I'm stepping up how much fish I eat but don't really have a clue what I'm doing as I didn't grow up eating much beyond battered cod. Therefore I'm going to ask a couple of stupid questions as I work out how to have fish twice a week.
I assume a can of pilchards on toast is a dinner item and that I warm them up in a saucepan for going on toast? Maybe with eggs?
Similar deal with canned Mackerel?
What other seafoods should I consider?
I googled this but the BBC food article decided to make repeated reference to pilchards being cat food. It's incredibly cheap admittedly.
Any oily fish for a couple of servings per week is a good idea, nutritionally speaking. I wouldn't pay any mind to people disparaging one over another, most people don't eat enough oily fish as a whole.
I typically get my servings in either by mackerel (tinned on a bit of buttered toast as a snack) or salmon (usually a filet as part of a proper meal with some potatoes.
I prefer those tinned kipper fillets, the salty little bastards where you don't get bones all stuck in your gums.
I put them on toast and then under the grill for a couple of minutes. Don't need anything else although a little shake of tangy barbecue or spicy sauce can hit the spot.
Frankly I can just eat those motherfuckers raw out of the can though. Delicious.
>>13939 Warm them under a grill, they're already cooked and the meat is incredibly soft.
My go to is sardines and anchovies, which I have about once a week on toast with some butter. Spicy BBQ sauce or Spicy tomato sauce works great with sardines.
Anchovies are fantastic if you're making your own bruschetta too. They don't really need a condiment though.
I have Mackerel and kipper in the cupboard too, they're all nice in different ways.
If you're interested in how to prepare and cook fresh fish, we could also help there.
I'd recommend rollmops with nice salad with boiled potatoes and eggs, if you're feeling adventurous. Rollmops sort of have a tangy sweetness to them and a suitable meatiness.
Also on the herring front, I recommend these creamy herrings, as found at your local polski sklep, again, salad and boiled potatoes go very well with them.
Any chance you get to get your hands on fresh mackerel, go for it. Easy to just cook in the oven with butter/herbs/spices, and the bones just come right out.
Tinned mackerel in tomato sauce is my absolute favourite storecupboard and hiking food, it's 200 calories of delicious, meaty goodness in a compact tin that lasts for a good long time, and you almost never find a bone in them. I eat them straight out of the can or on oatcakes - they're flaky enough you can basically just spread them.
Hot smoked salmon is worth a consideration too, it's significantly more expensive, but it's really, really good - it would be the fish I would serve to people who say they don't like fish, it's just that good. That's salmon that is hot smoked, by the way, not smoked salmon you have heated up.
I don't know if mussels count, but moules marinere is my favourite food, full stop - even the ones in the vacuum sealed bags you buy in supermarkets.
If you're interested in cooking fish from scratch, I have some experience in the field.
>>13941 >>13942 So I just pour the can out on some toast and then put it under a grill? I'm having misgivings given the sauce, surely it goes in a pot and is heated?
>>13942 >>13944 How do I avoid it stinking up to the house when I cook or do I just bake everything in bags and oiled paper?
>>13947 Tuna is pricey and the canning process breaks down the omega-3.
>>13950 I'm not sure how I'd feel about eating fish regularly caught from the Baltic. Isn't it still horribly polluted?
If your fish stinks up the house, you have bought bad fish.
I just put cold mackerel on hot toast, I do not have the time nor inclination to do otherwise. There's not enough sauce in one of those tins to justify using a pan, just stick it under the grill if you must.
The kippers I like come in oil, you obviously shake the oil off a bit or drain the liquid from the can before you put them on your toast. If you've got the ones that come in tomato sauce I don't know what to tell you, it's never occurred to me that anyone buys them. I thought they were just filler they use to pad out the shelves.
Presumably just whack the can in some hot water for a bit so they're already warm when you open them?
The same company that does those cream sauce herrings also have their take on the matjes herring, albeit very salty, and my goodness do they taste like prepared, salted anchovies. You can cook with them the same way, they just need chopping up a bit, and are far more cost effective if that's any concern.
Anchovies as bought at a deli counter in oil w/ flavouring like dill and lemon are delicious though and a completely different experience to the salted, tinned ones.
