5. Take it Outdoors
There’s something about eating outside that makes everything taste better and, for kids especially, more playful. For one, they’ll likely be more active and therefore hungrier after spending time outside, and they can also get involved by helping decide what to take on an outdoor trip and how to pack it all up.
When thinking about cooking outside, it’s natural to gravitate toward grilling. The best fish for a grill are the meatier cuts, such as swordfish, striped bass, Chilean seabass (a.k.a. Patagonian toothfish), tuna, or halibut. Another option is to make an enticing foil wrapped parcel using whole fish or fish fillets such as tilapia and sole, adding slices of lemon and a dusting of herbs. The fish steams and absorbs the flavors, and gets a hint of smokiness.
One barbecue dish children love to help prepare are kebabs or skewers. The iconic Eating Well magazine features this delicious recipe from Diabetic Living Magazine using a mixture of seafood.
Shrimp, scallop and pineapple kebabs with cilantro aioli (Serves 8)
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh or frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp (tails left on)
- 1 pound fresh or frozen sea scallops
- 3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (Sriracha sauce)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ cup finely snipped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup light mayonnaise
- ¼ cup non-fat sour cream
- 1 fresh serrano chile pepper or jalapeño chile pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
- ¾ of a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
Method
- Thaw shrimp and scallops, if frozen. Rinse shrimp and scallops; pat dry with paper towels.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons lime juice, vegetable (or canola) oil, garlic powder, coriander, paprika, chili sauce and black pepper. Add shrimp and scallops, tossing gently to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for aoli, in a medium microwave-safe bowl, stir together garlic and olive oil. Microwave on High (100% power) for 20 seconds; stir. Microwave 20 seconds more, being careful not to burn garlic. Stir in cilantro, mayonnaise, sour cream, chile pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice. Cover and chill until serving time.
- Using sixteen 12-inch skewers (two skewers for each kebab), place skewers in each pair parallel to one another. Alternately thread shrimp, scallops and pineapple on the parallel skewers, dividing ingredients evenly among skewers and leaving ¼ inch between pieces. For a charcoal or gas grill, grill on a greased rack of a covered grill directly over medium heat 5 to 8 minutes or until shrimp and scallops are opaque, turning once halfway through grilling time. Serve with the aoli.
