Why Frozen Fish is the Star Ingredient in Many of My Frugal Recipes

**travisgier1** · 04-18-2011, 04:02 AM

If you like fish, but don’t like shelling out the money for fresh fish only to find that it’s not so fresh and doesn’t taste so great, then consider stocking up on frozen fish. I love fish but I don’t live in an area where fresh-off-the-boat fish is readily available. That's why I’ve made frozen fish the star ingredient in a number of my favourite frugal recipes.

You can use frozen fish in so many different ways. Just the other night, I used a bag of frozen cod to make a delicious fish curry with vegetables and rice noodles. I’ve dusted frozen perch in cornmeal and a little flour and made homemade crispy fish and chips. I’ve sautéed fillets and laid them on top of a pasta with homemade tomato sauce, capers and olives. Just look up some free online cooking classes and you will find tons of frugal recipes that feature frozen fish and that you can use for inspiration.

The thing I love about frozen fish, besides the fact that it tastes great and is so good for you, is that it’s so cheap! When a package of frozen fish goes on sale for as low as $3, I stock my freezer. One package with about 4-5 fillets will feed my better half and I for dinner and, depending on how we cooked the fish, we typically have enough leftovers for both of us for lunch the next day. Now that’s thrifty!

Do you have a favourite frugal recipe that features frozen fish?

**wanderlusting** · 04-18-2011, 04:50 AM

We love frozen fish too. I actually trust the frozen fish more than fresh fish in the grocery stores. The frozen fish is usually flash frozen right on the ship- almost immediately after it was caught. Sometimes "fresh" fish can be days old before you even see it in the stores.

I stock up on frozen fish when it's on sale too!

**Dancing Lotus** · 04-18-2011, 08:49 AM

sort of off topic but thought I'd share this info about fish
Wild caught is healthier then farm raised it's also better for the environment. It takes three to five pounds of other fish to feed one pound of farm raised salmon. Target sells frozen wild caught salmon at 8.99 for the whole side., that's enough to feed 4 for 5 people.

**Russ** · 04-18-2011, 09:09 AM

I wouldn't mind seeing some ideas for deep frying fish.
I hope this makes some kind of sense....I hate the type of batter that makes the piece of fish seem huge and then when you cut into it, the batter has been deep fried to one big air bubble.
So, what typ of batter do you all use?

**lisaflex** · 04-18-2011, 09:19 AM

trader joe's rocks in the frozen fish area....white ruffy is a fave here. defrost in frig. mix together frsh lemon juice and some old bay seasoning....slice some onions. put in bottom of a pan sparyed w/ pam, add fish, pour the lemon juice mixture on it and bake...very good and good for you serve along brown rice and some roasted green beans and garlic

they have this really good stuffed dover sole. yummy

they have large pieces of tilapia and dover sole.

**ktsmama** · 04-18-2011, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by Russ

I wouldn't mind seeing some ideas for deep frying fish.
I hope this makes some kind of sense....I hate the type of batter that makes the piece of fish seem huge and then when you cut into it, the batter has been deep fried to one big air bubble.
So, what typ of batter do you all use?

We use a cornmeal/flour batter. This does not "puff" up like the other batters.

**acidcookie** · 04-18-2011, 12:32 PM

I only buy frozen fish too. Usually wild caught Alaskan salmon (like AnnK mentioned, better than farmed) or something else on the green list of the seafood watch: Seafood Watch Seafood Recommendations from the Monterey Bay Aquarium

I use the Android phone app, and they have one for iPhone too (both free), or if you don't have a smartphone they have a really cool little guide you can keep in your wallet.

I usually just put some olive oil & herbs on it and bake it in the oven. Then I pair it with potatoes & greens or pasta or if I'm really in the mood to cook I make some risotto to go with it.

**Spirit Deer** · 04-18-2011, 11:29 PM

Living here in the middle of the continent in a tiny town at the end of the road means any ocean fish we get is going to be frozen. The tricky part is finding fish that comes from US waters and is packaged in the US.

I wish we liked to fish, since we live in a world-class fishing destination, on a lake even. But alas, we'd rather just watch the wildlife instead of eating it. Go figure.

**rosey7415** · 09-12-2011, 08:35 AM

i live near the fish houses here in new bedford. we are the largest port in the us for scallops. that is what we keep hearing anyways. i get my fish fresh. we have a place that opened here that sells seafood fresh to you direct....no middleman. i love all seafood, fish not so much. my dh loves fish and chips. we are regulars at the fish market so talk to the fish guy all the time. he said the best fish if you fry is hake.............not cod like so many think. he says local restaurants use it all the time. it is also much cheaper. i have tried it and like it. he has given me a lot of good advice so i thought i would share...........hope this helps someone. we also just coat the fish with flour and old bay seasoning. we dislike the thick batter.

**rosey7415** · 09-12-2011, 08:45 AM

dancing lotus..........thanks for the info. on wild caught salmon selling in target. that is cheap! ever since i went to alaska (2x) i really love the smoked salmon. but even while there the prices were very high. (of course i was in tourist areas) i only found a good deal this last time for 2 16 ozs. smoked fillets for $24.00. i could only buy 2 for my suitcase and asked about shipping some home. it would cost approx. $24 or something to ship it home. so i left it there. i would love to know where to buy it local for a good price.............anyone? i will check out target.........was it 16 ozs.?