In the words of Oscar Wilde, “The best way to make children good is to make them happy,” and that’s what the Friends In Your Freezer are intent on achieving through delicious, healthy, fun, and convenient food. Oh, and a chance to win a family holiday worth R50 000 too!

Two of the largest brands in the frozen food world are on a mission to create convenient and nutritious mealtime solutions, while bringing fun into the kitchen and onto kids’ plates. Whether their summer holiday was the greatest six weeks of their little lives, or a time spent ranting about having nothing to do, the back-to-school transition is daunting for most children, and more than likely, moms too. Having a stable eating routine with exciting food helps children to look forward to mealtimes, and a nutritious eating routine improves not only their energy levels, but their concentration and mental health too.

McCain and Sea Harvest offer the finest quality frozen fish and vegetables, which are incredibly healthy too. Their produce is harvested at its peak, sustainably sourced and snap frozen within hours to maintain freshness and lock in nutrients, meaning that your little ones not only get to enjoy a delicious meal, but one that’s packed with vitamins and minerals too. “Frozen foods are a convenient and affordable way of incorporating protein and vegetables into your children’s diets. The combination of products that McCain and Sea Harvest offer are sure to satisfy even the most discerning of little palates,” says Jared Patel, the Head of Marketing of the Sea Harvest Group.

Get the kids involved in the kitchen and create a fun and fresh (or shall we say, frozen) take on sushi:

 

[divider]Fish Finger ‘Sushi’ with Smiles[/divider]

A fun take on sushi that kids will love!

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy

 

Ingredients

Fish & Smiles
8 Sea Harvest Fish Fingers
1 x 415 g bag McCain Smiles

Sushi
8 slices of brown bread, crusts cut off
40 ml mayonnaise
8 slices of pre-sliced cheddar cheese
1 small cucumber, peeled into ribbons
1 large carrot, peeled and finely grated

Dipping Sauce
¼ C (60 ml) mayonnaise
2 Tbsp (30 ml) chutney

 

Method

Fish & Smiles
Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
Lay frozen Fish Fingers and Smiles onto a baking tray. Place into the oven for 15-20 minutes and cook until golden and crunchy. Alternatively, cook in an air fryer for the recommended time. Allow the fish fingers to cool completely.

Sushi
Roll each slice of bread with a rolling pin to flatten by half. Dollop roughly a teaspoon of mayonnaise on each slice of bread and spread evenly to all corners. Place a slice of cheese right on the edge of the side of the bread closest to you – this will ensure that there is a margin of bread left on the other side that will stick the sushi roll together.

Place a cucumber ribbon on the edge of the cheese that is closest to you followed by a cooked Fish Finger. Top the fish finger with grated carrot, then roll the bread roll away from you to form a neat log shape. Press down on the seam to seal the roll. Trim off the ends off, then slice into 4-5 bite-size pieces of sushi. Repeat the rolling process until you have completed and sliced all of the rolls.

Dipping Sauce
Mix the mayo and the chutney together and set aside.

 

To Serve
Serve fish finger sushi rolls with potato smiles and dipping sauce on the side.

 

[divider]Fish Friday Hot Dogs with Skinny Fries & Lemon Mayo[/divider]

Friday night’s in just got a whole lot tastier!

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: easy

 

Ingredients

Fish & Fries
1 x 600 g box Sea Harvest Fish Friday (4 portions)
½ 1 kg bag McCain Skinny Fries

Lemon Mayo
½ C (125 ml) mayonnaise
juice of 1 lemon
salt

 

To Assemble
4 large hotdog rolls, sliced
4 slices of pre-sliced cheese
½ small cucumber, cut into small cubes
tomato sauce (optional)

*See tip at the end of the method on doubling this recipe.

 

Method

Fish & Fries
Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
Lay frozen Fish Friday fillets onto a baking tray. Spread Skinny Fries evenly in a single layer on a second baking tray. Place both trays into the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes. At the halfway mark, turn the baking trays to ensure that they cook evenly. Alternatively, cook in an air fryer for the recommended time.

Lemon Mayo
Mix the mayonnaise and lemon juice together in a small bowl and season to taste.

 

To Assemble
Slice the rolls open along the top and spread with a layer of lemon mayonnaise on the inside. Depending on the size of your rolls, you may need to trim a 2 cm layer off the bottom of each piece of fish to ensure it fits snugly in the rolls*. Top with blocks of cucumber for a little freshness and serve with Skinny Fries and any remaining lemon mayo for dipping.

*Tip: Fish Friday fillets are big enough to be sliced in half lengthways to fit on smaller buns. Simply double the other ingredients in the recipe to make 8 hotdogs instead of 4.

 

[divider]Crisp & Chunky Pitas with Pineapple Salsa & BBQ Chips[/divider]

Be transported to a beachside party with these tropical pitas with a side of crunchy BBQ chips.

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: easy

 

Ingredients

Fish & Chips
1 x 500 g box Sea Harvest Crisp & Chunky Classic (6 portions)
1 x 750 g bag McCain Crispy Oven Steakhouse Cut Potato Chips BBQ Flavour

Pineapple Salsa
3 rings of tinned pineapple
½ C (125 ml) sweet chilli sauce
2 Tbsp (30 ml) tinned pineapple juice

 

To Assemble
¼ C (60 ml) tomato sauce
¼ C (60 ml) mayonnaise
12 mini pita pockets, warmed
2 C (500 ml) thinly shredded Iceberg lettuce
1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons

 

Method

Fish & Chips
Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
Lay frozen Crisp & Chunky fillets onto a baking tray. Spread Crispy Oven Steakhouse Cut Potato Chips evenly in a single layer on a separate baking tray. Place both trays
into the oven to cook for 25 minutes. At the halfway mark, turn the baking trays to ensure that they cook evenly. Alternatively, cook in an air fryer for the recommended time.

Pineapple Salsa
Fry the pineapple rings in a non-stick pan for a few minutes until well caramelised. Remove from the pan and chop the pineapple into small cubes. Mix the chopped pineapple and juice into the sweet chilli sauce and mix to combine .

 

To Assemble
Mix the tomato sauce and mayonnaise together in a small bowl to make a pink sauce.
Slice the Crisp & Chunky fillets in half widthways.
Slice the warmed pitas open. Give each pita a layer of pink sauce inside, then add a little carrot and lettuce. Insert a piece of fish then add a little pineapple sweet chilli salsa to the top. Serve the pita pockets with crispy oven chips.

 

[divider]Mini Fish Pies with Sweet Potato, Peas & Corn[/divider]

Hearty little fish pies filled with pops of sweet veggies. Kids and adults alike will love these!

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: easy

 

Ingredients

Pie Filling
4 ramekins
1 x 450 g box Sea Harvest Hake Medallions, slightly defrosted
1 C (250 ml) milk
¼ C (60 ml) McCain Garden Peas
¼ C (60 ml) McCain Sweet Corn
salt

Sweet Potato Topping
1 x 750 g bag of McCain Sweet Potato
50 g butter
¼ C (60 ml) milk
salt
½ C (125 ml) grated cheese (for garnishing)

Bechamel Sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) butter
1 heaped Tbsp (about 20 ml) flour
1 C (250 ml) milk
salt

 

Method

Pie Filling
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.
Cut the defrosted medallions into 5-6 bite-size chunks each, then season with salt. Evenly distribute the chunks between the ramekins. Top with equal amounts of frozen peas and corn but leave enough space for the sauce to go in and for the sweet potato mash to sit on top.

Sweet Potato Topping
Half fill a medium sized pot with water and set it over high heat. Bring to a boil, then add the sweet potato pieces and cook until soft. Drain the water and let the potato chunks steam in the pot for 2 minutes to get rid of any excess water. Add the milk and butter to the pot and mash until you have a smooth consistency. Season to taste.

Bechamel Sauce
Set a small pot over medium-high heat. Melt the butter, then add the flour. Stir continuously for 2 minutes to cook out the flour. Add half of the milk while whisking; once incorporated add the remaining milk and mix until smooth. Bring to a simmer while continuing to whisk to allow the sauce to thicken. Remove from the heat and season to taste.

 

To Assemble
Pour the white sauce into the ramekins but leave a lip at the top. Scoop spoonfuls of sweet potato mash into the ramekins to top the pies and press it down around the edges using the back of a spoon to seal. Fluff up the top with a fork and then give each pie a topping of grated cheese. PLace into the oven to bake for 20 minutes, then turn on the grill and grill for 5 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Let the pies sit for at least 5 minutes to cool before serving.

 

Having these Friends In Your Freezer ensures that mealtime planning and creativity in the kitchen isn’t higher grade, so to speak. “Our purpose is to make mom’s lives easier, and kid’s lives happier. The first two months of the year are generally chaotic and there’s no doubt that having frozen meals on hand eliminates the added pressure of meal prep on a busy week night,” says Danielle De Villiers, Senior Brand Manager at McCain.

Purchase any 1 McCain and 1 Sea Harvest product from participating stores and stand a chance to WIN 1 of 4 family holidays valued at R50K each with McCain and Sea Harvest. Competition ends 28 February 2022, T&C’s apply. For more information, visit www.friendsinyourfreezer.co.za, McCain Facebook, McCain Instagram, Sea Harvest Facebook or Sea Harvest Instagram.

You can also download this fun activity book filled with puzzles, games and jokes, to keep the kids busy!