Fingers of Sole

Very fun for babies and toddlers to eat - excellent finger food. use some home-made dips to make them more exciting. you can freeze these fish fingers if you do not use them all at once - before they are cooked.

MAKES 8 PORTIONS

1 shallot, peeled & finely chopped    1 egg
1 dessertspoon lemon juice   1 dessertspoon milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil   plain flour
1 sole, filleted & skinned   crushed cornflakes
a little butter or margarine for frying

Mix together the chopped shallot, lemon juice and oil. Marinate the fish filets in this mixture for 1 hour. Remove the fillets from the marinade. Cut them into four or five diagonal strips, depending on the size of the sole. Beat the egg together with the milk. Dip the strips first into the flour, then the egg and milk and finally the crushed cornflakes. Fry the fingers in butter until golden brown on both sides. They should take no longer than 5 minutes to cook.

Fillets of Sole with Grapes

Fruit and fish mix very well together and the sweetness of the grapes in this recipe gives the sole a delicious taste that babies love

MAKES 4 PORTIONS

2 fillets of sole (a ½ sole)     1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 small shallot, peeled & finely chopped      150ml/5 floz milk
25g/1oz mushrooms, washed & finely sliced      1 dessertspoon plain flour
15g/½ oz margarine     6 grapes, skinned, halved & seeded

Put the fillets of sole in a dish together with the shallot, mushrooms and parsley and pour over the milk, Cook in an oven preheated to 350ºF(180ºC) Gas 4 for 8-10 minutes or cover with a lid and microwave on High for 3½ minutes. Once the fish is cooked, drain off and reserve the milk. Use the margarine, the flour and the flavored milk to make a thick sauce (click here). Chop the grapes into the sauce. Chop the fish into pieces and pour the sauce over the fish.

Haddock with vegetables in a Cheese Sauce

Babies love bright colours and the yellow of the sweetcorn, and the red and green of the tomato and leek will make this dish look very attractive. Be careful not to overcook the fish, it may become dry. When it is cooked, the fish will flake nice and easily and mix into the cheese sauce, making it nice and soft for your baby to eat.

MAKES 6 PORTIONS

Put the fish into a dish, dot with margarine and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Cover with a lid and microwave for 4 minutes on High. Alternatively you can cook the fish in an oven preheated to 350ºF(180ºC) Gas 4 for 8-10 minuets. Sauté the leek in a little margarine for 2 minutes. Cook the sweetcorn in boiling water until tender (about 6 minutes). Make the cheese sauce like this, click here. Flake the fish with a fork and stir it, the vegetables and tomato into the cheese sauce.

Salmon with a Creamy Chive Sauce

Salmon is easy to cook, and can be cooked quickly in the microwave, but in this recipe it is wrapped up in aluminium foil with vegetables and cooked more slowly to bring out the flavour

MAKES 5 PORTIONS

100g/4 oz fillet of salmon   1 dessertspoon lemon juice
 ½ small onion, peeled & sliced   ½ bay leaf
1 button mushroom, washed & sliced   ½ small tomato, cut into chunks
a sprig of parsley   a little butter
Chive Sauce
7g/¼ oz margarine   1 dessertspoon plain flour
150ml/5 floz milk   cooking liquid from the fish
1 dessertspoon snipped chives

Wrap the salmon in aluminium foil with the rest of the ingredients and bake in an oven preheated to 325°F (160°C) Gas 3 for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make a thick white sauce, using the margarine, flour and milk (click here). Once the salmon is cooked, rit from the foil, strain off the cooking liquid and add this to the white sauce. Finally, stir the chopped chives into the sauce. Flake the salmon and pour the chive sauce over it.