I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the world's biggest fan of seafood. For the most part, I've stayed away from it my entire life because I don't like the "fishy" taste and therefore am no expert when it comes to different kinds of seafood. That said, after watching countless hours of Food Network, I decided I would start to explore the world of seafood (albeit, store bought and frozen) and paired with a coupon that I got at my gym, that led me to Gorton's frozen line of grilled products and more specifically, this Classic Grilled Salmon. I know this is not the real thing and the quality would show that, but the mission of this blog is to review pre-packaged foods, so that is the reason I picked this up at Meijer for $3.00 ($4.00 without coupon).
On the box it says that this is seasoned with "traditional" seasonings and since they don't say what those are, I'll just have to take their word for it. In the picture above, you can see those seasonings on top of the frozen filets prior to them going into the oven (you can also cook this in the microwave; I just couldn't force myself to microwave frozen fish because it just sounded gross to me). Anyway, these filets were probably about 3.5" in length and 2.5" in width if I had to ballpark it, so they weren't huge, but they also weren't diminutive either. Each moderately sized filet was 100 calories and there two in the box. What was weird about these prior to cooking is that while they were frozen, they were still oily and you don't see that often with frozen products.
The picture you see above is what these filets look like post-cooking in the oven for fifteen minutes. The oil from the frozen versions rises from the top of the fish and forms a white, congealed substance on top of the fish, which is not exactly the most appetizing view. The cooking does make the fish develop a nice grilled color, which along with the pre-set "grill" marks, causing the fish to have an appetizing look.
When I cut into the fish, the first thing I noticed was that this was incredibly tender. It was so tender that it was right on the line of falling apart, but did not quite cross it. I really did not expect that as I expected this to be completely dry. The pre-cooking oiliness of the fish must have allowed it to retain its moisture. The "traditional" seasoning added a slight bit of a peppery, but not overpowering, taste as well and when you blended that with the mild, non-fishy taste of the salmon, it was quite delightful.
Buy It or Fly By It? I can honestly say that this one caught me completely off guard. I was expecting a nightmare, but I actually really liked this and would say to BUY IT. Sure, it's not as good as fresh salmon and me, Gorton's and anyone with a brain would acknowledge that. For a frozen product that sells for less than $5 though, you really can't go wrong if you need a quick and easy fish fix.
BUY IT!! |
Is the "patty" actually a single piece of fish or is it pressed together mush? An "autopsy" shot would have been good so it could be compared to the glamor shot on the box:-)
ReplyDeleteAlrui: +1 to the glamour shot comment. You are right, I should have thought of that. I have others of the Gorton products to review that will pop up eventually, so I will keep that in mind for the next one.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I would say that these are single, albeit stragely uniform, cuts of fish and not compressed patties like Chicken Nuggets at McDonald's.
Thanks for the comment and I always appreciate the input!
OK---im going to the store and gonna buy the talipia---i shall let u know what i think---thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is the best frozen fish I've ever eaten :)!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDelicious Fish! And by the way the are cuts of fish. Definitely not mush!
ReplyDelete