Fish meatballs: eat hake without complaining

Eating fish is essential for the proper development of children since they are babies. But although during the first stages of life it’s easier thanks to the Nutribén purées and jars, as they grow they exert more resistance to fish dishes. However, fortunately there are certain formulas that make it easier for children to get used to the taste of fish. One of the most effective ways is to camouflage it with other foods, such as fish meatballs. Undoubtedly, one of the most popular recipes and most likely to succeed.

If you want to see how your son eats fish without complaining, discover how they are made:

This is how the fish meatballs are made

Ingredients

• 700 gr. of hake (or other fish)
• 50 gr. of breadcrumbs
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 eggs
• Flour
• Olive Oil
• Parsley
• Salt

Start this recipe by crumbling the hake into very small pieces. Simultaneously sauté finely chopped onion and garlic in a pan until they’re golden brown.

Then, add the fish, salt and parsley. Move it for a couple of minutes and remove the pan from the heat to let the mixture cool.

Next, beat the eggs and add them to the mixture next to the bread crumbs.

Remove all the ingredients again and with the help of two teaspoons start to shape the meatballs and then coat them in flour.

Now, put the pan on the stove with generous oil. When hot, add the meatballs and fry them. When they are golden brown, remove them from the heat and put them on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

And now … It’s time to eat!

Other tips for cooking fish for children

In addition to fun recipes, there are other resources that also help children to become familiar with the texture and taste of fish:

• To get used to eating fish as soon as possible, it’s best to start adding it in baby food since it’s a baby. White fish is recommended from 9 months and blue from a year and a half.
• Always without bones: in addition to safety reasons, it’s easier to cook and serve. Test with frozen fish.
• Do not forget the canned fish, they also have many properties and very attractive flavours that might attract your children.
•  You can disguise its flavour by macerating the fish with lemon, oil, herbs or accompanied with sauces such as bechamel, mayonnaise, pink sauce, tomato ….  

Why it’s so important for children to eat fish?

All these efforts to make children eat fish are explained by its countless benefits for child development. So much so that the Nutrition Committee of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics advises that children should eat fish two or three times a week to have a healthy diet that contributes to their proper development. The reason for this prescription lies in its powerful nutritional wealth and its direct benefits in the health of our little ones.

Thus, fish is rich in:

• High biological value proteins
• Vitamins (A and D, especially)
• Minerals (calcium, iodine and selenium)

In addition, it contains a large amount of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial for:

• The development of the child’s nervous system
• The prevention of cardiovascular diseases
• The immune defences

All these efforts to make children eat fish have their explanation for the countless benefits it has for child development

Thorns and anisakis, the dangers of fish

Of course, we must remember that including fish in infant feeding carries with it certain risks that require some prevention. We are referring, in the first place, to the bones that they include. To prevent choking, it’s best to cut the fish into very small pieces before serving to make sure there aren’t spines.

And on the other hand, the other threat lies in the anisakis, a parasite that resides in the gut and viscera of fish and that can cause intestinal problems in people. To avoid contagion, it’s best to clean the food thoroughly and freeze it for at least 48 hours at a temperature of -18ºC, as this will ensure the death of the parasite.