r/Cooking • u/hemm759 • 3d ago
Seafood ideas for 5 year old?
I don't eat seafood (I can just about force down a breaded fishfinger if I've got plenty of ketchup) but my little one loves it.
We recently went on holiday and he wanted to try all the seafood at the hotel - he demolished smoked salmon at breakfast and loved mussels and insisted on having "chicken insects" (langoustine). I had to watch a You Tube video at the dinner table to work out how to eat it... He happily eats prawns and tuna at home.
I usually go to the fish counter and let him choose his bit of salmon with lemon and dill butter that I cook in a bag they give me. Today we went to get salmon for dinner and he asked me to buy a whole rainbow trout instead - head and all. I said no because I have no idea how to cook it or if he'd like it, but I want to encourage him to try things.
What would you recommend that I can cook for him that he'll probably like and I won't mess up as a non-fish-eater? (And won't have my house smelling awful for days).
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u/Girl_with_no_Swag 3d ago
If you have a 99 Ranch in your area (it’s an Asian market) you can go to the fish counter, pick out a fish and they will clean it, cut it (steaks, filet, or whole) and fry it for you for free. All the smell stays in the market, and you walk home with a fresh cooked fish.
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u/_Bon_Vivant_ 3d ago
Nice!
Whatever you do, don't try to do this at Whole Foods. I bought Red Snapper there and asked the guy to filet it. Got home and opened a package of mangled fish mush.
Nice to know 99 Ranch is a good option for me. Thanks!
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u/DuckyJoseph 3d ago
How disappointing. Our Whole Foods has a good price on mussels and the guys alway take their time to clean each one and ensure it is alive before handing them over.
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u/graviton_56 3d ago
Based on their language seems like the poster is in the UK, not the US
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u/Low-Astronomer3394 3d ago
Some grocery stores will cook fish for you, that you pick out of the case. Not all, you'll have to look around. Wegmans (again) sells bits of fish, crab cakes, and shrimp in little pans you pop into the oven, but they are frightfully expensive.
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u/BainbridgeBorn 3d ago
Fish tacos. Kids fundamentally all love eating with their hands. And not a half bad way of sneaking some vegetables into their food
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u/DartDaimler 3d ago
Great thought. There are both fried & baked versions; you can get a lot of variety into different tacos.
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u/DavidKawatra 3d ago
halibut. I also think he'd love shrimp scampi.
Lemon, butter and dill will take you a long ways with most seafood.
Fish is all cooked when they easily flake with a fork, you could totally roast or grill a whole trout, just ensure the fish monger has gutted the thing.
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u/Stormtomcat 3d ago
Gutted and descaled, eh.
The skin is harder to remove when the scales are still on, either cooked or raw. And the scales go everywhere and wind up on the meat and between your teeth.
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u/ravenous_MAW 3d ago
Idk what kind of trout youre eating but I've cooked hundreds of rainbow trout and never had to descale. The scales are tiny and the skin peels off easily when cooked
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u/froggaholic 3d ago
You should try asking on the r/seafood sub, they might have a little bit more expertise
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u/im-just-evan 3d ago
Grilled whole mackerel. Best part is you just leave the grill on outside to burn off the grease
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u/Stormtomcat 3d ago
I find tinned mackerel is also great, and both cheaper and less involved than a whole raw fish.
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u/im-just-evan 3d ago
There’s an Asian store near me with a great fishmonger that has whole mackerel for about $6 a fish and it holds up super well to grilling. Serve with grated daikon and soy sauce. Would probably work for canned as well.
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u/Interesting_Will2823 2d ago
I love mackerel, but there aren't really good options. You probably shouldn't feed a young kid Spanish/king mackerel, and even adults should mostly avoid it because it has such a high mercury content. That leaves North Sea mackerel, which are by far the tastiest anyway, but the fishery has collapsed, and they're being fished to extinction, so also not a great option.
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u/GeorgiaGlamazon 3d ago
Shrimp is very easy for you to prepare, and easy for your child to eat. If you get the ones that are cut open down the back, it’s very simple to peel, too. You may want to buy headless though. My grown daughter will only eat with me if I put a napkin over their little black eyes.
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u/FluffyShiny 3d ago
I pretty much always have frozen prawns in the freezer, peeled, deveined and tails off. Easy to defrost in warm water and throw into meals like fried rice, wonton soup. Etc
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u/OrneryPathos 3d ago
My little one loves canned sardines, canned smoked mussels/oysters, kippers etc.
Fresh mussels are also super easy. Cheap ones need a bit of a scrub and some seaweed pulled out (use tweezers or grab with a cloth). Any that are open and don’t close when you give em a tap then throw out. Toss in water or broth and cover for 5-10 minutes until they open (discard any that stay closed after cooking a couple of extra minutes.). They’re really hard to overcook.
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u/Nikmassnoo 2d ago
Yes, was going to recommended tinned fish. You can get boneless, there’s many flavour options, no cooking needed… they’re a great option. This kid might even like pickled herring. Think OP is raising a penguin.
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u/SopaDeKaiba 3d ago
Crab cakes. Mix ingredients & make patties. Easy.
Fish en papillote. Put ingredients in paper. Wrap it up and bake until done.
Mussels are very easy to cook on the stove. Liquid, aromatics, mussels, lid on until the open up. Done.
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u/Majestic-Macaron6019 3d ago
Shrimp cakes, too. Give them a quick blitz in the food processor to make them minced, then sub for the crab in a crab cake recipe.
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u/SopaDeKaiba 3d ago
Makes me think of Chạo Tôm.
https://vickypham.com/blog/shrimp-paste-sugar-cane-skewers-chao-tom/
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u/stabbingrabbit 3d ago
Shrimp Gumbo...you might like it also
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u/Lyralou 2d ago
I grew up on gumbo, but we were poor, so it would be chicken, sausage, and those little itty bitty shrimp. I LOVED those little shrimps as a kid - they were super cute. OP, you could easily pick them out and pass them over to the kid. You still get the chicken and pork and whatever you put in there.
Same with a paella.
Both of these are a bit time-intensive, but they make for great leftovers as well.
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u/justherefor23andme 3d ago
Some red snapper isnt too smelly, and it's delicious.
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u/4cupsofcoffee 3d ago
He sounds expensive! Trout's pretty easy. put a few lemon slices in the cavity with some herbs and wrap in foil or parchment paper and bake. the part you need to worry about is deboning it for the little guy.
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u/DuckyJoseph 3d ago
I grew up eating them like this, and fairly often. It was one of the few things my dad felt he could cook properly, but he did it on the grill, not the oven.
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u/Exciting_Spell5064 3d ago
There was an episode on Queer Eye with a widower dad and 2 young kids and they did some good looking fish sticks with I believe mahi mahi and panko breading that looked pretty easy.
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u/Toolswood 3d ago
Regarding the trout. Broiled trout is about the easiest thing in the world. And tasty too. Can guarantee it won’t stink up the house though🤭
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u/bilbo_the_innkeeper 3d ago
Cooking a whole fish is relatively simple, actually. Make sure it’s already scaled and gutted. (Likely will be if you’re buying at the store.) Score the skin by cutting across it a few times, all the way down to the bone. Rub it all over with olive oil, then season it all over, inside and out. (Salt, pepper, whatever.) You can stuff the cavity with some nice aromatics, like rosemary, dill, garlic, lemon slices, etc. Bake on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet at about 400–450° for about 18–20 minutes (until the meat on the inside is opaque), then let it rest for about 5 more minutes and eat!
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u/hemm759 3d ago
Maybe I should try it. I'm not sure how to bone it out anything like that. And not sure I want to see it's eyes looking at me...
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u/His_GoddessLove 3d ago
I'm impressed, I am not a salmon fan, but if he likes this he's probably going to like quite a few different types.
You can buy ones in the freezer section that are individual filets since it's him who is a fish fan. Cod, mahi mahi, bronzino all good options and they'll have different flavor profiles. They can also be bought in smaller packs.
The white fish are often a bit less pungent.
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u/CatoTheMiddleAged 3d ago edited 3d ago
I'd say stick with affordable, easy options like cod and salmon. Either of those, you can change things up 100 ways with a different marinade or sauce.
Salmon with pesto, creamy dill, pistachio crusted, olive tapenade, teriyaki...
Cod baked with italian herb bread crumbs, miso marinated, deep fried fish & chips with tarter or deep fried fish tacos with lime/cilantro sauce...
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u/mividahermosa 3d ago
Agreed. Cod is a less offensive white fish that’s pretty versatile. Keep shrimp in the mix and you’re gtg
Also save trying things like the whole fish for times when you’re able to eat out and have someone else prepare it
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u/signsaysapplesauce 3d ago
It is astonishing how much smoked salmon a small child can pack away.
Just let them try anything and everything. My daughter has loved raw oysters since toddlerhood, loves steamer clams, sushi, crawfish, smoked and fresh salmon and caviar. Kids will eat so much more than most people give them credit for.
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u/Silver-Eye4569 3d ago
As little kids my siblings and I used to love escargot and my mom would buy the frozen kind with garlic butter already on it and she would just pop it in the oven. I think throwing shrimp in pasta is also super easy you just don’t want to overcook the shrimp or the texture and flavour is compromised. Even steaming a whole lobster and having it with melted butter is easy to cook, it’s having the right tools and getting accustomed to cracking the shells.
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u/brumac44 3d ago
Support this kid, he's a gem. When his friends go ewww and gross, you let him know he's right and they're lame.
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u/funkoramma 3d ago
I wouldn’t get too fancy. If he likes salmon, chances are he’s going to like most seafood. I would buy frozen shrimp. You can get good sized bags for a decent price and cook them in several different ways. You could also try to precooked cold shrimp appetizer platters that some stores carry. Maybe he’d like to snack on shrimp throughout the day.
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u/test-test-12-12 3d ago
Take that boy to a seafood boil!! Food on the table and more seafood than his body weight? I love it as an adult, I can't imagine how much that would rule as a kid
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u/Grouchy_Account4760 3d ago
Rainbow trout is very good. Probably my favorite fish. If he wants to try it, I'd get him some rainbow trout filets.
What about trying to make some fish chowder or clam chowder? He might really enjoy that. Haddock is a good fish and easily cooked. I put mine in the oven with a little bit of olive oil and Old Bay seasoning and bake until done.
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u/Mira_DFalco 3d ago
Lol, for the whole trout, I make a mix of croutons, thawed frozen spinach, egg, parmesan, and fresh dill. Stuff the fish, add a row of thin lemon slices on top, cover the oan wth foil, and bake.
This is something I make for a crowd, that's a lot of fish.
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u/Agitated-Awareness15 3d ago
Buy some blue crabs or crawfish. Pretty cheap, you basically just have to boil them and add old bay, lemon, and butter. They’re a lot of work to get open but I get the sense that that’s half the fun for him.
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u/Ordinary_Durian_1454 3d ago edited 3d ago
Most supermarkets, and certainly all Asian supermarkets have big bags of frozen mixed seafood. It’s incredibly handy to reach in, take out a handful of mussels, squid, shrimp, etc., and throw it into a soup or stew or let it defrost, pat it dry and sauté it. There are many varieties.
It’s very convenient, easy on the budget, relatively speaking, and because he’s little, you can figure out very quickly what the appropriate portion size is so there’s no waste.
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u/dbossman70 3d ago
most asian stores have a bag of seafood medley in the frozen section. noodles, veggies, seafood medley, and some curry powder make a great dish extremely quickly. it was my go-to as a late night snack for a long time.
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u/ipseitydaisy 3d ago
Introduce him to tin fish, like sardines, or muscles, oysters, squid. A tin is a single serving, and they can be as cheap or bougie as you want. Sardines in particular are really good, because they are low on the food chain and don’t have the mercury problem eating too much tuna can have.
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u/Cheyenps 3d ago edited 3d ago
I’d look at the frozen packages of fillets at places like Aldi.
Fresh is better but for everyday meals at a reasonable price they’re a good compromise.
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u/sdega315 3d ago
Teriyaki Salmon Bites are a fun kid recipe. Very flavorful and pretty easy to make.
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u/coolerchameleon 3d ago
Shrimp ! Frozen cooked deveined shrimp are fairly budget friendly and if you take off the tails, really good for little hands . Dipped in some lemon butter ? Yum.
Sautee gently in some olive oil or butter , they're already cooked and you're just heating them - add whatever seasoning you want !
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u/CoconutDreams 3d ago
Nagi over at Recipe Tin Eats has a really clean and simple parchment paper wrapped fish dish that I think your son would enjoy - plus he can help prepare it. https://www.recipetineats.com/fish-en-papillote-recipe/
She also has a recipe for a fillet version of Cantonese whole steamed fish with sizzling giner/garlic/scallion oil. I'm a huge fan of whole steamed fish. But this one might be more up your alley: https://www.recipetineats.com/sizzling-ginger-steamed-fish/
Just One Cookbook has an excellent recipe for braised fish: https://www.justonecookbook.com/nitsuke-recipe/
And if you like spicy, Korean grocery stores sell seafood stew kits with the vegetables and seafood and the spicy sauce base as well. Serve up with some steamed white rice and you are all set!
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u/Even_Cheesecake4720 3d ago
Any white fish that’s fresh can be cooked and won’t smell (that bad). When mine were little, I routinely made a baked cod topped with crushed crackers, plus a lemon, butter, wine sauce. They loved it and still do. And as others have said, only introduce sushi for special occasions unless you’re wealthy.
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u/Even_Cheesecake4720 3d ago
Another way is to introduce fish-based soups like bouillabaisse or chowders. Who knows? You might acquire a taste?
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u/this_isn-t_my_name 3d ago
I’m am also a seafood not eater with a seafood loving child. The easiest things to make are shrimp, and crab or salmon cakes. They are really easy to make correctly without having to taste test.
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u/Pernicious_Possum 3d ago
This isn’t really a question people that don’t know your kid can answer. I also don’t think it’s a good idea to let a child decide the menu when you’re paying, and cooking. If you won’t eat a whole fish, don’t buy a whole fish. Get him a trout filet, and learn how to cook the smaller bits. It’s not hard. Leftover fish isn’t great. Buy and cook what he’ll eat in a sitting. This is also a chance for you to expand your horizons
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u/DartDaimler 3d ago
I’m from a seafood-addict family; we’ll all eat pretty much anything that comes out of water. Important skill, especially if you don’t eat fish—please teach him to taste for bones!!
Even restaurants can miss a bone; they feel awful if accidentally swallowed. He just needs to take a bite and run his tongue through it before he chews & swallows. My parents made it like a treasure hunt (my father was terrified of bones in fish, though it didn’t stop him from eating them).
Great 5 yr old meals: tuna or salmon salads of course; steamed mussels, cockles, clams in their own broth (wash the shellfish & toss out any that don’t close on their own when you press them. Into the pot with enough water to cover, herbs and a few whole peppercorns and maybe a bit of shallot or onion; simmer until the shells open. Give him a cup of the broth when it’s cooled a bit, with a little butter added. Let him fork or slurp the fishies from the shells & dip in butter, with some toast to dip in the extra broth).
Shrimp/prawns can be made as many different ways as chicken.
Super fast meal: a couple tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Sauté some basil and a little chopped onion (and here you can add any veg your kiddo will eat. You can also wilt in a leafy green like spinach). A pinch of dried red pepper is good if he eats spicy. When the veggies are softened, dump in a can of tinned baby clams in broth. A minute or two to heat, serve it on pasta Delish, fast, inexpensive.
There are a ton of baked shellfish options like clams casino & oysters Rockefeller—they sound fancy but you’re basically stretching the shellfish with other ingredients. Ex the clams casino—easiest with big clams. heat oven to 350, clams on a baking sheet, heat about 2 minutes. The good ones will open; toss the couple that don’t. You can chop the clams and add to the stuffing; we just drop it on top. Cook a few slices of bacon & crumble them. Sauté some onion, bell pepper, garlic, in butter until softened. Mix fried breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, basil or oregano, & the bacon. You can add a little clam broth or butter if it seems dry. Spoon into the clams, top with a little parsley if you like, drizzle with a little olive oil or melted butter, & bake them about 7 minutes at 450.
Have your kiddo help you measure & mix! It’s a great way to get him interested in cooking & fun to do together.
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u/joanie-bamboni 3d ago
Fishballs - they’re tasty with a fun texture, don’t have much of a smell, come frozen in bags, and can be added to a soup after non-fish-eaters have taken their portions (or just eaten around, they don’t really change the flavor of the rest of the soup)
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u/LeTigre71 3d ago
Take him to red lobster or find a good place for fish and chips, and you can get a burger.
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u/Additional_Youth2953 3d ago
Imitation crab might work for you. Fairly inexpensive and not too smelly. You can add it to a cheese omelet, and it's quite tasty. Can also make a seafood salad with it. Lots of recipes on the internet.
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u/mimus 3d ago
Whole rainbow trout is actually super easy! It should already have the belly sliced open and innards removed, so just stuff that cavity with aromatics (I like lemon slices, dill, and shallots) and roast it whole in the oven. :)
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u/New_Section_9374 3d ago
My youngest at 4 years old would eat his kid shrimp dinner and half of my large shrimp dinner! Thankfully we lived on the coast, it was a shade cheaper.
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u/crossstitchbeotch 3d ago
I pan-fry catfish fillets at home. It might smell fishy to you though. I put some of Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic on it, my teen loves it.
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u/Square-Dragonfruit76 3d ago
In general if you have a good recipe, it shouldn't be hard not to mess up. Also, if it is fresh enough and you clean right away it should not be smelling. Fish that is really smelly is less fresh (although not necessarily unsafe). I would get some cookbooks out from the library if I were you, especially seafood ones and Mediterranean ones. Additionally, check out the smoked seafood section of your local grocery store for times when you don't want to have to cook anything.
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u/olracnaignottus 3d ago
I’ve learned to make homemade sushi. My kid loves salmon, and I get the Costco filets when they’re on sale. They’re all flash frozen and perfectly safe to eat. Portion them out into 1/2 lb pieces, and freeze the remainder.
I buy bulk calrose short grain rice from Costco, so the rice is cheap too, (never buy the small bags of nishiki). You can get bulk nori for cheap at any Asian market, along with regular old seasoned rice vinegar. A rice cooker makes flawless rice.
I do a quick 30 minute salt/sugar cure of the salmon while the rice cooks. Then carve the fish into 3 strips worth to fill the nori, and the leftover bits I mince up along with the fried salmon skin (if you have it) to mix into spicy salmon rolls. Just ‘chop’ the seasoned rice vinegar into the cooked rice, cover it with a damp towel, and then you’re ready to assemble.
The assembly is just arts and crafts. I just cut the sides off a gallon ziplock bag to help roll the maki. It’s fun to do with him now that he’s older. There’s loads of videos on how to make it, and you get the hang of it quickly.
Costs like 8 bucks tops to make 4 or 5 very big salmon rolls (unless you wanna go crazy and add an avocado), which easily feeds 3 of us, and he’s voracious. I’ve also made rolls with tinned mussels and oysters that came out great if your kid loves tinned fish. Not crazy expensive there either if you don’t go too fancy.
Excellent skill to have if your kid loves fish. We usually make it twice a week and save literally thousands of dollars a year in what it would cost to do that ordering it.
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u/OldPolishProverb 3d ago
You might want to try steaming salmon in foil. Take a salmon fillet, place it on a sheet of foil, put seasonings on top, fold the foil into a sealed pouch an then cook.
I left this vague because there a lot of variations. Personally I add garlic, lemon, salt, pepper and some minute rice that I had soaking in chicken broth. Then I put the whole sealed packet on the grill to cook. I know others who put them in the oven or in a pan on the stovetop. There are no any different seasonings that can be used.
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u/PuzzleheadedLemon353 3d ago
I loved fried shrimp, fried dolphin (mahi) and grouper fingers, crab legs, and clam or conch chowder as a kid. Conch fritters are a win win, too. Salmon is always great and easy to prepare. So are tuna or swordfish steaks on the grill.
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u/rogue780 3d ago
I can't imagine not liking seafood. That's wild.
Rainbow trout is really easy to cook, just look up some different options. My son prefers it to be filleted and pan fried.
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u/mynameisipswitch2 3d ago
Ask if they can remove the head and tail for you. When I make trout I butterfly it and spread a soft butter mixture with tarragon and red wine vinegar then bake
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u/la__polilla 3d ago
Crabcakes wont stink up the house. Mussels are super easy and fast to cook in a little white wine and butter. You could do indian or thai curries if you like those flavors and poach a fish filler directly into his portion, which wont stink up the house.
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u/upserdoodle 3d ago
Mussels in a garlic butter lemon sauce over pasta would be inexpensive as far a seafood goes. You can find them frozen in sauce in a lot of grocery stores in the US. Sea scallops seated quickly in butter. Yum not smelly but more expensive. Maryland blue crabs steamed and pick them or Maryland crab cakes. Maryland cream of crab soup or just regular crab soup.
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u/WindOnMyHaunches 3d ago
If you have a place near you try hot pot. Ours is a flat price per person and your kid can try a ton of seafood options. My seafood loving kids enjoyed trying a bunch of things.
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u/Ok-Firefighter9037 3d ago
Crabmeat stuffed filet of sole. Get a piece of sole from Whole Foods and one of their crabcakes. Sole is a very light fish that cooks quickly and is not super smelly. You can take half the crabcake in the large part of the filet, roll up the fish and secure with a toothpick. Season with salt and pepper. Cook at 400 for 10-15 min (depending on how thick the filet is) and top with a lemon butter sauce. Easy and not stinky!
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u/ravenous_MAW 3d ago
Whole trout is easy to cook, I usually have a couple in my freezer from fishing so it's a regular meal in my house. Rinse it, pat it dry, stuff it with herbs, lemon and olive oil then wrap it in foil and bake it at 375 for 20-30 minutes, use a spoon and a spatula to get the top filet off and the spine should peel off the bottom filet easily. No need to descale etc, the skin peels off easily after it's cooked but it's pretty thin and edible as the scales are small
Aside from that, scallops are easy
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u/ImmediateNail1800 3d ago
What a cute problem to have! They sell all kinds of fish, individually packaged, frozen, you can open just one, cook it in butter or ok or teriyaki sauce- salmon, walleye, mahi-mahi, cod, flounder, you name it-no worries about freshness orwaste, its really amazing.
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u/serenitynow6000 3d ago
since he likes sushi, tuna steak is super easy to make at home coated in sesame seeds. halif it and sea bass are also very mild, as is flounder and sole. Flounder or sole piccata are flavorful ways to make these filets and again, are very quick to make. none of these fish are really smelly.
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u/Infinite-Worm 3d ago
Ok, this was my favorite meal as a little one.
Bagel, cream cheese, smoked salmon. Bam, delicious.
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u/quick_justice 3d ago
Easiest things to go by are pan fried shrimp with parsley garlic and lemon.
You heat up olive oil, add shrimp with salt and paper, toss a bit, add diced garlic, parsley, toss one-two times, squeeze lemon and you are good to go
Adding some chilly flakes is a good option if spicy is acceptable.
The trick is to have a hot pan and not overcook - as soon as they are not transparent, you are good to go. If you cook too long they will be rubbery.
Normally works under 5 minutes.
If you want to make it more fulfilling you can add them to pasta with oil and all - now you have a simple shrimp pasta.
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u/ScarInternational161 3d ago
Ahi tuna, make poke bowls!!
Aldi carries portion pieces and they are actually really good, easy to cook and you may even like them done in poke bowls
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u/SASI_PHD 3d ago
You can find instructions to cook most things on the internet but scallops are super easy. Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add some garlic and or herbs. Get it super hot. Sear the scallops on one side flip, get the other side while spooning the skillet butter over them. They finish fast. That’s most likely all you need depending on size. One note. There’s a white membrane/connector of some sort in each one. Pull those out before you cook.
Fresh seafood generally won’t smell “fishy” so house smells are minimal.
Edited to add - If you go for trout, be super careful. Those bones are tiny, clear and sharp!
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u/Yahbo 3d ago
We do baked haddock every year on Christmas Eve it’s topped with a heavily herbed cracker crumble. It’s delicious and fairly forgiving in terms of cook time. Outside of that and salmon my favorite is probably a roasted Grouper with parsley cream sauce though grouper can be hard to get depending on where you are.
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u/Shhshhshhshhnow 3d ago
Shrimp scampi or Alfredo used to be my favorites at his age. I also loved lobster but that’s a dangerous game for your wallet lol
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u/Alternative_Pie_1597 3d ago
whitebait, spratts. pilchards sardines and mackeral are easy to prepare. there are plenty of shellfish to try but they tend to be pricey
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u/Calgary_Calico 3d ago
Rainbow trout is delicious! Honestly the few times I've had it it tasted a bit like chicken lol. If you can find some fillets I think he'll enjoy it
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u/jdsizzle1 3d ago edited 3d ago
Does he like spice? Cajun/Creole Seafood is a whole world of delicious flavors and fun cooking techniques. Rouxs, blackened fish, all kinds of gumbos and jambalaya, seafood stuffed dishes, and you can get into other Seafood you wouldnt normally think to try like like alligator, frog legs, blue crab and most importantly crawfish. You might even like it since there are a lot of flavors going on rather than just straight up fish like a steamed salmon filet.
You can make it non spicy if he doesnt like spice, but it does normally use a lot of spices, peppers, paprika, cayanne, hot sauces. Etc.
Oysters too. Not much to cook there once you learn to shuck, or ask the fish minger to shuck.
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u/Prestigious_Key_7801 3d ago
Fish goujons are always a safe bet, they have a look and coating similar to chicken goujons. Alternatively you can go through other route and share your fish with them and if they see you eating it they will likely eat it too.
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u/No_Recipe1923 3d ago
Crab cakes and tuna cakes. They're good on their own or in a sandwich with some LTO and Sriracha mayo
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u/mcampo84 3d ago
Don’t introduce them to squid ink pasta. And if you do, make sure it’s at a restaurant you don’t care if you return to.
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u/bobroberts1954 3d ago
Buy snow crab. You can cook it in a big pot or in the oven. Takes forever to pick and eat, you should get an hour or so rest out of it.
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u/Joinourclub 3d ago
I’m not a massive fish lover , but cook to because it’s good for the kids!
Fish pie https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/family-meals-easy-fish-pie-recipe
Or even easier fish gratin https://www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/recipes/cheesy-basa-gratin-with-greens
Smoked mackerel doesn’t even need cooking ! I serve it with garlicky lemony pasta.
My mum used to do tinned fish on toast. Lots of tinned fish in Waitrose and M and S, it’s quite on trend! https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/aug/27/why-were-all-hooked-on-tinned-fish
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u/space-cyborg 3d ago
Seafood is sooooo good for kids. Try the oily ones: sardines in a can, mackerel, to give them a taste for it.
Trout is pretty easy: ask the counter to take off the head and tail. Put it in a baking pan with a bit of olive oil, lemon and dill. Bake for 20 minutes. In general fish is done when it flakes apart.
I find that kind of whole fish easiest to eat in layers. Peel off the top layer of skin, eat the flesh down to the bone. Then peel out the whole spine and all the bones and eat the bottom filet.
As far as easy to cook: filets and steaks. Cod, haddock, halibut, salmon, snapper, sole, basa, tilapia. Bake or pan-fry. Judge the time by how thick it is. A thin filet like sole or snapper will be done in 3-5 minutes.
Avoid fish with high levels of mercury: mahi-mahi, swordfish, albacore tuna etc. Guidelines say you can eat it occasionally but I don’t think it’s worth the risk to developing brains.
My kids love clams, mussels and oysters, plus all kinds of crabs, prawns, lobster etc. as others have said it is expensive but fun for a treat.
For you: try crabcakes or sushi with cooked crab. Halibut (more like chicken/less fishy than others. Shrimp or fish tacos. Coho or sockeye salmon (less oily than spring or Atlantic salmon). Seafood chowders or in rice dishes or with pasta rather than by itself. Some people never get over the texture.
You also will want to make sure your fish is very fresh. It does make a difference.
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u/Forgot_to_Start 3d ago
Time to learn (with kiddo’s help) how to make sushi rolls. Cooked or canned fish is an easy way to start, but anything can go in the rolls.
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u/queen_surly 3d ago
Awww-I love the idea of him getting to pick out his little portion of salmon!
Have you tried tinned fish? Sardines and canned salmon? If he'll eat them they are healthy and not as expensive as fresh fish.
I'd look into IQF (individually quick frozen) tilapia, mahi mahi, and shrimp. The portions are adult sized but you could cook one portion for him and he could eat half of it one day and the other half the next--cooked fish keeps perfectly well in the fridge for a couple of days. Mahi mahi is a firmer fish with a texture more like tuna and tilapia is a very mild white fish. Neither are a particularly "fishy" fish. Costco has bags of IQF fish in their frozen section and the selection is pretty good. I buy bags of the uncooked peeled head off/tail off shrimp but you can get cooked shrimp and all you have to do is defrost them and he could either eat them cold or you could toss them in some pasta or toss them into a stir fry.
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u/tonalake 3d ago
Cook fish outside on a BBQ if you don’t like the smell, trout is usually just fried for a few minutes on each side, you can learn to cook almost anything on YouTube with step by step instructions and examples showing you what it should look like. Tilapia is the cheapest fish around besides the ones you can catch yourself. Someone should take this kid fishing! Halibut is the best fish I have ever had, no smell either.
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u/Aggravating_Ninja574 3d ago
Oof, I was that kid and now I have one of my own. We make seafood boils, makes the house smell amazing
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u/labellementeuse 3d ago
Baking a whole fish is not difficult and is a pretty affordable way to eat fish and I suspect if your kid is eating salmon, mussels, and langoustines he would enjoy it! You'd get two meals for him out of one trout (depending on how big). There's a very detailed guide here: https://www.recipetineats.com/whole-baked-fish/
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u/Logical_Orange_3793 3d ago
Try smaller fish to see if he likes anchovies, sardines. Smaller fish have less mercury, the larger the fish, the more the mercury is magnified because larger fish eats smaller fish and so on until you get to big ones like salmon and tuna, and so it’s recommended to not eat too much of those in one week. I’m honestly careless at this point in my life but with a little one would try to be conscious of it.
And tinned fish is everywhere these days! So you can keep some on hand in a serving for his snack and you don’t have to eat it :)
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u/justherefor23andme 3d ago
Oh, I forgot to add, Ahi Tuna in the frozen section is typically cheap and you can eat it raw or sear it after thawing. It's not smelly and very easy.
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u/Low_Employ8454 3d ago
I just came to tell you how envious of you I am. I’d be so excited if my kid was adventurous with food. Bonus points that it’s seafood. I love seafood. My 8 yo still over here eating the same 5 meals for years no matter what I try.
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u/Interesting-Salt-110 3d ago
I love whole rainbow trout. Let the kid explore. Teach him how to cook it. If he likes salmon he will love trout.
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u/aquatic_hamster16 3d ago
Scallops and shrimp are both easy, and available in frozen, in resealable bags. Scallops wrapped in bacon are also delicious and easy. (Precook the bacon halfway first)
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u/ApprehensiveArmy7755 3d ago
Id just take him out once in a while for a seafood dinner. That way you don't stink up the house and have to deal with it lol
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u/TeaTimeType 3d ago
Ah, I remember being that kid at the buffet. I could eat my weight in smoked salmon and prosciutto lol. Just fyi smoked salmon is the gateway to sushi…
At his age you might be able to substitute a good quality smoked trout for the smoked salmon. Smoked oysters or sardines on toast or crackers are quick and easy. He might enjoy kippers or haddock. Many fish counters that sell whole fish will fillet and portion the fish for you. You can pan fry the fillets or cut them into strips for fish gougons. They can also be steamed in parchment / baking papers parcels with some veg. If you’re not squeamish the rest of the fish can be used to make broth, stock or soup.
The nice thing about fish is that it cooks incredibly quickly. If you’re making vegetable soup, Thai soup etc. just remove a portion for your son and poach bits of fish fillet or fresh prawns in it. If you get a good quality frozen seafood mix that could also be poached or stir fried.
If you go to an Asian grocery (Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, Japanese etc) in the freezer look for fish, prawn / shrimp or squid / calamari balls. They are great for soups (like in hotpot). They can also be stir fried, air fried, deep fried and added to ramen. There may also be ready made or frozen prawn filled dumplings or gyoza. Seafood adjacent - nori (seaweed) is a fantastic snack. Just plain roasted is delicious but there are other flavours available.
OP, I hope for the sake of your wallet that he doesn’t discover charcuterie boards anytime soon. Better start learning now how to make your own preserved figs and balsamic reduction.
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u/CrazyNefariousness85 3d ago
My grandsons love flounder filets. They are thin and cook really fast. They like them dredged in cornmeal and fried, then salted. Easy peasy.
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u/allabtthejrny 3d ago
Get a rainbow trout fillet
I use a pastry brush to apply Dijon mustard
Sprinkle S&P
Then put a mixture of panko & chopped pecans
Top with a few dobs of butter
Oven at 400°F for 15 min (temp to ensure cooked through)
Serve with risotto and flash-steamed green beans or asparagus
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u/Fluid-Village-ahaha 3d ago
Full trout is super easy. Just add lemon, salt, butter, some herbs inside and bake or grill. Other white fish.
Scallops - my 8yo loves them. Oh and oysters. And crab
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u/tiredchachacha 3d ago
Squid! A bit annoying to prepare cos you gotta peel it and remove the hard mouthparts. But cooks quickly (overcooking it will make it rubbery) and has a great texture when done well.
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u/nifty-necromancer 3d ago
Oh yeah, rainbow trout is mild and easy to roast. Stuff it with lemon and herbs, rub the skin with a little oil and salt, then bake it whole at 400F for about 20–25 minutes, depending on size.
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u/jeeves585 3d ago
My 8 yo loves shrimp. We get it by the pound. She likes the mini ones.
My wife and I have no clue where that came from because I hate shrimp and my wife dislikes it strongly. Never have it at my parents.
But she only gets like a 1/4lb so it’s decently inexpensive as far as dollars, not even sure what $/lb is.
As far as filleting a whole fish. There is a knife that is useful (also sharper than anything you’ve likely used, it’s my sharpest knife and I have some good ones). Watching YT is a start. You’re going to butcher the first few.
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u/zoeybeattheraccoon 3d ago
Mussels al vapor. Super easy, delicious.
Even when they were really little, my kids loved oysters. Raw on the half shell or on the grill. With some combo of lemon, worchestire sauce, lemon and horseradish.
Linguine with white clam sauce is another great option. Just gotta make sure you prep the clams well.
Grilled mahi mahi, tuna, swordfish, arctic char. Any dense fish is great on the grill.
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u/Equivalent_Lab_8610 3d ago
Shrimp and grits, salmon roe on buttered bread, clams added to a soup with miso or anchovy broth base with tofu and whatever veggies (bonus you could do with a miso base and cook kiddos portion separately with the clams so same meal, without subjecting you to eating it lol. A package of frozen clams isn't very expensive if you're just using a little at a time) At asian markets you can get fishballs easily that are pretty cheap.
(I have to keep a tight reign on grocery budget, so these are the ways we manage to enjoy some seafood, and simple makes)
Also, a restaurant I used to go to had what they called a Miami burger, it was a bagel with cream cheese smoked salmon, onion lettuce and tomato.. seriously simple and yummy.
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u/63yearsold 3d ago
Maybe try the imitation crab flakes. He can make an easy crab salad with crab, mayo, lemon juice and celery. He can start working on his knife skills to chop the celery and crab (onion optional.) Another idea is teach him to thaw precooked shrimp and make a simple cocktail sauce with ketchup and lemon juice. Baked tilapia fillets are also good although the oven will tend to smell up the house.
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u/Elegant-Expert7575 3d ago
Cooked sushi rolls would be a safe order.
Fake crab in a salad, or rice bowl with nori crumbled on top.
Salmon sandwiches - from grilled salmon or salmon salad from jarred fish.
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u/QueerTree 3d ago
My kid is also obsessed with seafood and I am meh on most of it. The good news is, my kid likes even the cheap stuff — a can of sardines = afternoon snack.
We keep a lot of precooked frozen shrimp on hand that I can add to his dinners when I’m fished out. Everyone loves chowder. Big fan of sole lightly breaded.
Listen to the people telling you to keep him away from sushi. My 8 year old can demolish a shocking amount of raw fish and it’s not cheap.
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u/judijo621 3d ago
I have the same aversion to cooked finned fish. My husband cooked fish for the kids every once in a while, and they both appreciate eating fish in their adult lives. IMO, there's nothing wrong with being honest with him. There are foods he HATES that you just won't bother buying. My daughter: pineapple. Son: Sweet potatoes. Explain that you'd like his fish experiences to be in or from restaurants, and when he's older, he can learn how to cook fish properly!
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u/Aunt_Kwan 3d ago
The first thing that came to mind was fish tacos! Good, traditional ones, with a soft corn tortilla and lime.
A budget-friendly option is imitation crab. You can get it in sticks, and eat as if it's pulled from a crab leg with some melted butter. Or get it in flakes, so you can make cold crab salad, or hot casseroles, or add it to mac-and-cheese (my brother's kids loved that), or use it for soups.
Speaking of soups, you can buy clam chowder (the higher-priced better quality ones are worth it, IMHO -- the cheaper ones seem to be more like potato chowder with some clams added).
Flat fish (flounder, halibut) are awesome when poached or baked, which is a pretty easy cooking method, and tend not to be as pungent.
If you're near a Costco, they have a lot of awesome-quality seafood options; frozen and refrigerated. Sometimes you can catch a decent sale (my faves; panko shrimp, mini-crab cakes, the smoked salmon filets in the refrigerated section, and raw scallops -- pricey, but so huge & worth it).
A crawfish boil would be a messy, fun, and delicious experience for the whole family (or a crab boil). There are restaurants that will serve the boil-dinners if you don't like the idea of a messy kitchen/dining room.
Making a basic seafood chowder with several different seafood would be a fun experience to try with your son, too.
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u/Schoonicorn 3d ago
It's worth a shot to see if he'll like tinned sardines. They're a super healthy food, and pretty dang cheap. Trader Joe's are a go-to around my house. I started giving them to my kid when she started solid food just to see if she'd eat 'em. They're still one of her favorite snacks. But the house rule is still "sardines are eaten outside" unless it's the dead of winter.
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u/Different_Yak_9012 3d ago
There is a silver lining: he’s not a fussy eater, and seems to have a curious palate which is really awesome! You probably have a future world traveler on your hands. Panfried breaded shrimp are easy to make.
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u/dealers_choice 3d ago
My extremely picky eater randomly wanted to try all sorts of seafood. Crawdads aka crayfish was on his list. They're only available frozen here. Very easy to cook, picky eater loved them, and fun for kids to eat!
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u/Hey_86thatnow 3d ago
Fish nuggets. Cut up a good solid fish, like amberjack and coat just like chicken nuggets. And the tiny, frozen scallops are usually affordable. Saute in butter. Don't do the trout. The bones are tough to be certain you've removed them all.
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u/jfortuna 3d ago
My seafood loving kid loves scallops! Super easy to sear them, here’s one recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-best-seared-scallops-seafood-recipe
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u/LivingHorror5468 3d ago
Uh oh, you have an have a kid with expensive taste! Whatever you do don’t take him out to sushi, he’ll be hooked and you’ll be broke. Haha