Help!!!!! Dinner problems!!!!

[Tryingtostayyoung]

Totally not AIBU but I need help... having people round for dinner tonight, DH told everyone we're having fish because we have some vegetarians coming. Were skint after Christmas. We never ever cook fresh fish so I have no idea of prices or anything.

How much fresh salmon from the fish counter would i need for 4 people? Three are big eaters... how much would it roughly cost? Thank you!!!!

Are the shops round your way open today? The only place open for miles here is the BP garage, so it would be Ginsters pasties or cans of red bull 😂

Salmon is expensive and tricky to cook well. I would make a fish pie, if I were you. You can use the Schwartz fish pie sauce - it's really good. Better than mine and i'm a cook.

A cheap option would be a pasta bake with a tin of tuna in white sauce. Easy too.

www.nigella.com/recipes/tarragon-salmon
Was easy but we eat fish a lot. I finished cooking the fish in the oven because some of our guests like it well done.

I made this last night for 5 people. My DS is pescartarian but tells people he is veggie because pescartarian sounds a bit pretentious. He doesnt eat non-fish meat because he doesnt like it. My DH is veggie but eats fish because non-fish meat makes him ill.

Cut the pescies some new year slack!

They describe themselves as vegetarians, when we went there for dinner the first time they made fish and I said I was surprised and they said we eat fish just no meat.

Anyway back to the salmon... so people think around £10? Ok thank you and thanks for the recipe sashh

Potato

"A lot of vegetarians eat fish"

Is a misnomer.

If you're a vegetarian you eat no flesh.

Yes all the bid supermarkets are open here 10/11-4.

Fresh fish can be expensive...

If they're expecting fish, I'd go for..

Fishcakes, new potatoes and salad

or a tuna pasta bake with garlic bread and salad

If you're definitely having fish then I'd do a fish pie, either buy the fresh mix from the counter (2/3 packs) or actually I'd buy the bags of frozen fish as you get more for your money (FYI a lot of 'fresh' fish has been frozen and then defrosted but I find the actual frozen stuff does better when cooked into a dish rather than eaten as is). Just poach in milk either way.

You can buy ready made sauce or its pretty easy to make a cheese sauce and add parsley and frozen peas (hard boil some eggs, quarter and add them in). Mash and loads of cheese on top (choose Red Leicester or strong cheddar for sauce and topping as the flavour cooks out otherwise). Some crusty bread and your done.

Freshe fish can be expensive and not very nice if over done where as fish pie hides cheaper cuts and lack of fish cooking skills

And if the veggies def don't eat fish (as I'm sure they don't) you could make leek and potato pie instead

you can buy frozen salmon fillets

or make a prawn curry?

or frozen fish pie mix

user yep, technically you're a pescatarian but because it sounds pretentious people don't use it. It's much easier to say "I'm a vegetarian who eats fish".

I don't get why it's such a big deal.

Norma but it's for tonight so it won't have time to thaw

i was initially a vegetarian but eventually ate fish too, as it made things easier when eating out, other than omelettes.
my dds are both vegetarian and they too eat fish, it makes for easier cooking for me
but agree pescatarian is a unnecessary mouthful of a word and yep, pretentious.

I would do cod/white fish with a salsa verde, roast new potatoes and green beans. It's more of an 'occasion' meal.

oh the frozen salmon i buy is cook from frozen and i defrost prawns in the microwave

Feed them beef, raw, and point out that dead flesh is all the same.

That rather depends on why they don't eat meat other than fish, doesn't it?

OP personally I would avoid fish pie if it contains shellfish. I loathe shellfish and I doubt I'm the only one.

the fish pie mix i buy is a bit of salmon, cod and a smoked fish, no shellfish to be seen.

ssshh has given you a good recipe,but I would be a bit more cautious if you are not used to cooking fish, it cooks really quickly.
I would get your salmon/fish and cook it in a tin foil parcel - so
very large piece of tin foil . Lay out fillets singly on the foil. Salt and pepper , a few small bits of butter, A small dash of lemon juice ( or a couple of slices of lemon) Wrap up the parcel really tightly, making sure fish is still flat. Bake on a pre heated baking tray for 12-15 minutes at 200º /180º fan . You can always take it out to check - t(he fish will change from translucent to a solid colour ). Leave it to rest out of the oven, in the parcel for 5 minutes, or until ready to serve.

the fish pie mix i buy is a bit of salmon, cod and a smoked fish, no shellfish to be seen.

All the ready made ones I've seen shove bloody prawns in. No point me making one as the SmallDragons would recoil in horror.

If you can get a reduced or cheap whole side of salmon (shop around lots of places do it half price) that is cheaper than individual salmon steaks.

I use this recipe : you could just leave out the bacon. It's delicious and a real crowd pleaser, plus it's easy.

A thought for all those 'vegetarians' who eat fish!

Do you realise how much grief those of us who are true vegetarians get when we refuse to eat fish at someone's house because 'joe blogs is a vegetarian and they eat fish'....

You're a pescetarian use the damn name and stop causing trouble for those of us who are actually vegetarian

I'd like to be a vegan but for health reasons I'm not, so I don't call myself a vegan and eat eggs and cheese I use the correct term which is vegetarian

RTFT! They say they're veggie, they're not proper veggies, they eat fish, who gives a fuck about that.

In answer to your question OP:

Frozen salmon much cheaper. Defrost, dress with herbs (parsley, basil, whatever you have, fresh or dried), and some butter, grill for 12 mins.

Fish pie mix, cream, cheddar, mash on top. Oven for 45 mins.

Frozen cod is also good and reasonably priced.

You might get some post-New Year reduced offers too.

Why label themselves at all if they eat fish? It just sounds like they are more interested in the 'I'm a vegetarian' badge than actual ethical choices.

If you are skint, feeding big eaters and not used to cooking fish, salmon from the fresh fish counter is not the way to go.

If it's informal, what about home made pizza and salad, a selection of vegetarian curries plus naan, rice etc, or chilli plus tortillas, guacamole etc?