Birds Eye Salmon Fish Fingers

I'm not and never will be one of those people that purchase a lot of ready made and boxed foods. Although it seems the easier option when your too busy to cook a proper, healthy dinner, i always choose to ignore, easy microwavable meals.
I suppose the shock horror stories and television documentaries that show these packet foods and what disgusting extra's they add doesn't exactly help or persuade me to purchase.
But although I've never been a consumer of birds eye products, as i think their foods always look very processed and refined, the box of salmon fish fingers really caught my eye. I tried to resist the urge to shove it in to my shopping trolley, but the mouth watering picture on the front really didn't help matters. so eventually, i decided i would give it a try and see how it tasted.

The price
Shopping in my favorite supermarket- Asda, a box of 10 (280g) were priced at about £2.00. I thought it was a little expansive myself, but i couldn't complain as the quality and taste were unbelievable.

Packaging
The box wasn't too unusual or unique, it's a very simple design and it's very much a very birds eye type of style. The color of the box is a very light pink, sort of shade, which i suppose represents the filling (salmon) and there's a great, mouth watering picture of a fish finger on the front, which really persuades you to buy it.
And for those who are beginners at cooking and need a little extra help, there is a how to prepare paragraph on the back along with the ingredients.

Nutrition info per 100g (as sold)
Energy (kJ) 945kJ
Energy (kcal) 225kcal
Protein 13.2g
Carbohydrates 21.7g
(of which sugars) 0.4g
Fat 9.5g
of which saturates
Fibre 0.9g
Sodium 0.27g
equivalent as salt 0.7g

How to cook them?
There are many ways you can cook these fine, fish fingers, such as in an oven, microwave, grill or even possibly fried.
if you are choosing to grill them
-heat the grill
-keep an eye one them and turn them occasionally
-keep them cooking, until they look crisp and golden

If you are choosing to bake them
-heat the oven at 230°C- gas mark 8
-place them on a baking tray and cook them in the hottest part of the oven
-keep an eye one them and turn them
-keep them cooking, until they look crisp and golden

Taste/quality
Like i mentioned in the first paragraph, I'm not a huge fan of ready made meals, so you can't expect me to be a expert when it comes to describing the taste and quality. But i was extremely surprised by the taste of these babies, the salmon filling tasted really moist and fresh, so it doesn't surprise me if they really are made with 100% wild salmon.And the breadcrumb was really crispy and delicious which complemented the softness of the fish. The quality for me was first class, although it tasted a little processed (the breadcrumb) i wasn't expecting such great flavor.

The smell
I hate the smell of fish, no matter how fresh or tasty it is.
surprisingly, These don't seem to have the usual off putting smell that fish usually has, but i think the cooked smell of the breadcrumb really canceled it out.
The scent of it cooking is a real delight and succulent tasting.

Some great recipes to try
The great thing with fish fingers is that there so versatile and go with practically anything on your plate. If your still bewildered over what to put with these little treasures, take a look at the recipes below.

Salmon fish finger omlette
ingredients
- birds eye salmon fish fingers(optional amount)
-2 eggs
-2spn oil
-filling of your choice

Instructions
-begin by cooking the fish fingers in the way of your choice, meanwhile make a start on cooking the omlette
-beat 2 eggs in a bowl and heat a frying pan with 2tspn of oil
-pour in the eggs and add the filling of your choice
-just before it's finished cooking, place the fish fingers in the middle of the eggs
-grill the omlette for about 5 mins until lightly brown.
-fold in half and serve

The traditional fish finger sandwich
ingredients
-2 slices of bread
-butter
-fish fingers

Instructions
- cook the fish fingers, meanwhile butter the bread
-when the fingers have finished cooking place them between the 2 slices of bread
- add salt and pepper and serve

Salmon fish finger salad
Ingredients
-4 eggs separated into 4
-600g of new potatoes
-200g of green beans
-birds eye salmon fish fingers (optional amount)
-90ml olive oil
-2 tbs of red wine vinegar
-2 tbs of chopped fresh parsley
-20 cherry tomatoes
-1 small red onion, thinly sliced
-100g of pitted black olives

Instructions
- Put eggs in a pan of cold water and bring to boil and simmer for about 4min. Run under cold water
-Put potatoes in a pan of water then bring to boil for about 12mins
-Remove the potatoes and run under cold water. Add the green beans to the pan of water and cook for about 5min
-cook the Birds Eye Fish Fingers under the grill, turning regularly for about 12mins or until golden brown
-Mix the oil, vinegar and parsley in a small bowl,mix the beans, tomatoes, onion and olives in the oils.
-serve on a plate and place the eggs and fish fingers on top

And if you don't think any of the recipes above appeal to you, you can check out the official birds eye website to find more tasty dishes:

http://www.birdseye.co.uk/fresh-ideas/qu​ick-food-tips/

So overall
If you want a easy day of cooking, but you want something tasty and delicious, theses are the answers to your prayers.
Although the breadcrumb does taste a little processed, the salmon filling is delicious and very fresh tasting, it's also another great way to have your omega 3.