inexpensive but ok to eat (canned?) fish?

[quietserena]

budget cutting and looking for more varied protein choices - i don't want to live on eggs.

my choices are what's found in a typical store - frozen tilapia and whiting, canned tuna, sadines, salmon, etc. i try to get the kinds in water cause in oil ones are usually in soybean oil.

what's my best bet for about once a week consumption in terms of safety and health?

[Teenytoona]

I know sardines are pretty good. : Inexpensive and I know they're not a mercury concern. You can sometimes find them canned with Olive Oil. But I agree with the water canned if you can't find them with OO.

[caedmyn]

Tuna's fairly high in mercury. Salmon is low, at least the cheaper salmons are. Seems like whiting is fine although I don't remember for sure. I'd say salmon is probably the best because of high amounts of omega 3s, but it's relatively expensive compared to canned tuna or frozen whiting, at least around here. I'd go with whatever you like the best, but save tuna for just occasional eating.

[quietserena]

i think i like either whiting or tilapia cause they taste pretty mild. sardines of the canned sort, but tose are hard to find without soybean oil. i cant remember last time i had salmon - for that price, i'd rather have steak.

my worst experience i think was mackarel in a can.. ugh.

the frozen fish i usually bake or steam, eat with lemon and butter. my addon question then is, whats a good 'dinner' recipe for canned fish? is there a reaso to stick with one kind or another?

[425lisamarie]

I love to make patties with less desirable fish Eat them either like a burger style or just on the side of a pilaf style thing or whatever side dish. My favorite is a rice pilaf wtih almonds, peas and parmesan, it goes really well and a super cheap dinner!!

[honolula]

Originally Posted by quietserena

i cant remember last time i had salmon - for that price, i'd rather have steak.

Canned salmon is really cheap. Really cheap. You can make a nice salmon cake (similar to a crab cake) by mixing a can of salmon with an egg or two, a little bit of crushed bread and mayo if you desire (but totally optional), then pan fry in some OO. Inexpensive, simple, and delicious.

[rayo de sol]

Tuna is really high in mercury.

Check out this site: http://www.gotmercury.org/article.php?list=type&type=75 You can put in your body weight and how many ounces of a given fish you plan to eat, and it will calculate how much mercury you'll ingest.

I like sardines and canned salmon as alternatives to tuna. Also, "light" tuna has a lot less mercury than "albacore."

[ramlita]

Is this an okay place to ask about caviar/fish roe?

I just picked some up randomly at a discount store. As a recovering vegetarian, I'm still pretty clueless about specific foods.

How would I eat this stuff, and is it even a good idea in light of contamination issues?
(and would I have to chew this, or could I just swallow it by any means necessary?

The stuff I have is Roland brand "Whole Grain Lumpfish Roe." Product of Iceland.

[nichole]

I like to get the salmon in a pouch. Look at the ingredients b/c you can sometimes find it with just salmon and water without the "broth."

Boil some noodles like rotini or macoroni. Cool it down then add your salmon, lemon pepper, and if you wish some mayo and pickle relish. Yum!

[Magelet]

What about BPA in cans? I'd love to eat more canned fish, because its more affordable and means more fish overall, but I worry about the BPA in the lining of the cans. are there any affordable brands that are BPA free?

[Metasequoia]

I worry about BPA too, so we don't eat canned fish often.

We like sardines in water or olive oil - I make it just like tuna salad - sometimes with a can of tuna, sometimes w/o. Definitely get the bone-in sardines instead of the filets.

I also like anchovies & mine come in a jar, but they're not economical - I pay $1.99 for an itty-bitty little jar.

What about going to a fishmonger for your sardines? They need to be cooked *right away*, they don't keep like some other fish, but you could freeze them.

Perhaps there are places online that pack sardines in something other than cans?

[Metasequoia]

Meant to add - sardines (& anchovies) are REALLY, REALLY high in omega 3s, moreso, I believe, than any other fish. And VERY, VERY low in contaminants.

[pampered_mom]

Originally Posted by ramlita

How would I eat this stuff, and is it even a good idea in light of contamination issues?
(and would I have to chew this, or could I just swallow it by any means necessary?

The stuff I have is Roland brand "Whole Grain Lumpfish Roe." Product of Iceland.

You can add roe to a other dishes (fish cakes, etc) or I've seen some folks "scramble" it like you would scramble chicken eggs (kinda I figure). And, yes, I would think swallowing it by any means necessary is a good start.

[ramlita]

Oh! So it should be cooked first? :

[ghostlykisses]

I have a silly fish in a can question.....does all canned salmon have those nasty little bones in it? I had a couple cans a friend gave me and they had small, round, brittle bones. It was nasty. I was just giving it to my pets but I certainly could not have eaten it. GAG!

[NettleTea]

Originally Posted by ghostlykisses

I have a silly fish in a can question.....does all canned salmon have those nasty little bones in it?

Henry & Lisa's Canned Salmon does not contain bones.

http://www.ecofish.com/products/cons...cts.htm#canned

[Rainbow2911]

This might seem really dumb, but does the canning process not affect the quality of the fish? Is there not heat involved that would damage the PUFAs in them?
That aside, I love canned fish. I make a dip with tinned sardines in tomato sauce (purree it with parsley and quark), mash them on toast and eat them with a spoon as a snack. When we have mashed potatos I always make enough for left overs and add egg, a tin of salmon, broccoli and flour and fry that in cakes. :

[Metasequoia]

The bones are so good for you - pureeing takes care of them. I even just mash them with a fork.

[quietserena]

yup, the bones are good and they do mash up easily.

afaik, the good stuff isn't killed off by the canning process in fish. i could be wrong but I thought that the EFAs aren't affected by heat.

i don't have a fishmonger nearby - there are seafood counters in grocery stores but they have your standard midwestern fare - 18 kinds of shrimp, obligatory lobster tank and salmon and tuna steaks.

i only realized like two summers ago why i didn't grow up with fish - my grandmother and my father both *hate* fish and my grandfather ended up with a fish bone stuck in his throat when he was a younger man so it was very rarely made at our house. we'd have catfish breaded and fried occasionally but very rare. i feel like a such a newb even asking about some of this.. :

sounds to me like sardines are my best bet. i like them mashed with minced onions but boy, that's so not 'date food'. i need to find some good GF crackers to put them on.

[deditus]

We eat canned (boneless, skinless) salmon, chunk light tuna, and sardines. I love Mary's Gone Crackers, of you can find them. They have here in the regular grocery store.