Cheap fish/ seafood meals

[lizzief79]

My children love fish and seafood, but it is quite expensive in the UK at the moment. The two meals that I make regularly that work out relatively cheaply are tuna fishcakes and kedgeree. I am on a tight budget at the moment but would like some new ideas for cheap seafood meals. Any ideas?

 

[Caribbean girl]

I do agree that fish on the whole is a rather expensive commodity. I must admit, however, that I am a lover of fish and would buy it more often if it was not so expensive. Most of the fish that I can think of now, or that I buy, is very pricey. The cheapest fish that I buy is cod fish, or salt fish, as we call it here. When I am on a tight budget, I usually opt to buy this one. It goes very well with mashed potatoes, but I would also use it with rice or pasta. I usually make it in a sauce and then add it to the potatoes, rice or pasta. Salt fish cakes are a well-known delicacy over here, but we would normally use this as a breakfast meal. I don't remember ever tasting tuna fishcakes, but that sounds pretty good to me. When I use tuna, I would use the tin one with bread.

 

[nutmegprincess]

Here in the Philippines, fish is very affordable. The only times when it gets expensive is when a typhoon hits. We usually make tamarind soup with milkfish. We also have smoked and sundried varieties. I haven't tried fishcakes though. I think that they are very common in Korea.

 

[lizzief79]

Here in the Philippines, fish is very affordable. The only times when it gets expensive is when a typhoon hits. We usually make tamarind soup with milkfish. We also have smoked and sundried varieties. I haven't tried fishcakes though. I think that they are very common in Korea.

In theory, it should be affordable here because I live right next to the sea. Unfortunately, I think fishing regulations and limitations put the prices up. There are some great choices available, it is just that they are so expensive.

 

[lizzief79]

I do agree that fish on the whole is a rather expensive commodity. I must admit, however, that I am a lover of fish and would buy it more often if it was not so expensive. Most of the fish that I can think of now, or that I buy, is very pricey. The cheapest fish that I buy is cod fish, or salt fish, as we call it here. When I am on a tight budget, I usually opt to buy this one. It goes very well with mashed potatoes, but I would also use it with rice or pasta. I usually make it in a sauce and then add it to the potatoes, rice or pasta. Salt fish cakes are a well-known delicacy over here, but we would normally use this as a breakfast meal. I don't remember ever tasting tuna fishcakes, but that sounds pretty good to me. When I use tuna, I would use the tin one with bread.

I use tinned tuna in the fishcakes, but I love fresh tuna steaks. Cod is a common fish to use in the UK but the price has gone up. Salt cod is not generally eaten here at any time of the day. Shellfish is popular at the moment but this is also expensive.

 

[nutmegprincess]

In theory, it should be affordable here because I live right next to the sea. Unfortunately, I think fishing regulations and limitations put the prices up. There are some great choices available, it is just that they are so expensive.

Really? Here, there are regulations/limitations, but they are not really implemented strictly. It's actually sad because many kinds of fish are already hard to find.

 

[JoshPosh]

Tilapia is a fresh water fish, but I would assume it is one of the more affordable fish meats out there. The meat is on the blander side, but with proper seasoning that can be remedied. I usually wrap it in tin foil and steam it for 30 minutes, in a light soy sauce vinegar mix with peppers. You can add some chopped garlic and onions if you want.

 

[OhioTom76]

I wish seafood, particularly fresher seafood, was available at a more reasonable price in my neck of the woods as well. It's often way too expensive to buy from the seafood counter, and in the frozen section the quality is poor and not worth the cost. One thing in particular that frustrates me is how they soak the seafood in salt solutions that cause them to swell up much larger than they really are - and by the time you thaw and cook them they shrink down to nearly nothing. Not to mention the texture is really mushy by the time the fish has been frozen, expanded then thawed again.

I will say though, if you happen to have a Trader Joe's in your area, you can often find decent prices on their frozen fish, and they sell them in individual shrink wrapped packages, so you don't need to buy a lot at once. And they have a pretty large variety to choose from - even more than you would see at many large grocers. Another decent place to get fish at a reasonable price is Gordon Food Service (GFS) if you happen to live near one. The only catch there is you need to buy a case of whatever fish at a time.

Dollar Tree also carries a variety of canned fish products for $1 each. If your family isn't squeamish about sardines, they are good with baked eggs. Just put them in the bottom of a ramekin with some diced onions and garlic and bake them for a few minutes, then crack some eggs into the ramekin on top of the fish, and season to taste, and bake again until the eggs are done to your liking.

Tuna fish is also good in a pasta sauce. If you really want to spice things up you can throw in some red pepper flakes and capers and fresh parsley as well. Try to use a good jarred marinara though, not the bland tomato sauce in a can.

 

[winterybella]

My children love fish and seafood, but it is quite expensive in the UK at the moment. The two meals that I make regularly that work out relatively cheaply are tuna fishcakes and kedgeree. I am on a tight budget at the moment but would like some new ideas for cheap seafood meals. Any ideas?

I am surprise to hear fish is expensive in the UK. Very surprise. Here in the Caribbean we have our highs and lows depending on the season. When it's plentiful, it is dirt cheap. I went the local market some weeks ago and our local flying fish was ridiculously high because it was out of season.

My husband picks up Tilapia from the Supermarket from time to time.That's kind of expensive here because it's imported. I read elsewhere that might be an affordable fish in your area. Check out the health issues raised with it if you decide to try some.

I checked it out and I still could eat it everyday. It's just so easy to prepare.