Simply Bake Fish is Simply Yum!

Gorton's Simply Bake Fish

I am a fan of the Gorton's brand of seafood products, so trying out their new Simply Bake items was a given.  The version I sampled was the Tilapia in Signature Seasoning. 

Even the cooking instructions are easy; preheat the oven to 350F; place sealed foil packet (window side up) onto baking sheet; 25 to 30 minutes and eat!  The sauce that cooks with the fish is plentiful; enough to go over a portion of rice or steamed vegetables to give them a boost of flavor.  The packet does puff up during the baking process, so be careful when opening it as very hot steam is released.

So how did it taste?  The fish was moist, tender, flaky...simply, perfectly cooked; it took a lot of will power not to put the other one (two come in the box) in the oven, bake it and eat that too!  The sauce had a mild kick to it, but the overall flavor was simply delicious with the herbs; not too runny, not too thick, just right in texture.  Gorton's named this product correctly with "Simply Bake"; and when buying fresh fish is near to impossible where I live, this product is perfect for a fish lover like myself.

This must be one of the shortest product reviews I've done yet, but all I can truly say is, if you enjoy seafood as a meal, buy Gorton's Simply Bake.

Mary Cokenour

A Tale of Two Fish Sandwiches.

This is the tale of two seafood companies that provide frozen products to the public; the yellow box of the fisherman versus the blue box of the golden outlined fish.

Gorton's Fish Sandwich Fillets

Inside the yellow box of this fisherman you'll find eight frozen Alaskan Pollack squares (2 3/4" x 2 3/4") at 150 calories each. At 425F they will cook anywhere from 18-22 minutes (mine took 20 minutes) and reduce to a size of 2 1/2" x 2 1/2". The fish is moist and flaky with a mild flavor while the crunchy coating does not overwhelm. You can see the layers of the fish, so when the box says it is a cut fillet, you can see it.

While regular hamburger buns are 3 1/2" round and sandwich buns are 4" round, these little squares would fit better on slider buns which are 2" round. Looking at the picture on the box, a slider bun was most probably used to depict the fish fillet edges extending over the bread.

Van de Kamp's Fish Sandwich Fillets

Inside the blue box with the golden outlined fish at the top you'll find 6 frozen Alaskan Pollack rectangles (4" x 3") at 190 calories each. At 425F they will cook anywhere from 28-30 minutes (mine took 30 minutes) and reduce to a size of 3 3/4" x 2 3/4". Upon taking a bite, you can smell the fish, but it is not easily seen; no flaky layers, it looks minced, but the box states it is a cut fillet. The coating is crunchy, but has an oily sheen and tastes oily; not a pleasant eating experience.

Overall conclusion, while the Gorton's Fish Fillets are smaller than Van de Kamp's, it is greater in taste and value. Sail on with the Gorton's Fisherman, he knows what he's doing.

Mary Cokenour