My kids, Lou Lou and Jaf, are 8 and 6, respectively, are very adventurous eaters. As a true foodie family, our motto always has been to “try everything once.”
Introducing the children to seafood was relatively easy since we live in Hawaii. As a child growing up in Hawaii, you're introduced to fish, both raw and cooked, at a young age (12 months old in our case). But we really wanted them to eat and love the more exotic seafoods.
Strange looking shellfish...Anchovies...Sardines...Clams - that’s the seafood we wanted them to really love and appreciate.
HOW WE GOT OUR KIDS TO LOVE SEAFOOD
This is the story of how we got our children to LOVE seafood.
As you know, we spent over a year traveling through Europe in an RV, culinary worldschooling the kids (read all about our RV camping adventure). During our trip to Spain, we drove to the enchanting City of Girona where we decided to spend a few days to tour Catalonia, and visit a restaurant that supposedly had the best seafood in Girona.
As we entered Arròs i Peix, their colorful display of fresh seafood was just overwhelming. The restaurant displayed the day’s "fresh caught" shellfish and fish and let diners chose what they wanted to eat, how they wanted their seafood cooked and served.
It felt like the perfect opportunity for us to introduce Lou Lou and Jaf to the strange and unusual world of seafood, which is why we were quick to make our dinner reservations.
“Are they still alive?”
We watched as the kids eyes lit up as they walked over to the raw buffet, pointing and squealing at the same time! The raw buffet is where we met Sergio, who helped us choose and decide what would be great for the kids to taste test.
Sergio :) He was great with the kids. Whatever they chose, he explained what it was in detail. This was their first choice, Navalles.
He advised us to let them choose whatever they liked, and also recommended little or no seasoning on the dishes so the children really got a true taste of all the seafood items they were picking.
And so, we let them choose... which I’m not too sure was the right choice, since they went all out and picked practically everything they set eyes on!
They chose this...
And this...
And these langoustines :)
We ended up with around 8 different types of shellfish and fish to try. We sat patiently and waited for our first serving, which were the clams!
Waiting patiently for their seafood to arrive
Verdict?
They both loved these clams which were only sautéed in olive oil and very little garlic. Served with a lemon.
And then these little babies showed up.
They loved these baby clams, tallarines (or Almejas), and practically licked the entire plate after it was finished. This one was cooked with some basil and the kids thoroughly enjoyed eating this dish. It was fun seeing them sucking out the meat and licking their fingers.
Can you order more of these?
Our next dish showed up. Jaf refused to try it because he said, "I'm not eating those. They look like fingers?" Lou Lou, on the other hand, dove right in!
After eating a whole load of seafood (and copious amounts of bread), their appetites started to wane. As the rest of the dishes kept coming, we noticed they were beginning to get full.
We were so pleased at how they really had no fear of selecting and eating seafood and although full, whenever a new dish arrived they at least wanted to try it. There wasn't one dish they didn't like and asked if we'd be returning to the restaurant the next day.
My favorite :)
After daddy received the $400 bill, I think NOT! Perhaps seafood will be reserved for special occasions! :)
TIPS ON HOW TO GET YOUR KIDS TO EAT MORE SEAFOOD
- Start ‘em young. Here in Hawaii, kids begin to eat both raw and cooked seafood from a very young age (in our case, at 12 months)...it helps them develop their palate for seafood and shapes young taste buds.
- Cook a seafood meal together. We’ve found that Lou Lou and Jaf are more likely to try something new if they’re in the kitchen helping us prepare the dish.
- Take them fishing. We take the kids to Ali’i Agriculture Farms on Oahu, where they catch fish which are then freshly cooked. Knowing where the food on their plates come from will give them a better appreciation for the food they’re about to eat.
- Alternatively, if fishing is not an option, take your kids to a seafood bar. Let them choose whatever sticks out to them. We also recommend little or no seasoning on the dishes so the children really got a true taste of all the seafood items they pick.
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