Whole grain calamari cakes are an easy way to introduce seafood to picky eaters, or any food for that matter. With a blend of whole grains, it has a grainy texture that toddlers seem to love, and it hides the chopped calamari well. Everything is given an egg bath to keep it together for fun finger foods! Or you could serve it with a salad for lunch.
Calamari Cakes Made With Leftovers
My favorite part about this recipe is that it uses leftovers to create a complete new dish. Squid tentacles are saved after baking gluten-free calamari rings . For the whole grain part you can either use any rice , whole grain leftovers you may have on hand, or you could cook some specifically for this recipe. I like to use Trader Joe’s whole grain medley but if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s around, you can get a similar whole grain mix at Amazon.
How To Introduce Seafood To Picky Eaters
I introduce new foods to picky eaters one at the time and seafood is no exception. Actually, when it comes to fish and seafood, that’s probably the best way to do it since they tend to be an allergen. That way, if there is a reaction you can pinpoint the food that was likely the cause.
My favorite trick when introducing new food to toddlers is to use food they love and then blend the new flavors with it.
These mini whole grain cakes are a great way to introduce any new food and not just seafood. This time I opted for calamari and the recipe is developed in a way to hide new textures and yet allows the new flavor to work its magic. Everyone has their own goals when it comes to diets and different foods, mine is to get my child familiar with different flavors and build his love of food.
Calamari Cakes with Whole Grain
Whole grain calamari cakes are a perfect way to introduce seafood to kids. Calamari blend in with the familiar and favorite whole grain cake texture.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter + more for greasing
- 1/3 cup yellow onion minced
- 1/3 cup calamari tentacles chopped
- 2 ½ cups mixed whole grain cooked
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon parsley flakes
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°F.
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Grease a mini muffin pan.
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In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft and golden then stir in chopped calamari tentacles. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until calamari are browned and almost cooked.
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Fold in cooked whole grain and season with sea salt, black pepper and parsley. Remove from heat and using a spoon, transfer the mixture to a mini muffin pan, loosely filling each muffin cup.
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In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Spread the egg wash over the calamari cake mixture in the muffin pan, using about 1 tablespoon of egg wash per cake.
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Bake at 400°F for 6-7 minutes or until eggs are cooked. Remove from the pan and serve immediately.
