Eyrleigh Doesn't "Do" Fish -2/16/09

Before I had a child, I told myself I would encourage my child to be an adventurous eater, not allowing her to subsist on traditional kid's fare like macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. Well, I'm encouraging her alright but she's not taking the bait. There is nothing I can do to get this kid interested in eating fish. She turns up her little 15-month-old nose at any fish, even if it's the only thing on her plate and she has shown she is very hungry. Even decorating it with a little coconut did not entice her to try even a bite. Ok, she did have one bite that I put in her mouth and she promptly spit back out. What is it with kids and fish? I was fed a lot of strange stuff as a child, namely anything and everything that was a byproduct of tofu, and I was less excited about fish than any of the aforementioned tofu products. Is it the strong flavor? The smell? I'm sure children in fishing regions do not have this aversion but perhaps that's because they eat fish at most or all of their meals. I will admit that there are only 2 fish recipes in the February 2009 Gourmet and that will be the only 2 times this month we will eat fish. That infrequency does make a difference.

Tonight I made the Coconut-Crusted Mahimahi with Pan-Roasted Garlic, Rosemary, and Tomato Sauce on page 102. You may notice in the picture that I bought skin-on Mahimahi instead of the skinless that the recipe called for. This did change the flavor as my coconut crust flavored the skin, not the fish itself. I actually liked the skin with the coconut crust and I don't usually eat fish skin. Richard does not eat fish skin and so did not eat a majority of his coconut crust. The fish was very moist and flavorful without being overpowering. I did have to cook it longer than recommended because my fish steaks were quite thick. I actually cooked it the time called for, took my picture, and put it back in to finish cooking. I was afraid the coconut might get too brown and look burnt in the picture. This little experiment has turned me into quite the food stylist.

The tomato sauce was good and there is enough left over for me to put it on a salad tomorrow. Balsamic vinegar would have been good in the tomato sauce too but I think then it would have been too strong a flavor for the fish. I liked how quick and easy it was to prepare and of course, we had over 3/4 of a Dense Chocolate Torte to finish for dessert. That torte may be dessert every night for the rest of the month. That's a serious amount of chocolate.