Pollock fish: benefits and harms, cooking tips. Child food: fish table

One of the important products necessary for feeding infants is low-fat sea and river fish, which contains fish oil, amino acids, vitamins F, A, D, E, B-12, which are very beneficial for the body, and minerals that promote proper metabolism: iodine , manganese, zinc, copper, boron, iron, fluorine, etc.

The choice of fish for a child's diet should be taken very seriously: if possible, use fresh fish; when buying whole fish, you should pay attention to the scales (high-quality fish have shiny ones), gills (without mucus), when buying fillets - to the color (white or pale -pink). Sea fish is safe and very healthy, as it is rich in minerals (primarily iodine and fluorine), as well as omega-3 fats; but it can usually only be bought frozen. Of river fish, which is more accessible and easier to digest by the body, nutritionists give preference to trout (it lives only in clean water and, therefore, does not contain harmful substances) and fish grown in artificial reservoirs.

When to introduce fish to an infant

Fish is introduced into the diet of infants later than other foods, as it can cause allergies. Nutritionists advise giving your child fish only after he has become accustomed to eating meat - at 9-10 months. You need to introduce fish into your baby’s menu gradually: start with 5-10 grams per day and increase the daily intake to 70 grams by 12 months. It must be remembered that fish broth contains substances that are harmful to the child’s body and are released during the cooking process, so fish soups are recommended to be given to children from 1.5-3 years of age. You should also not feed infants fried, smoked, salted fish or fatty fish (all salmon, sturgeon, herring).

In order not to overload the child’s digestive system, you should alternate fish and meat days during the week, avoiding preparing these dishes on the same day; cook fish dishes no more than 2 times a week.

If eating fish has caused an allergy in a child, you should exclude it from the diet for two weeks, then try to cook a different type of fish (an allergy to both all fish and a specific type is possible).

How to cook fish for babies

Until a child is one year old, it is preferable to cook exclusively white fish, at least until 10 months.

If you are boiling fish, then after freezing it and rinsing it in cold water, immediately place it in boiling water, remembering to reduce the gas to minimum.

How to cook fish for babies

When preparing fish for infants, several rules must be followed:

• defrost the fish in salted water (this will prevent bacteria from forming on it), and immediately begin heat treatment;
• Before cooking, rinse the fish well;
• be sure to check the fillet for bones;
• cook fish in two ways: in a double boiler or boiling in a large amount of water (cooking time for small pieces - 10-15 minutes, for whole fish - 20-25 minutes).

Fish recipe for babies

Fish puree for babies

It is better to introduce fish into a baby’s diet in the form of puree. To prepare it, you need to boil 100 g of lean fish: hake, pollock, cod, haddock, flounder - and grind in a blender. Add 1 tsp to the fish. milk and vegetable oil. Mix the resulting mass well and boil for 2 minutes.

To the fish puree, especially during the first feedings, you can add a little ready-made potato or vegetable puree, to which the child is already accustomed.

Fish pudding

Boil the fillet, chop, then mix well with half an egg beaten with salt and mashed potatoes (ingredients: 1 potato, 2-3 tbsp milk, 2 tsp vegetable oil). Transfer the resulting mass into a mold and steam or steam for half an hour.

Fish meatballs

Grind (using a meat grinder or blender) 60 g of fish fillet and 10 g of soaked white bread, add ¼ of the egg yolk, 1 tsp. vegetable oil. Form balls from the resulting mass, fill them halfway with water and simmer for half an hour.

Children usually like these dishes because they can be held in their hands.

Children, like all people, need to eat fish from time to time, at least once a week. Kids can’t eat any fish – only white and lean ones. Fish like pollock is best cooked for children. It has everything you need for which fish is usually cooked, and, moreover, its meat is dietary and low-fat. Of course, kids don’t always want to eat what their parents give them, but there are so many cooking methods that you can always come up with something to make even fish an attractive food for a child.

The value of pollock for a child

Why do children eat fish, in particular pollock, beneficial properties and microelements of this type:

• In addition to the well-known phosphorus and calcium, pollock contains many other vitamins and useful elements;
• Thanks to all the beneficial properties of pollock, you can avoid the following diseases: thyroid problems, caries, low or high blood pressure, fractures, high sugar and cholesterol levels and others;
• Eating fish regularly replenishes the body with many useful substances;
• With the help of pollock, many life processes can be regulated;
• Those substances that are present in fish help other elements to be absorbed.

The only contraindication is an allergy to fish and seafood.

Children under one year of age are not given fish more than once a week, and on the day you cook pollock for your baby, do not give other meat.

To make children want to eat a fish dish, choose one in which its taste will not stand out too much. We offer you different recipes to choose from:

Puree

Fish puree is made, like other dishes for children, from fillet. For children under one year old, boil the fish for at least 20 minutes, and then grind it in a meat grinder or blender with the addition of milk and a small amount of salt. After this, you can cook the puree for a couple more minutes.

To make it tasty for your child, for the first time mix a little fish puree with the one that the child loves and eats with pleasure, gradually add more, usually getting used to a new product comes in two weeks, during which the fish will be mixed daily with something familiar. In this case, puree is exactly the dish that will help children get used to fish unobtrusively.

Souffle

Pollock soufflé can also be considered one of those dishes with which one begins to get acquainted with fish products. The beginning of preparation is the same as for puree - cook until tender and chop.

Add a raw egg, salt and a teaspoon of slightly melted butter to the boiled fish mince.

Boil milk, add flour to it at the rate of flour and milk 1:5. Stir and cook, stirring until you get a thick sauce. We also add this sauce to the fish mass.

Usually the souffle is laid out in molds if it is made in the oven. True, it is difficult to monitor readiness so as not to dry it out. It is much easier to prepare fish soufflé in a slow cooker - you just need to set the “Baking” mode and wait until it finishes.

Pollock cutlets for children

Fish cutlets will be relevant for children after a year, when they already have teeth and the child knows how to cope with meat foods. They can be made with bread or rice to make the cutlets more tender.

Turn raw fillet into minced meat in a meat grinder. Soak the bread in milk or kefir in advance and add to the minced meat.

If you want to make it with rice, it should be cooked until half cooked, and bread and milk can be replaced with a raw egg. True, these will already be meatballs!

Pour a little flour into a flat plate and use it to form cutlet balls.

Place the cutlets on a baking sheet if you are going to bake them, or in a deep frying pan. You must first fry a little on all sides so that the cutlets set and do not fall apart, and then add water or pre-prepared meat/fish broth and simmer. You can sprinkle with turmeric. A multicooker is an alternative to the oven.

Fish soup

Fish meatballs are usually added to the fish soup for kids, the preparation of which is no different from the recipe above. For children from 8 months, add some potatoes and carrots to the soup. If you don’t have teeth yet, then you don’t have to make cutlets, put the fillet in the soup, and when the soup is ready, grind it, turning it into a puree soup. Children from one and a half years old can make a full-fledged soup. If you puree the soup, add fresh herbs to it.

Do not forget that children should only be given fresh fish; it is better not to use frozen fish or those that have been in the refrigerator for several days.

Children need to prepare everything immediately before meals - do not leave half-eaten children's soup or cutlet for another day, it is better to eat it yourself and make a new one for tomorrow.

Do not add too much salt - children are not yet accustomed to salty foods and will eat lightly salted dishes just fine. It’s better to add natural spices - turmeric, pepper, cumin and others.

Do not add mixed store-bought spices with flavor and aroma enhancers or additives with the letter E to baby food.

If a child does not want to eat a certain product, “disguise” it.

Video on the topic of the article

It happens that a child does not eat meat not because of empty whims, an inappropriate menu or an unsuccessfully prepared dish, but because it is difficult to digest.

Any “baby disturbances” are not accidental and require attention, but while you figure it out, let’s replace one healthy protein with another and select fish dishes for children. They not only act as a complete alternative to meat, but also perfectly complement it due to their composition.

The benefits of fish dishes for children

If the child is not allergic, fish dishes should be introduced into the diet starting from 8 to 9 months, since this protein is absorbed much better than meat. Compare: 96 – 98% to 87 – 89%, that is, proteins obtained from fish not only enter the baby’s body, but do so in the most “targeted” way.

With its help, it will be easier for a child to build bones, muscles, and form tooth enamel. Fish has everything necessary for this: fluorine, phosphorus, iron, amino acids, B vitamins, which are no less than in beef. And, most importantly, if we are talking about marine, we will find iodine, necessary for mental development, and polyunsaturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6, which improve concentration and memory.

If your child is allergic

So, the question of the benefits of fish and its need for children’s diets is no longer relevant, is it? But what to do if your child is allergic?

It is enough to postpone its introduction into complementary foods until 12–18 months and prepare only white varieties, avoiding any red types of meat. Of course, we are talking about boiled and stewed dishes; Baked, and even more so fried fish can be offered to children only from the age of 2.

It is best to introduce sea fish into complementary foods: cod, pollock, hake, blue whiting. These varieties are the least allergenic, easily digestible and do not contain harmful impurities that may be present in river species. And there are many times fewer bones in sea fish fillets.

As for any pickles and smoked foods, like any delicacy, they are a delicacy, but nothing more. Not a single nutritionist would recommend making smoked eel or salted red fish a regular part of the children's menu.

100 g per week of freshly prepared fish will fully satisfy the needs of the child’s body for essential animal proteins, minerals and trace elements.

In this article we have selected the most interesting, quick and delicious fish dishes that will inspire not only children, but also their parents!

How to make fish dishes as healthy as possible for children

But, before you start cooking, let’s remember some subtleties that can make the dish not only more tasty, but also healthy!

• Incomplete defrosting

If we have a ready-made fillet in front of us, we shouldn’t completely defrost it, as this will reduce the content of nutrients.

• Storage no more than a day

Under no circumstances should you keep a prepared dish in the refrigerator for more than one day. Ideally, the fish should be prepared for each specific meal.

For ease of preparation, you can immediately divide a large piece of fillet into several small pieces of 40-50 g and freeze.

• Do not use fish broth

Fish puree for feeding children 10 months old

It is best to start feeding fish to children at 10-11 months with fish puree. To prepare it, we need 40g of hake fillet or blue whiting - to be on the safe side, it’s better to take leaner varieties and leave the cod until the baby’s body gets used to it.

1. Bring the water in a small saucepan to a boil, add a little salt and add the fish.
2. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from heat and rub through a sieve. Of course, you can also use a blender, but since the portion is very tiny and will spread more on the walls, and the presence of “random” bones has not been canceled either, it is better to use the old-fashioned method, this will protect you from unpleasant surprises.
3. Since the consistency of the fillet itself is quite watery, no additional components like oil, water or mixture are required - the puree will already be very tender.

If you doubt that your child will eat fish in its pure form, mix it with zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower. You will like fish puree better in a stew.

Now that the baby is already accustomed to the simplest, but very delicate fish dishes and their combinations with vegetables, let's try to offer him something denser, for example, a soufflé. Its advantage is that it also has a not too rich taste, since it contains potatoes.

Fish soufflé with potatoes for children 2 years old

The proportions are indicated per serving for a child 1.5 - 2 years old; if desired, observing the ratio, they can be increased. If you manage to make extra minced meat, put it in the freezer.

Ingredients

• Sea fish fillet (hake, pangasius, pollock) – 50 g
• Potatoes – 50 g (or ½ pcs.)
• Egg – ½ pc.
• Cream or milk – ½ tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Butter for greasing the mold

Step-by-step preparation of children's fish soufflé

1. Separately cook peeled potatoes cut into slices and a piece of fillet.
2. Beat ½ egg with cream or milk until foamy.

*Tips from the Cook
If you want to get an even lighter and airier texture, separate the white from the yolk and beat it with grains of salt. You will need to add the resulting dense foam mass at the very end, stirring it in with a spoon.

1. Drain the potatoes, wipe them or beat them in a blender, or together with the boiled fillet. Mix with the egg mixture, taste for salt and, if you did it separately, add the protein foam.
2. Grease the mold with butter and place the minced fish in it.

There are several ways to prepare a soufflé:

• Bake at 180 degrees in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes on a baking sheet with or without water. In the first case, you get a water bath option, in the second, regular baking.
• Place in a saucepan in a water bath, pouring enough water so that the mold is 2/3 submerged. We also keep it covered for at least 25 minutes. To avoid condensation, cover the soufflé with foil or baking paper.
• Cook in a double boiler at the desired setting.

As usual, check the readiness of the dish with a toothpick. Serve warm with sour cream or cream sauce, in addition to vegetables or on its own.

If the child is over 2 years old, then it is quite possible to add onions sauteed in vegetable oil to the main composition. This will make the soufflé more flavorful, and in this form it will be a worthy competitor to the usual cutlets on the adult table.

How to cook fish fillet in batter for children

Well, when our plans include preparing a delicious fish dish not only for the child, but for the whole family, let’s fry the fillet in batter. Just let’s make it not from the usual combination of milk, eggs and flour, but from zucchini. This option is suitable for those who have children over 3 years old.

1. We take approximately equal parts of zucchini (zucchini) and hake or tilapia fillet, 200 g in total.
2. Cut the fish into small pieces, peel the vegetable, remove the seeds and grate it on a coarse grater and squeeze it well or let it drain.
3. Add the egg, salt and 1 tbsp flour to the grated zucchini and mix. If desired, chop a bunch of fresh herbs into the batter mixture. The mass should not be too liquid so as not to drain from the fish during frying.
4. Now we put the pieces of fillet into the raw batter, stir again and, before the juicy tilapia gives juice, immediately spoon each piece into a hot frying pan.
5. Fry in oil for 3-5 minutes on both sides over low heat. There is no need for an extra crust, and the fish should cook well.

This batter will make any fish fillet even more flavorful! Enjoy with or without a side dish.

Children's nutritious cod meatballs

For those who are tired of zraz and beef or chicken cutlets, we offer a recipe for meatballs.

Essentially, this version of fish balls varies as you like and can be served to both children and adults. We choose cod, since its meat is one of the fattiest and most nutritious, but if necessary, we replace it with hake or pollock.

Ingredients

• Cod (fillet) – 300 g
• Rice – 2 – 3 tbsp
• Onion – 1 pc.
• Flour – 1.5-2 tbsp

How to cook baby fish balls

This is exactly the case when the fillet needs to be completely defrosted. This is necessary in order to be able to completely sort through the fish with your hands for small bones.

1. After checking, grind it in a blender or scroll. You can do this directly with the onions - the consistency of the minced meat should be completely homogeneous.
2. Boil the rice, it should double in size, that is, this volume will equal approximately 5-6 tablespoons.
3. Mix everything, beat in the egg, add salt and let stand for 10 minutes and form small balls the size of large meatballs.

You can cook the meatballs either in a double boiler or simply in a saucepan, simmering them. In the first case, select the desired mode and put the raw meatballs in a container, in the second, lower them into a small saucepan and fill it halfway with boiling water, cover with a lid and put on low heat for 30 minutes.

Serve the finished fish meatballs with mashed potatoes or vegetable stew. It turned out to be a light, but very tasty and satisfying dinner!

Children's delicate cream fish soup

But fish can be used to prepare not only second courses for children, but also first courses, you’ll say, and you’ll be right! And if the usual fish soup won’t surprise anyone, then cream soup from pelengas or pangasius will definitely be appreciated by all family members.

This soup is prepared quickly and simply, but the taste is very delicate.

Ingredients

• Fish fillet – 300 g
• Cream 20% – 250 ml
• Potatoes (medium) – 2 pcs.
• Onion – 1 pc.
• Carrots – 1 pc.
• Hard cheese – 100 g
• Salt, spices - to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Bread for croutons

Cooking fish soup for children

1. Place the fillet cut into cubes in 2 liters of salted boiling water and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove the fish and leave to cool, and strain the broth.
3. We peel the potatoes, cut them as desired, but not coarsely, and set them to cook in fish broth.
4. Meanwhile, sauté onions and carrots in vegetable oil. You don't have to do this if necessary, but roasted vegetables will add more flavor to the soup and make the taste richer.
5. As soon as the fry is cooked, add it to the broth with the potatoes and after 5 minutes pour in the cream.
6. We sort the cooled fish so that not a single bone remains and add it to the soup. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and grind with an immersion blender.
7. Grind the cheese on a fine grater and add a tablespoon of it to each plate when serving.

Dry croutons from white or rye Borodino bread in the oven or directly in a frying pan. Bon appetit!

As you can see, there are a huge number of fish dishes, and they are suitable for both children and adults!

Pollock is the most common fish from the cod family in the waters of the seas and the Pacific Ocean. This delicious fish is one of the most popular products in Russia and throughout the world.

Pollock fillet is rich in phosphorus, iodine and vitamins, and pollock liver contains more vitamin A than the famous cod liver. Pollock is a real treasure trove of iodine and protein, which is very easily absorbed by the human body.

This fish is very useful for children, especially in the first few years of their life, during the period of active growth of the body. Eating pollock is very important for pregnant women and young nursing mothers. In addition, pollock dishes are easy to prepare and very tasty. How to cook pollock, the most popular and one of the healthiest fish?

Since preparing pollock deliciously is not a difficult task (even just fried pollock in oil already becomes an appetizing dish), we will pay attention to original and unusual recipes for preparing this fish.

How to cook pollock in the oven with vegetables and sour cream

• Pollock - 1 large fish;
• Onions - 2 onions;
• Carrots - 2 pcs;
• Sour cream to taste (best - 3-4 tablespoons);
• sunflower oil
• Salt, spices for fish (you can use special lemon spices).

Preparation:

1. Chop the onion into small cubes, and peel and grate the carrots on a coarse grater or cut into thin strips. Fry the onions and carrots in sunflower oil until tender.
2. Clean the pollock from giblets, cut off the fins, head and tail, cut the carcass into small pieces.
3. Place the pieces of fish in a frying pan or dish with a thick bottom, sprinkle with fried onions and carrots, salt and sprinkle with spices to taste. Pour sour cream over the fish and place everything in the oven for half an hour.
4. The finished dish can be sprinkled with fresh herbs.

How to cook pollock fillet: pollock fried in dough

For this recipe you need to take:

• Pollock fillet - 400 g;
• Wheat flour - 1.5 cups;
• Milk - 250 ml;
• Chicken egg - 1 piece;
• Lemon - to taste;
• Vegetable oil;
• Fresh greens - to taste;
• Salt, pepper, fish spices - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Add salt, egg yolk and flour to a glass of cold milk. Mix everything thoroughly.
2. Beat the egg whites separately and mix with the milk mixture.
3. Cut the pollock fillet into small pieces, sprinkle with salt, pepper and spices, dip each in the resulting batter, and fry in vegetable oil (large amount). The pan should be thoroughly warm before you add the pollock pieces to it.
4. Place the finished fried fillet on a dish, garnish with lemon and herbs.

How to cook pollock fish with bacon

For this recipe you need to take:

• Pollock - 500 grams;
• Lard - 70-80 grams;
• Onions - 2 onions;
• Potatoes - 5 pieces;
• Fish broth - 250 ml;
• Butter (margarine can be used) - 2 tbsp. l.
• Fresh greens (green onions, parsley) - to taste;
• Salt and ground black pepper - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Clean the pollock from giblets, cut off the heads and fins from the carcass, cut into small pieces. Season the pieces with salt and pepper.
2. Cut the bacon into slices and fry until semi-transparent.
3. Cut the onion into rings, peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices. Add everything to the bacon and fry a little.
4. Add chopped green onions and fish broth. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Place the pieces of fish in the pan, cover with a lid and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
6. When serving, decorate the dish with fresh herbs.

When your baby masters dishes made from vegetables, porridge, cottage cheese and meat, it is time to introduce him to fish products. How and at what age is it best to do this?

Along with dairy products, eggs and meat, fish is a source of complete, high-quality protein. At the same time, each of these products contains unique, inimitable proteins that differ from others in amino acid composition. That's why nutritionists recommend a varied diet.

The flesh of the fish is tender; it does not contain coarse connective tissue fibers and films, which are abundant in meat. Therefore, fish proteins are easily digestible: the percentage of their absorption is 93-98% (for example, meat proteins are absorbed by 87-89%). The amino acid composition of fish proteins ideally matches the needs of the human body and is perfectly absorbed by it. All types of fish are distinguished by a high content of minerals (zinc, copper, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and especially iron); fish also contains quite a lot of vitamins: A, D, B 2, B 12, PP. Sea fish is also rich in iodine, which is necessary for the proper development and functioning of the thyroid gland. Fish fats are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the omega-3 group. These fatty acids play an important role in the construction of cell membranes, especially for nerve tissue and the retina of the eyes; are precursors for the synthesis of tissue hormones - biologically active compounds that regulate metabolism in body tissues. Fish is one of the few natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

Let's try the fish. Where to begin?

Introduce fish into your diet healthy baby should be approximately 3-4 weeks after the introduction of meat complementary foods, that is, at 9-10 months. However, it must be taken into account that fish is one of the most powerful food allergens, so children with allergies begin introducing fish dishes into their diet after 1 year and with extreme caution. Ideally, especially in children with a pronounced allergic predisposition, the start of fish complementary foods is agreed upon with the allergist who is observing the child.

To introduce your child to fish, low-fat varieties are suitable: haddock, cod, pollock, flounder, hake. You can cook fish at home or use ready-made canned fish for baby food. You should start with ¼ teaspoon, usually in the form of fish puree, preferably during one of the morning feedings, so that you can carefully monitor the baby until the evening. Allergic manifestations may take the form of skin rash, regurgitation or vomiting, and stool disorders. As a rule, they are observed several hours after encountering the allergen.

Sometimes allergic reactions develop only to sea fish or, conversely, only to river fish.

If you notice certain allergic manifestations in your baby after you gave him a taste of a fish dish, you should refrain from further acquaintance with this variety. Wait a week or two, offering your baby only those foods that he is already accustomed to. After the condition returns to normal, you can try giving him a different type of fish. Sometimes allergic reactions develop only to sea fish or, conversely, only to river fish. Often children who are allergic to one type of fish can easily tolerate other types. It may also happen that the same type of fish, say, causes allergies when prepared at home, but is well tolerated in canned (that is, industrial) form, or vice versa.

If the first meeting went smoothly and you did not notice any negative manifestations, the next day you can offer your baby 1 teaspoon of fish. If everything is fine in this case, you can gradually increase the daily dose to the age norm. In one feeding, a child aged 9-10 months can eat about 50 g of fish, by 11-12 months you can offer him up to 60-70 g. Fish proteins have one more property: an allergy to them is often associated with an accumulation effect. This means that if you offer fish dishes too often, the risk of developing allergic reactions to them increases significantly. That is why fish products should be offered to your baby no more than 2-3 times a week, and to potential allergy sufferers (of course, those who can tolerate a specific type of fish) - once a week.

Beware of allergies!

You should be especially wary of immediate-type allergic reactions (they appear almost immediately after eating), which, although rare, unfortunately, can occur when eating fish. The most harmless of these reactions is urticaria. More serious symptoms include redness and/or swelling of the lips shortly after eating, and hoarseness. Such symptoms may be signs of development - a dangerous condition characterized by swelling of the tissues of the face, and in 20% - of the mucous membrane of the larynx, making breathing difficult.

If you suddenly notice anxiety in your baby, pallor or bluishness of the face, combined with difficulty breathing, immediately call an ambulance and give the child any antihistamine (for children under 3 years old, ZIRTEK or FENISTIL drops in an age-appropriate dosage are preferable). If you notice an immediate allergic reaction in your baby, you should be extremely careful in the future if you start preparing this type of fish for other household members. Fish is in a sense a unique product: an allergic reaction can occur just from its smell! The fact is that usually the smell of food is caused by volatile low-molecular compounds that are practically incapable of causing an allergic response. But the fishy smell is caused by protein molecules and therefore can cause an allergic reaction in predisposed people.

Fish products are replaced on selected days with corresponding meat dishes. At first, it will be easier for your baby to cope with fish puree; later it can be replaced with fish puddings, fish balls or steamed cutlets. At 1 year old, the baby can already be offered boiled or baked fish prepared for the rest of the family. In all cases, you should carefully remove all the bones from the fish, even the smallest ones, because the baby is not able to separate them on his own and may choke. Try not to offer your baby fatty fish, as they can cause intestinal upset. Fish broths are not used in baby food until about 3 years of age: they are too saturated with extractive substances, which are unnecessary stimulants for the immature digestive system of babies, and do not have particularly valuable properties. Also, children under 3 years old are not offered caviar and seafood, as dishes with a high allergenic potential.

Culinary secrets of cooking fish

• It is better to thaw frozen fish in salt water (8-10 g of salt per 1 liter of water): this reduces the loss of minerals that is inevitable during defrosting. It is generally not recommended to completely defrost fillets. Slightly thawed fish is washed in cold water and cooked.
• Fish cooked whole or in large pieces is always tastier and juicier. The less liquid taken for cooking, the better the result will be. Steamed fish will retain the greatest amount of nutrients.
• Many chefs recommend poaching as the main method of cooking fish, primarily sea and ocean fish. This is the name for boiling fish in a small amount of water with one or another flavoring additives - butter, lemon juice, herbs and spices (onions, carrots, parsley or celery root, dill, bay leaf). In this case, the loss of valuable nutritional properties is minimized, and the taste of the fish is significantly enriched and refined. Only “red” fish is often cooked without spices. Poaching time for portioned pieces is 10-15 minutes, for large fish - from 25 to 45 minutes.
• When cooking or poaching, it is better to lower the fish into already boiling water, and then immediately reduce the heat. Fish cooked over high heat becomes overcooked and tasteless.

  Which fish to choose for complementary feeding

  For cooking, subject to tolerance, it is better to use sea fish: it is rich in iodine, which is necessary for the functioning of the thyroid gland. In addition, it is believed that freshwater fish “collect” salts of heavy metals, which can contaminate the waters of rivers and lakes. Trout is considered the best freshwater variety, worthy of a little gourmet.

  Any fish is especially tasty in winter and spring, until it spawns. If you buy whole fish, pay attention to its freshness. Fresh fish have clean, bright red gills, protruding and light eyes, and even shiny scales. The appearance of mucus in the gill slits, a film on the eyes, dull or peeled scales in places cast doubt on the quality of the product. Chilled fish can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2-4 days. If you are used to purchasing frozen fish, know that properly frozen carcasses make a ringing sound when tapped, and the external signs of freshness of frozen fish are the same as those of chilled fish. The cut flesh of freshly frozen fish is white or pale pink, while that of second-frozen fish is darkish in color. It is recommended to store frozen fish in the refrigerator for no more than 2-3 days, and once defrosted, use it immediately. Indentations on the carcass, yellowness of rancid fat and its smell indicate improper storage of fish.

  Cooking fish dishes at home

  Fish puree

  Fish fillet (without skin) - 60 g,
  milk and vegetable oil - 1 tsp. spoon.

  Boil the fillet in a small amount of water for 15-20 minutes, cool, mince or beat in a blender, after removing all the bones. Add milk, butter, salt, mix well and bring to a boil over low heat.

  Steam fish soufflé

  Fish fillet - 100 g,
  milk - 25 g,
  flour - 3 g,
  egg - 1/3 pcs.,
  butter -5 g.

  Boil the fish fillet, remove all bones. Pass through a meat grinder with a fine grid, add thick milk sauce (boil the milk with flour for 5-8 minutes), butter, egg yolk, mix, carefully fold the whipped white into the minced meat. Place the mixture in a greased form and cook in a water bath under the lid for 15-20 minutes.

  Fish pudding

  Fish fillet - 100 g,
  potatoes - 1/2 pcs.,
  oil - 2 teaspoons,
  milk - 2 tbsp. spoons,
  egg - 1/4 pcs.

  Boil the peeled potatoes until fully cooked, drain the water, mash with a wooden pestle so that there are no lumps, and dilute with milk. Boil the fish in salted water, remove all the bones. Finely chop the pulp, mix with potatoes, lightly salt, add melted butter (1 teaspoon), yolk and white whipped into a thick foam. Grease the mold with oil, pour the mixture into it, close the lid, place in a water bath and cook for 20-30 minutes.

  Fish meatballs

  Fish fillet - 60 g,
  wheat bread - 10 g,
  yolk - 1/4 pcs.,
  water - 10 ml,
  vegetable oil - 4 ml.

  Remove the bones from fish fillets (for example, cod), pass through a meat grinder with a piece of bread soaked in water, add egg yolk and vegetable oil, mix thoroughly. Form balls from the resulting mass, place in a bowl half filled with water, and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes.