Salmon is one of our favorite fish dishes around here. Little D used to be a fan but is off it at the moment. Big A has always like the “idea” of salmon.
When she was around 4, she used to say how much she loved it even though she’d barely touch it. As she turned 5, the story became more vivid: “It’s like when I used to not like salmon, once I tried it, I liked it!”
Of course, I went along with it but wished her thoughts would match reality. One night my husband called her on it — If you love salmon so much, why don’t you eat it? This led to her taking small bites and even declaring it was “delicious” at one point.
But it never translated into eating more than a few bites. Until now…
One night before my husband grilled salmon, I cut off a smallish piece to make little nuggets. I usually use eggs but decided to make it a bit richer with melted butter. Big A absolutely loved these!
So the next time it was salmon night, I made all nuggets. This time it was my husband who wasn’t happy. I had to explain to him that he can’t get his favorite meal every time as I say to the kids. He didn’t find it funny.
So if you are looking for ways to entice your kids with fish, this recipe is for you!
- 1 # pound wild-caught salmon (other fish will work)
- one-quarter stick of butter, melted
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut fish into 1 - 1.5-inch pieces.
- In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and salt.
- In another small bowl melt the butter by microwaving it for a few seconds.
- Dip each piece into the melted butter and roll in bread crumb mix and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or cooked all the way through. Serve immediately.
For more easy recipes and tips on how to serve meals to kids, check out Maryann’s book The Family Dinner Solution: How to Create a Rotation of Dinner Meals Your Family Will Love
Hi there…just wanted to tell you…I do something similar with eggplant and zucchini. Panko breadcrumbs, seasoned, with parmesan. I use frothed egg whites to dip them in, and then bake. No butter; cooking spray on the pan, as well as a little on top before baking.
Both kids; avowed squash and eggplant haters gobble it up. Makes a GREAT base for eggplat parm, also.
Thanks Sara. We have made zuchhini that way too. You just reminded me to try it again!
Will have to try this, though for now M likes it grilled too, so we are happy! We found that Whole Foods farmed Icelandic has been consistently really good, and not at all “fishy.” I love that your husband complained and he gets the same rules. My hubby doesn’t love cooked carrots, but the rest of us do, so tough beans, sometimes we enjoy carrots, and he can fill up on the other dishes at the table 🙂
That’s funny Katja. My husband overall is pretty easy to please but he has a few odd preferences — and he is the big meat lover in the family.