4 Frozen Fish Dishes To Serve For Christmas

What are some good frozen fish dishes to serve on Christmas? 

1. Smoked Salmon Risotto
2. Miso Marinated Gindara over Rice
3. Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Potatoes and Herb Sauce
4. Seared Scallops With Brown Butter and Lemon Pan Sauce

With the Christmas season looming, you might have decided to get a headstart on all the preparations for your festivities. But, as anyone knows, the hardest thing about these celebrations isn’t the decorations or the gifts — it’s planning a special menu. You need to whip up something interesting, tasty, and hearty for you and your family. To help you start planning, we’ve compiled a few dishes using frozen fish dishes for your Christmas menu. 

Smoked Salmon Risotto

Want something simple yet restaurant-level fancy? A risotto dish is a good choice for that. This recipe is inspired by a seafood restaurant called Ooze, and uses some flavorful smoked Norwegian Salmon. While this might sound a bit complicated and expensive, it’s quite easy to prepare and make at home — even for inexperienced chefs. 

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3 people):

• 170 grams of smoked salmon, three-quarters chopped
• 350 grams of risotto rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 ½ liter of boiling vegetable stock
• 85 grams of mascarpone lite
• Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Grated lemon zest
• Lemon juice
• Pepper

Steps:

1. Fry onion in oil for five minutes, then add in your risotto rice and garlic.
2. Cook for two minutes, stirring continuously. 
3. Pour in ⅓ of your vegetable stock and simmer for twenty minutes. Stir occasionally until the stock has been fully absorbed. 
4. Add in half of your remaining vegetable stock and continue cooking. Stir this more frequently, until the stock is absorbed.
5. Pour in the last of the stock, stir, then simmer until cooked and creamy. 
6. Remove from your stove, and add in your chopped smoked salmon, mascarpone, parsley, and lemon zest. 
7. Season with black pepper to taste, and let sit for five minutes. 
8. Serve your salmon risotto, add a little lemon juice to taste. Bon appétit!

Miso Marinated Gindara over Rice

If you want to try something Asian-themed this Christmas, then this savory and buttery Japanese Miso Marinated Gindara is one to try! The unique, bold flavors that come out of this dish are sure to be a family favorite, plus it’s easy to cook! You just need to prepare the fish about 24-36 hours beforehand. You can even make this in large batches, throw it in the freezer and it’ll hold for 2-3 months.

Ingredients (serves 5 to 6 people):

• Whole (about 1 kilogram) gindara, cleaned and filleted 
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons Japanese sake 
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• ¾ cup white miso 

Steps: 

To prepare the miso marinade:

1. Sprinkle salt over both sides of the gindara fillets and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate for at least thirty minutes to remove moisture.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix your sugar, sake, and mirin until fully combined. Then, mix in your white miso.
3. Once your fillets are dry, wipe off excess salt from the fish
4. Spread your marinade evenly over each fillet. Once fully covered, place into a ziplock bag and marinate for twelve hours to two days.

To cook the gindara:

1. Defrost your marinated gindara. Once defrosted, remove as much marinade as possible.
2. Place your clean fillets skin side up on an oven tray or wire rack. Place in your oven.
3. Broil your gindara fillets for about one to two minutes. Once you see the skin getting dark, turn over the fillets and put the oven temperature to 250 ℃. Cook for another three to four minutes.
4. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn. When the meat turns a light brown color, or you see bits of marinade turn dark brown, then remove from the oven.
5. Plate your fillets, or serve over freshly cooked white rice. This goes great with a warm bowl of miso soup and some sashimi. Enjoy! 

Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Potatoes and Herb Sauce

Looking for something warm, hearty, and healthy for this Christmas dinner? Then order some Chilean Sea Bass and prepare this fish, potato, and herb dish! This restaurant-quality meal, while it needs a bit more ingredients than the other option on our list, can be whipped up at home in less than an hour. 

Ingredients (serves 3 to 4 people):

For the herb sauce:

• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 2 cups packed fresh cilantro
• 1 leek (dark green top only), roughly chopped
• ½ lemon, juiced
• ⅓ cup of water
• Pinch of salt

For the fish and potatoes:

• 1 pound of marble potatoes
• 4 pieces (around 4 ounces each) Chilean sea bass, steak, or fillet cut
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 leek (white stalk only), thinly sliced
• ½ cup of Greek yogurt
• Salt
• Pepper
• Butter (optional)
• Cilantro (to garnish)

Steps:

For your herb sauce:

1. Puree all your sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2. Pour your blend into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl.
3. Stir your blend in the strainer occasionally so all the liquid drains into the bowl. Discard the solids after.

For your fish and potatoes:

1. Scrub potatoes clean (don’t peel) and use a fork to pierce each potato lightly in several places.
2. You can boil your potatoes on the stove until tender, or fry them up with some salt, pepper, and butter (your choice!).
3. While your potatoes are being prepared, heat a large skillet on your stove on medium heat. 
4. Pat your Chilean sea bass dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
5. When the skillet is hot, add your oil and place your fish skin-side-down in the pan. 
6. Sear for four minutes, or until the skin is crisped. Flip your fish and cook for another two minutes.
7. Transfer your fish onto your plates, and place your leek whites in the same skillet. Cook until they are slightly soft.
8. Top your fish with your cooked leek, and plate your food with yogurt, cooked potatoes, and herb sauce. 
9. Garnish with some cilantro sprigs. Voila!

Seared Scallops With Brown Butter and Lemon Pan Sauce

You have some options for your main dish, but what about your appetizers? Some rich, delicately prepared scallops are all you need to create a delicious starter for Christmas dinner. Just fry these up with a few simple, complimentary ingredients and you’re good to go.

Ingredients (serves four people):

• 12 large or 24 small dry sea scallops
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons of drained capers
• Chives, thinly sliced
• Lemon juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Steps:

1. Pat your scallops dry with some paper towels. Season lightly on both sides with some salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large skillet on your stove, on medium-high heat. Pour in your oil to lightly coat the surface.
3. When you see the first signs of smoke, immediately place scallops onto the skillet, flat side down. 
4. Sear without touching or flipping until you see the underside turning a golden brown. This will take about three to four minutes if you’re cooking large scallops, and less if they’re on the smaller side.
5. Gently flip the scallops. If they stick to the pan, wait ten seconds before trying again. 
6. Cook on the second side until the flesh on the sides looks opaque, and the middle looks translucent. Transfer scallops to a plate.
7. Pour out any oil left on your skillet, and add your butter. Swirl in your skillet until the butter foams and browns. 
8. Pour in your lemon juice (to taste), and emulsify your sauce. 
9. Take off the heat, mix in capers and reserved chives. Spoon this sauce over your scallops and serve!

Key Takeaway

When it comes to the holidays, you need to plan out a whole menu. This can be tough when you have friends and family coming over. However, this year’s plans don’t have to be stressful. Use these four frozen fish dishes for Christmas dinner, and they’re sure to be easy to make while being a guaranteed hit for everyone.

With a bit of planning, you can prepare these in advance by ordering your ingredients JustShop! That way, you won’t be breaking a sweat on Christmas day. Check out our shopping catalog here, and find out how to order from us here.