There’s a widespread misconception that seafood is expensive and only meant for fine dining. On restaurant menus, you often see seafood dishes with high prices, or even the ambiguous “market price.” However, fish and seafood are more accessible than you might think. It’s also an excellent source of protein, fatty acids, and minerals that are great for the body, whether you’re feeding adults or children.
When planning a menu, whether it’s for your restaurant or dining hall, consider adding fish dishes.
Breaded Fish for Affordability and Appeal
Breaded fish is cost-effective and fun to eat. Whether it’s breaded natural flounder fillets or coated fish sticks, breaded fish has a universal appeal to seafood lovers young and old, and is generally more affordable than fresh seafood. It’s also cost-effective because it is typically oven-ready, meaning you can save on seasoning, preparation ingredients, and cooking time.
Yet you might be worried that breaded fish isn’t the most exciting item to put on your menu. Well, with a little creativity and condiments, you can elevate breaded fish so it’s a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.
Plating is key when it comes to any dish. Use sauces and seacuterie boards to turn breaded seafood into an appealing, sharable, customizable dish for diners. Color is also key when it comes to plating, as you want the main ingredient – the fish – to pop. Lay a golden-brown fish fillet on a bed of rice alongside some bright green vegetables. Add a lemon wedge for some brightness and an optional bit of flavor that diners can add at their discretion.
Premium Seafood to Elevate Dishes
Some seafood is more expensive than others due to popularity, seasonality, and how difficult it is to harvest. Yet you can also use this to your advantage, adding more expensive seafood to boost a simple dish into an indulgent, premium experience.
A great example is scallops. Scallops are beloved by diners because of their light sweetness and delicate texture. When a diner sees a dish that has scallops, they immediately consider it a premium dish. So take a dish that might be considered “simple” and add scallops to instantly make it fancy.
A salad can become more exciting and decadent with the addition of our new Caesar crouton scallops. Since they’re already breaded and seasoned, they’re easy to prepare and add to the desired dish. All you need to do is put them in the air fryer, oven, or deep fryer to cook them instead of carefully marinating and pan-frying them. This saves your cooks time in the kitchen so they can focus on other dishes, and your diners will be happy with how quickly their food comes out.
Don’t fall into the trap of assuming that seafood isn’t an accessible ingredient for your establishment. Get creative, cook smart, and get your seafood from Channel Fish Processing for affordable, healthy, and high-quality products.
