Fresh, frozen and canned fish now is much more available and I enjoy it regularly.

The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish, especially oily fish, at least twice a week. Examples of fish relatively high in omega-3 fatty-acids include salmon, trout and herring.  In the last few years I started enjoying salmon, both frozen and canned.  At first I was dismayed by the appearance of canned salmon because the skin and bones were included, but now when the salmon is drained and combined with the other ingredients I don’t notice them.

Our Crispy Salmon Patties are very easy to make plus they are one of my “Go To” recipes (the ones you always keep the ingredients on hand and are fast).   When you make these try to move the patties as little as possible so they don’t break apart.  I freeze any leftovers and take them for lunch.  Besides providing great protein one salmon patty provides as much calcium as a glass of milk!

Crispy Salmon Patties

Serves: 6
Serving Size: 1 Patty
Per Serving: $.52

Ingredients:

• 1 (14.75-ounce) can salmon, drained
• 1 egg
• 1 slice whole wheat bread, shredded, or 5 crushed saltine crackers
• 3 green onions, including the green stems, or 1/3 cup white onion, chopped fine (about 1/3 medium onion)
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced, or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• Dash black pepper
• ½ teaspoon seasoning (paprika, chili powder, or dill weed)
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or olive oil

Directions:

1. Mash any cooked bones and skin in the salmon.  Break into chunks with fork.
2. Break egg into a large bowl. Whisk with fork. Add salmon, bread or crackers, onion, garlic, pepper, and additional seasoning. Mix gently.
3. Form into 6 patties about ½ inch thick.
4. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Place patties in hot oil skillet. Leave skillet uncovered. Cook 3 minutes. Turn over patties with a spatula. Cook the other side 3-4 minutes to a temperature of 145° F.
5. Serve immediately. Makes a good sandwich with whole wheat bread, tomato, lettuce, and onions.

http://recipes.extension.iastate.edu/2011/12/19/crispy-salmon-patties/

Our Fish Tacos recipe is quick and easy. The sauce base is ranch dressing, which you may have on hand. The greens are chopped cabbage, which provides more nutrients than lettuce.  Also, you can use various types of fish. 

One lower cost fish species to use in the recipe is Swai. It’s a white-flesh fish with a sweet mild, taste and light flaky texture. It can be broiled, grilled, or coated with bread crumbs and fried. Swai is a river-farmed catfish that is raised in Southeast Asia and the Mississippi Delta.

Fish Tacos

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup light ranch-style dressing
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped fine (optional)
• 4 cups coleslaw mix or broccoli slaw
• 10 6-inch corn tortilla
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 pound firm white fish (tilapia, swai, domestic mahi-mahi, or halibut), cut in 1-inch pieces or in 10 strips
• 1 tomato, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Stir together the dressing, lime juice, chili powder, pepper, and jalapeño (if desired). Pour over coleslaw mix and stir to mix well. Cover and place in refrigerator until serving time.
2. Warm the corn tortillas according to package directions.
3. Heat the oil in a small non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. While the oil heats, spread the cornmeal on a plate. Pat the fish pieces in the cornmeal to coat on all sides. Fry the fish in hot oil until the cornmeal is lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels.
4. Top each tortilla with some of the fish and some of the coleslaw mix. Fold in half and serve with the chopped tomato, if desired.

One of our recipe testers says, “I love the flavor combination of tuna, green onions and garlic, as well as the textures of the toasted whole wheat bread and melted American cheese. It’s a popular, healthy “comfort” meal at my house. We just add fruit and milk.”

Check out the tuna melt recipe and video on the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. recipe site.

Tuna Meal Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 6-ounce cans tuna, canned in water and drained
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped or 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 slices whole wheat bread
• 4 slices tomato slices (1 medium tomato)
• 4 slices (3 ounces) American cheese
  *You can use any whole grain bread or split rolls.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In medium-size bowl, combine tuna, onion, mayonnaise, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well.
3. Place bread on baking sheet.
4. Spoon about one-fourth of the tuna mixture on each piece of bread, spreading nearly to the edges. Add a tomato slice.
5. Bake 5 minutes.
6. Add a cheese slice on top of each sandwich and return to oven for another 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Serve.

I have been experimenting with cooking and grilling fish, trying to come up with something easy that has good flavor without adding breading and fat. I am trying to avoid the calories in breading, and I hate to pay the extra for someone else to add a little sauce. 

Here’s a simple and tasty way to cook fish fillets:

1. Turn on the oven; preheat to 400 degrees.
2. Line a baking pan with foil (easy clean-up); lay the fillets in the pan. 
3. Drizzle with olive or canola oil, lemon or lime juice, salt/pepper or other seasonings of your choice.
4. Bake about 20 minutes—the fish will flake when it is done. (It is okay to start with frozen fish, it just takes a little longer.)

If your family likes breaded fish, we have a healthy oven-fried fish recipe using cornflakes and a video on Tuna Melt Sandwiches your kids could make.

-pointers by Peggy

My fish list told this story:

• Buying in bulk saves money.
• Breaded fish usually costs less—that’s because you are paying for breading and fat instead of fish.
• If you want the convenience of someone packaging your fish into serving sizes, cooking it, or stuffing it  you pay more—sometimes a lot more!
• Canned tuna is not the least expensive fish.

Most fish are low in fat and cholesterol and a good source of protein, which makes them a good choice for a healthy diet. Oil-rich fish, such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring and sardines, are an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to our diet and reduce the risk of heart attacks. 

So what am I going to buy? I don’t need the extra calories and fat that comes with the breaded fish, but I can’t use 10 pounds of Pollock either. I will probably buy a couple of packages of the imitation crab meat which is Pollock that has been processed and flavored. I’ll use it to make a sandwich filling or add it to pasta salad. Since the shrimp price is good for that size shrimp, I’ll buy a pound to keep on hand for a super fast, no work appetizer. Although it is not advertised, I bet I can get a pound of Pollock for under $2.50/pound which I will bake in the oven with some seasonings and bread crumbs. The recipe for Mouth-Watering Oven-Fried Fish is on the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. recipes page. I am going to keep looking for a good price for salmon.

-Pointers from Peggy

This was a question I encountered recently when I was planning to make broiled fish tacos.  (If you have access to fresh fish, this is a way to prepare the fish without drowning it in grease by breading and deep fat frying!). I discovered I could pay $ .22 per cup for the prepackaged cabbage slaw, or just $ .11 per cup if I shredded it myself – half the price! That’s pretty impressive. But whether you use the slaw mix or the whole head, either is an inexpensive source of nutrient rich vegetable.

 -pointers by Peggy