vinegar, ginger, sugar, and pepper together in a small bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved; pour over the cucumber mixture and stir to evenly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 30 minutes.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    some frozen fish will never be as good as fresh because the flesh is so delicate it gets damaged by the ice crystals that form when freezing. Squid freezes very well however.

    The key thing with any fish is not to overcook it. Cook until it just about loses its translucency which on the grill will only be a few minutes and in the oven about 10 minutes. Make sure it defrosts slowly overnight rather than zapping it in the microwave to defrost.

    some fish need very little - a bit of lemon, some oil, some garlic and seasoning maybe, but others will take a bit more of a flavour. Mackerel will take really strong flavours.

    fish curries or fish pies are classic ways of using lesser quality fish (some frozen fish can fall into this category).

    BUT - just because you are far from the ocean doesn't mean to say you can't have fresh fish!!! Freshwater trout is beautiful - go for something plump and glossy (beware, some dubious fishmongers will gloss the skin) with clear eyes. Wash inside and out, throw in a piece of lemon, a chunk of garlic and a knob of butter, wrap in foil and stick in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve with new potatoes and seasonal vegetables. You cannot go wrong!!!
  • chassidynl
    chassidynl Posts: 11
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    I love simple fish recipes! I use tilapia, cod, or pollock most of the time. I use a little bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, seasoning salt, and crushed red pepper flake, then broil for 8-10 min. It is so easy, quick, and healthy...and yummy!

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