Fish is one of the indispensable products that must be included in the child’s menu. For young children, it is best to boil or bake fish.
With this cooking option, all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the child’s body are stored as much as possible.
We offer you to learn how to quickly and tasty cook fish baked in the oven with vegetables.
The benefits of baked fish for a child
Fresh fish contains many beneficial substances. Among them:
- A protein that is involved in bone formation. Protein contained in fish is easier to digest than meat, therefore fish dishes are especially useful for children with digestive problems.
- Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are involved in the development of the child’s nervous and immune systems.
- Minerals ( phosphorus, iodine, iron ).
- A number of vitamins (A, E, D).
When can I enter fish in the children’s menu
The first time you can offer your baby fish at the age of nine or ten months. It is best in the form of mashed potatoes to prevent the ingress of fish bones. Like any other new product, first offer your child a very small piece (about half a teaspoon). If there is no allergic reaction or other complaints, the next time you can offer a larger portion.
It is recommended to give the baby fish no more than once or twice a week. After a year, you can cook your baby cutlets or meatballs from fish. At the age of about three years, it is already possible to offer a child a whole baked carcass or fillet.
Recommendations and tips for the preparation and introduction to the diet
For the preparation of children’s dishes, it is better to take a variety of medium-fat fish, as these varieties are less likely to cause allergic reactions:
- perch (sea);
- catfish;
- trout.
Skinny grades are also used:
- cod;
- hake;
- Pollock
Fatty fish can only be offered to a child after three years. Among them:
- herring;
- mackerel;
- salmon and other varieties.
Did you know? Sea fish is healthier for children than river fish, as it is cleaner and contains fewer bones. River fish can accumulate toxic substances, which are very dangerous for the child.
To check the freshness of the fish, pay attention to:
- Color. Fresh fish should not be green or yellow.
- The condition of the scales, eyes and gills. They should be clean, shiny, without mucus and turbidity.
- The smell of fish should be natural, without impurities.
- The elasticity of the carcass. Fresh fish will be firm enough to the touch. If you press on it with your finger, it will quickly restore shape.
If you do not have fresh fish, you can use fresh-frozen for baking. Thawing such fish is best at room temperature.
Some chefs advise you not to peel and gut the fish before baking, because after all these preparatory steps, the fish will lose a lot of juice and get dry.
To determine how long it takes to bake fish in the oven, focus on its weight (the more weight, the more time you will need) and size (fillet, cut into pieces, baked faster than a whole carcass). On average, fish is baked for about 30-40 minutes.
You can offer the baked fish to your baby as an independent second course for lunch or with a side dish for dinner. As a side dish, you can use stewed vegetables or cereal.
Baked fish in the oven – recipe
Essential Ingredients
- Fish fillet – two pieces.
- Onions are one thing.
- Carrots are one thing.
- Sour cream – one tablespoon.
- Tomato – one piece.
- Juice of half a lemon.
- Salt and other spices to taste.
Cooking sequence
- Make a marinade for fish. To do this, add salt and selected spices to lemon juice.
- Pour the whole fillet with marinade and leave for 15-20 minutes.
- Wash and peel carrots, onions, and tomatoes. Cut raw vegetables into small pieces and mix with sour cream.
- Put the pickled fish fillet and prepared vegetables in a baking sleeve or wrap in foil.
- Bake fish in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees until cooked (about 30-40 minutes).
- Cooked baked fish can be served as an independent dish or with a side dish.
How tasty to bake fish in the oven for a child
In this video you will learn how to cook fish for a young child, baked with potatoes, zucchini and other vegetables in a foil. The proposed recipe uses pike perch fillet. You can take other fresh or fresh-frozen fish. You can also replace these vegetables with others to your liking.
A child’s diet must include fish dishes. This product contains many vitamins, trace elements and easily digestible protein, which are indispensable for a growing body. Fish baked in the oven is a quick and easy to prepare dish that diversifies the children’s menu. And if you bake fish with various vegetables, you will get an almost complete dinner for your baby.
Prepare fish meatballs or fish souffles, fish cakes or fish pie for your child. Fish dishes must be present in the diet of the baby.
