Our family has never eaten fish. Neither Mike nor I ate it growing up and neither of us really knows how to cook it. But, we keep hearing how healthy it is and how good it is for us so we decided to give it a try.
Last week I grilled some marinaded tuna steaks. Probably cooked them too long, but overall they weren't too bad. Both kids thought they were chicken and declared them...you guessed it...mediocre! We told them afterward what they had eaten and nauseous looks overtook them. Just the thought of eating fish made them feel ill.
A good friend shared a tilapia recipe with me and I decided to give it a try last night but not tell the kids what they were going to eat. Usually my kids aren't in the kitchen helping with dinner, but on the night I decide to cook fish I can't get them out from under my feet wanting to help! Katey saw the fillets in the sink and the following conversation took place:
K: What are we having for dinner?
Me: Meat.
K: What kind of meat?
Me: (trying hard not to laugh and not to lie too much) Oh, it's kind of like chicken.
K: It looks like FISH (making gagging noises). Is it tuna again?
Me: No, it's not tuna.
K: What is it, then?
Me: Tilapia.
K: What is tilapia?
Me: Our dinner. It's kind of like chicken. Out of the kitchen!!
We have just sat down to the dinner table when Mike arrives home and proclaims, "Smells like fish in here!" To which I reply, while shooting him a dirty look, "We're having TILAPIA for dinner, not fish!" (Somehow Mike managed to accidentally use the word fish 2 more times in the course of the dinner.)
Seth was the first one to dive in and said that it tasted kind of sour. The recipe called for lemon juice, so that explained the sour. He ate it all without complaint and when asked what he thought his reply was: "It was yucky. I didn't like it but I ate it all anyway." Katey asked if he thought it was mediocre and he said no, he thought it was only so-so!
Katey decided she hated the meat before even taking a bite. We couldn't get her to even finish the small serving that was on her plate. Katey not finishing her dinner is a big deal (kind of like a fish out of water - HA!). At one point Mike asked Katey what kind of an animal a tilapia is. Katey's reply? "Well, it's definitely not a farm animal, that's for sure!" We did finally tell the kids what they ate...and neither were too happy about it, of course.
I didn't get any pictures last night, but this morning I asked the kids to make a face showing me how they liked the fish last night. This is what they gave me:
Spot The Hidden Mickey
1 day ago
7 comments:
WHAT? how could they not like something made with so much wonderful BUTTER? my kids would eat old shoes soaked in that sauce... :) cracking up about your artful avoidance of the word "fish"!
Averills like to keep it simple. Roast chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans is how I was raised!
That's too funny! I never ate fish growing up and still don't like it. I will eat salmon (but only if Todd cooks it and it has to be cooked just right), and get this, Seared Ahi Tuna (practically raw) LOVE IT! The only time I've made/eaten Tilapia is when I made "Parmesan Crusted Tilapia" of course, I added extra Parmesan just in case. It was pretty good.
Sidney is much like Katey - won't touch it. Madison will try anything at least once and she generally likes different stuff. Davis is hit or miss. However, he LOVES "fish tails" (hushpuppies)...
So, the question is, are you going to attempt fish for dinner again?
You gotta start them young! My kids LOVE fish but before they knew what it was they were eating... Glad you took a stab at it though. We enjoy tilapia very much. How did the adults enjoy it? You didn't say!
Will probably attempt fish again - definitely the tuna! The adults thought the tilapia was okay...but wondered if the health benefits of fish were completely nullified with the 1/2 cup of butter that it was cooked in. :)
If anyone has a favorite recipe for fish, shoot it to me and maybe we'll give it a try. Perhaps this is the year of broadening culinary horizons at the Averill house!
That's hilarious! Way to go though for trying some fish! You'll be eating sushi with us before you know it! =)
Anyway, I would definitely recommend trying some mild fish - like cod or salmon. We get the fillets of salmon at Costco and either cook it the same day or cut it up into smaller pieces and freeze them right away. Although it depends on the type of fish, fresh fish won't typically smell up the house. And with the warmer weather, you can grill them on planks outside (great deals at Costco). Yum! I'll try to send you some recipes I have soon.
Man, Friday Night Fish is a staple in Wisconsin! Part of this is due to the large number of Lutherans and Catholics who observe Lent...
Anyway, perhaps you need to try salmon, which I enjoy broiled with brown sugar and either butter or olive oil.
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