Our school lunch wagon presents a lunch you can take to work or school. Our recipes are quick, easy and less than 30 minutes to cook. Cook our recipes the night before, refrigerate and reheat the next day. Or, on the other hand, you can cook our meals and freeze them for next week’s lunch. Our special today is Smooth Fish Mousse.
This is a great recipe for those children who usually refuse to eat fish. It looks smooth and white and tastes creamy. Even if your child doesn’t like spicy food, don’t worry about the Tabasco in this recipe – you can’t taste this tiny amount; it’s there just to perk up the flavors.
SCHOOL LUNCH WAGON: Smooth Fish Mousse
1 ¼ cups cold water
½ pound flounder, sole, or whitefish fillets (enough to make ½ cup flake cooked fish)
½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
¼ cup boiling water
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt
1 dash Tabasco
¼ cup heavy cream
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, bring 1 cup of the water to a simmer. Add the fish, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the fish is opaque. Remove with a slotted spoon and let cool to room temperature. Puree the fish in a food processor, adding a bit of the cooking liquid, if necessary.
- Pour remaining cold water into a medium bowl; sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand 2 minutes. Gradually add boiling water and whisk until gelatin is dissolved. Whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and Tabasco into the gelatin, then chill for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Whip the cream until soft peaks formed.
- Fold together the pureed fish, thickened gelatin, mixture, and whipped cream. Generously coat a 1 ½-cup bowl or mold with nonstick baking spray ( you can use a deep, glass cereal bowl for this). Pour the mousse mixture into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until set.
- To serve, unmold onto a plate and cut into wedges ( you shouldn’t have any trouble getting the mousse out of the mold, but if you do, upend the bowl onto a plate and cover the bottom of the bowl with a kitchen towel that you have dipped into hot water and wrung dry; leave it there for 1 minute, and then lift the bowl up neatly.)
VARIATONS: You can also make this with any leftover cooked fish you happen to have; all you need is ½ cup of cooked pureed fish – it can even be canned tuna or salmon.
If you’d like to get fancy, make this in a mold that is shaped like a fish- or any other shape, for that matter, like animals. Just make sure you’ve coated the mold well with nonstick baking spray.
FOR OLDER KIDS: If you are making this for an older child, or for grown ups, or if you’d like a little more flavor, add 1 minced tablespoon of your favorite fresh herb, such as parsley, chivesor dill.
STORAGE: This will keep for 1 week in your refrigerator.H
You can pack your hot lunch in a heated lunch tote.
SCHOOL LUNCH CHEF