8 Ways to Transform Leftover Seafood

I get so awestruck by seafood that I either buy too much of it or cook too much of it. Either ways I  always end up with a little bit of leftover fish from time to time. It’s almost like you bake up a nice big piece of your favorite fish and there are a few little bits and pieces that don’t get eaten and they definitely aren’t enough to make another meal and it’s a shame to waste that extra fish and seafood. To avoid food wastage, it doesn’t necessarily have to be reheating and eating the same food again. That might be boring for everyone. And then are dishes that lose their taste and texture on reheating. 

Do not worry, with these 8 recipe ideas, you can easily transform extra fish and seafood into simple to elegant new dishes that will surely wow your taste-buds. This post is all about how you can make the extras interesting enough to eat, although they are the leftovers.

Have some leftover grilled fish from yesterday’s party?  Fret not,  you can use up the leftover grilled fish in burger buns, top it with some onion and tomato rings along with the greens of your choice, cheese and  mayo along with some seasoning and your fish burger is ready to eat. Another way of using grilled fish leftovers is that you can also shred the left over fish pieces and combine with mayonnaise and grated cheese and put the mixture in between two bread slices and grill to come up with a fantastic grilled fish sandwich recipe. All you need to do is use your imagination and work with kitchen staples at hand. For example if you have Thai seasoning at hand you can sprinkle the seasoning on to the burger toppings or if you have sriracha chilli sauce you can combine it with the mayonnaise and make a grilled fish with sriracha mayo sandwich

Recipe: Fish Burgers

This is for my friends and last minute dinner comrades who like me, sometimes end up scrambling on weeknights looking for a quick meal to get on the table. This appetizing pasta makes use of the leftover shrimp in an optimal way. A simple main course dish that is ready in minutes. Here again you can play with flavors of your choice, you can either keep the preparation as simple as spaghetti aglio oilio with garlic, chilliflakes, olive oil and parsely along with left over shimps or opt for a more elaborate preparation like the shrimp alfredo pasta that makes use of a creamy white sauce. Again the choice of vegetables is completely up to you as per your kitchen pantry. Check out this simple recipe that makes you of a spicy creamy tomato basil sauce as a base.

Recipe: Shrimp Pasta

Fish in any form, boiled, steamed, baked, fried, or sautéed, can always be made into delicious croquettes. If any quantity of leftover fish is on hand, I combine it with potatoes and breadcrumbs, flavor with nutmeg and coriander and prepare some tasty croquettes. Serve the croquettes hot with any desired sauce. Here is the recipe of a Bengali fish croquettes called Macher Chop that is super easy to make and totally addictive. Serve it up with some coriander mint chutney and tomato sauce and I promise your family will keep asking for second helpings. You can also make another variation to this recipe, place small piece of mozzarella cheese inside the croquettes when you are shaping them and fry till golden brown. There you go you now have cheesy fish croquettes at hand to relish

Recipe: Fish Croquettes

 

When I was a kid my mom used to use to make a chapatti roll for me that had leftover vegetables with tomato ketchup for the school lunchbox and just because it was a roll and yes yes… I admit tomato ketchup the lunchbox always came back home empty. A definite win-win situation for both me and mommy. Same way you can use the leftover fish to make fish rolls for dinner for your kids, you can shred or dice the leftover fish into small pieces and spread them over a chapatti. Add grated cheese( optional), sautéed vegetables of your choice and tomato sauce. Roll them and your fish roll is ready to be eaten. I am sure the kids will just love them. 

Recipe:Fish Rolls

Toss up a healthy seafood salad with seafood leftovers and satiate that craving for a fresh crisp meal. You can use any Firm, lean white fish leftovers and as well as shrimp leftovers to put together a great salad for lunch or dinner. This recipe uses pan grilled tilapia, mushrooms, zucchini, lime juice, pepper, tomatoes and baby spinach along with  lime vinaigrette as a dressing. Top it off with some candied nuts and you are all set for a great meal. The same way you can also substitute the tilapia with Salmon or shrimp if you have them handy. Or add some cooked cous cous with fresh pomegranate to give another dimension to this salad

             

Recipe: Fish Salad

When you want to make an effortless rice preparation and you have some boneless fish or prawns at hand, then it’s really easy. Fry some chopped onion, garlic, ginger, capsicum, green peas and add fish pieces. Now combine with boiled rice. Add salt, pepper, chilli flakes. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes and your tasty treat is ready. Garnish with spring onions and serve. This is the most basic version. But you can also give this preparation a south east asian twist by using the tom yum paste while frying the ingredients. This quick and easy Tom Yum fried rice is a delicious one-dish meal. If you like your tom yum fried rice extra spicy don’t forget to get hold of some bird eye chillis from the super market.

Recipe: Fish Fried Rice

This soup is for that time of the week when you have just cleaned your freezer and realized that you have a little bit of everything in seafood as leftovers but not enough to make each type of fish for individual meals. This meal in a bowl recipe is fast ‘n flexible, especially when you use rice noodles, which take a quick soak and 30 second boil. The rest of the ingredients are really up to you – assorted seafood, any vegetable and any fresh mushrooms that you like. Garnish with some green onions and you are set with a comforting bowl of flavorsome seafood noodle soup.

Recipe:Mixed Seafood Soup

 

This recipe is a wonderful mixture of lime-infused shrimp, finely minced jalapeño, sautéed onions, garlic, and melted cheese in butter browned tortillas. It’s a simple and festive way to enjoy leftover shrimp. All you have to do is just get some readily available flour tortillas or make two chapattis with all purpose flour, work on the filling and spread them on to the tortillas and cook on a heavy bottomed skillet. The preparation tastes delicious and is pretty simple to throw together. Even if you are not too much of a shrimp fan you’ll eat these any day! You can also use this recipe with tuna or salmon. Give them a try and tell me what you think…

Recipe: Fish Quesadilla

So, go check out your refrigerators for what is left over. It’s time to make a change, don’t let your seafood leftovers go to waste, turn them into something surprising and delicious for your family. We hope that you have a lot fun while exploring these ideas. Happy cooking!!!

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Image Credit: Cover
Image Credit: Fish Burgers
Image Credit: Shrimp Pasta
Image Credit: Fish Croquettes
Image Credit: Fish Rolls
Image Credit: Fish Salad
Image Credit: Fish Fried Rice
Image Credit: Mixed Seafood Soup
Image Credit: Fish Quesadilla