No one ever said being a parent was easy, but neither did anyone warn us about the many precious waking moments that would be spent in the futile quest to persuade our darling offspring to eat the fish we know is so good for them. Until NOW, that is! Meet 15 recipes that will not only get a welcome reception but have kids returning for more.
Patties and cakes
Wise woman say, shape your fish into a patty shape or call it a cake and watch the children come flocking.
1. Tuna patties
These yummy (tick for kids), veggie-filled (tick for you) and cheap as chips (another tick for you) patties are the perfect midweek meal.
- See here for the Tuna patties recipe.
2. Quick salmon patties
Perfect for those 5.30pm ‘oh bugger, I forgot to think about dinner’ moments, you can more than likely whip these up from stuff in your pantry (if that ‘stuff’ includes a tin of salmon, that is).
- See here for the Quick salmon patties recipe.
3. Vegetable and fish cakes
Packed full of healthy veggies, you can blend the mix more finely for little ones, or keep it nice and chunky for bigger mouths. It’s a ripper dish either way!
- See here for the Vegetable and fish cakes recipe.
4. Fish croquettes
Plenty of mashed potato means the kids will wolf these down with gusto.
- See here for the Fish croquettes recipe.
Pies and bakes
Nothing beats a delicious family pie or bake bubbling away in the oven – unless it’s one with the added goodness of fish.
5. Family fish pie recipe
Firm white fish, veggies a-plenty and a fluffy mash topping will quickly send this one to the top of the most-requested list.
- See here for the Family fish pie recipe.
6. Old school fish pie
Delicious salmon fillets in a creamy sauce with a puff pastry lid, this has the added benefit of being able to be made in advance and frozen or refrigerated until needed.
- See here for the Old school fish pie recipe.
7. Salmon filo pies
These gorgeous pies are a lovely way to use salmon and filled with so much good stuff for your family.
- See here for the Salmon filo pies.
Fast food
Notice kids will happily eat fish if it’s in take away form? Here are the homemade versions which will be welcomed with just as much enthusiasm.
8. Beer batter fish
Beer batter gives fish a delicious crunch that kids love (and can safely devour as the alcohol gets evaporated upon cooking).
- See here for the Beer batter fish recipe.
9. Fish burgers with lemon mayo
Simple pan-fried fillets teamed with a tangy light mayonnaise make this as healthy as it is scrum-diddly-umptious.
- See here for the Fish burgers with lemon mayo recipe.
10. Fish tacos
Kids love a Mexican free-for-all, and this is one of the healthiest ones out there. Also possibly one of the messiest, but hey …
- See here for the Fish tacos recipe.
11. Healthy fish fingers
Baked rather than deep-fried, and with only a few simple ingredients, these are much healthier than a store-bought option and don’t take much more time.
- See here for the Healthy fish fingers recipe.
Pasta and rice
Kids love pasta and rice, which means the odds are in your favour that they’ll also enjoy the fish you’ve sneaked in there with them.
12. Creamy smoked salmon pasta
One of those perfect midweek standbys, it’s tasty, easy and you’ll be sitting down to it in about 20 minutes.
- See here for the Creamy smoked salmon pasta recipe.
13. Pantry tuna pasta
Get that pasta on to cook quick sticks because the rest of the meal will be ready before you can say ‘al dente’.
- See here for the Pantry tuna pasta recipe.
14. Lemon macaroni
So simple, so creamy, so few ingredients required. So impossible to stuff up.
- See here for the Lemon and creamed corn macaroni.
15. Tuna fried rice
A great option when you have some leftover rice to use up. Throw in some bacon, egg and some peas and you have a meal that will be hugely popular with even the fussiest of eaters.
- See here for the Tuna fried rice recipe.
Yum! I am going to have to get cooking. My 6 year old loves fish but my 11 year old will not touch it. She loves fish too much as they are, alive and swimming about. So she can not be convinced to eat them. But me and the 6 year old will definitely be on board for this. Our favourite currently is just beer Battered. But I would like to do a pasta bake.
Fantastic! My boys are just getting more into eating fish and so to have some recipes to try would be great! Thanks!
Love these recipes. I would definitely try some of these. I am a fish fan. My son is too so – he likes salmon with rice. And that’s our go to when we are feeling peckish.
I think that the fast food ideas will be appealing to children – often the home made versions are a lot more delicious anyway. Our boys love fish fingers.
Luckily for us our 6 year old loves fish! She prefers it plain so pan fried in butter and olive oil or just boiled with some lemon etc. It’s great as we like to have fish at least twice a week and know that she will eat it!
These are great recipes and ones that kids will eat which will be great in our house with 3 kids. I need to sit done a write out ingredients I may need to purchase and just do it.