(NAPSA) - Scientists say fish is an important part of a healthy, well-balanced diet.
How can you help your kids enjoy fish? Red Lobster Executive Chef Keith Keogh offers these helpful tips for getting kids excited about seafood:
For Children 3 to 9
Some dishes can offer kids a new experience. If appropriate, let your child try to "crack" a crab leg, then carefully remove the bite-sized pieces. For shrimp, remove the tails before offering them to young children.
Add cut-up or minced seafood to familiar favorites such as macaroni and cheese or pasta and sauce.
Serve seafood in bite-sized pieces that can be easily picked up by little fingers.
Many young palates prefer a minimum of seasoning. This helps children discover natural flavors.
Grill small pieces of fish on a skewer and help children carefully remove it.
Always choose boneless fish for young children.
If your child does not accept seafood, that's fine. Try it again in a week or two.
For "Tweens"-Children 10 and over
Kids in this age group are more adventurous and want foods that look like what Mom and Dad are having.
Mix popular sweet and savory tastes; offer zesty cocktail sauce or garlic herb seasoning on seafood and sweet and sour or teriyaki sauce.
Appeal to older kids' sense of adventure with new sauce sensations such as mango chutney sauce.
Introduce seafood to dishes such as tacos. Grill tilapia and put it in a taco or a soft-shell tortilla. Garnish it with cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce and salsa.
Jazz up scrambled eggs with grilled salmon, vegetables and spices, such as sliced mushrooms, chopped onion and black pepper.
Sushi is growing in popularity across America-especially with kids. Try California rolls, which feature cooked crab.
If your kids are into the smokey flavor of bacon, they'll love smoked salmon.
Older kids may also enjoy salmon jerky, quickly gaining popularity as an easy, quick snack.
Red Lobster recently unveiled a creative new kid's menu designed to bring healthy eating to life for children. New selections include Snow Crab Legs and Steamed Veggies, Grilled Mahi-Mahi and Steamed Veggies and Grilled Chicken & Steamed Veggies. Additionally, kids can enjoy favorites such as Macaroni and Cheese with Steamed Veggies, as well as Chicken Fingers and Fries. All kid's meals come with a choice of applesauce or fresh carrots and cucumbers with a ranch dipping sauce and a drink.
