How do you use frozen fish?

[ShapelyBingoWing]

So I'm trying to lose weight. If I could afford to eat fresh salmon every day then I'd manage it easily as I bloody love salmon. But at around £4 for 2 fillets (and I always eat 2) it's just too expensive. Even Aldi isn't much cheaper.

So I bought a load of frozen salmon, makarel and pollock.

The pack instructions on the salmon said to cook from frozen and I could cook it by microwave. Decided to give that a go as it was for a salad for work the next day. Even shaving 45 seconds off the cooking time, it was still really overcooked and definitely tasted like tinned salmon rather than juicy fresh salmon.

So what can I actually do with frozen fish that's nice? Can I defrost it and use it normally despite it apparently being cook from frizen? What do you guys do with it?

Stick some chilli sauce on it, wrap losely in foil and stick in the oven.

wrap losely in foil and stick in the oven.

That's what we do- you can also stick a bit of asparagus or other veg below the slice of fish and let it cook in the juices.

It's much nicer in some sort of sauce. Or, as it's always so wet, defrost it, and cook as if fresh.

I rub some olive oil on the skin and then put it skin side down on some tin foil, put garlic salt, basil and pepper on the top and then wrap the foil up. Medium heat for 25 minutes, job done.

I always lightly fry frozen salmon in a lidded pan, in a small amount of olive or rapeseed oil. I lift mine out of the pan when cooked, then give DP other fillet together with any oil left in the pan, since he likes it oily (and he doesn't have a giant arse like me).

For frozen white fish, I usually poach it in a saucepan of milk. You can add herbs, salt, pepper etc to the milk.

Defrost it and marinate it (lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger). Then cook it in the oven or frying pan. No need to add any oil

I wrap it loosely in foil then 5 mins before the end brush some red or green pesto on the top of the fish.

I used to cook frozen fish daily for my cat. I would put it in a glass casserole, put the lid on and microwave it for 5 minutes. That was for one portion of white fish. For a thinner portion, less time.

Salmon doesn't take as long and does go hard round the edges if it is left for too long. You need to reduce the time until you have worked it out with your microwave settings, and leave it to stand afterwards. I found the glass container helped a lot, you can also put butter or sauce on it, or add some water to stop it drying out.

I have also used foil in the oven when not in a hurry. Or greaseproof paper.

I'm surprised there are any responses at all given my question is hardly riveting so thank you!

Those of you who defrost and use as if it's fresh, do you find it texturally similar to fresh when done that way?

For the pollock, I'll definitely dry poaching in milk from frozen. I've never cooked with pollock before but looking at the quantity you get for the same price as a bag of salmon, I figured I'd give it a go.

Fish curry or kedgeree

Steam with fragrant spices, fry in a little oil with soy and ginger, bake on a bed of couscous covered in foil, ditto with roasted veg (frozen veg is cheaper) But number one thing is to cut down to one piece, fish is good for you but it's still calorific. By having half your plate tasty veg you will loose weight easier.

Oh and try basa fillets - bought large ones for £1.19 each yesterday

We generally put in foil with salt, pepper and squeeze of lemon. We use merluza (hake) fillets because here (Spain) they are really cheap.

I've just put a fillet in some egg muffins actually cheaptastyandeasy.wordpress.com/egg-muffins/
I also make fishcakes, which can be made a few days in advance and cooked when needed cheaptastyandeasy.wordpress.com/fishcakes/
Oh yes also fish bites cheaptastyandeasy.wordpress.com/chicken-nuggets/

We use quite a bit of fish actually because none of us are big meat eaters.

Any frozen white fish:
Make tomato sauce (fry onion in a bit of oil, add tin of tomatoes, salt, pepper, bit of white wine, random items from cupboard and fridge e.g. herbs, garlic, pepper sauce, red pepper).
Simmer for half an hour or so.
Bung in fish fillets, add lid, simmer some more till cooked, eat.

We have this around once a fortnight as I'm a lazy cook. It tastes marginally nicer if you cook it in the oven once you've added the fish, but it's perfectly OK from the stove top.

I wrap mine (frozen) in prosciutto, pancetta, smoked streaky bacon, and black pepper, garlic, a pinch of salt drizzle of olive oil and bake till the oven till bacon looks crispy-ish.

Use it in a fish curry that's what I do

anniehm, I'm losing plenty of weight having 2 pieces thank you

Lancelottie, definitely stealing that recipe, thank you!

My favourite is to mix curry paste with plain yoghurt and add your frozen white fish. (I use cod but I’m sure pollock would be fine). Leave in fridge either over night or for a few hours (I tend to chuck it in the morning before work and take out in the evening.) Then lay fish on baking sheet and spread the tops with mango chutney and pop in the oven.