Gorton's Garlic & Herb Crunchy Breaded Fish Fillets (6 pk) Review

Overall 5.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

GigiandAdonai
Luvs2Dance, SC

No beef! No pork! How about some zesty tasting fish fillets?

a casual cook, into trying new things, quick and easy, health conscious, VERY picky eater

Pros

price is right, great seasonings

Cons

no resealable bag, Pollock NOT Flounder, mushy meat not a solid type

JAN

2009

Gorton's Garlic & Herb Crunchy Breaded Fish Fillets (6 pk) —

I was a vegetarian for 12 years and it was no problem for me not to eat any kind of meat. But with the medical conditions I have my doctor was very adamant about re-introducing meat to my diet to bolster my protein levels. I started by eating chicken 2 or 3 times a week. Then one day at a cookout I indulged in a nice juicy hotdog and later added hamburgers to my diet. I was mindful to not eat beef or pork more than twice a week if I even ate it at all. While hospitalized my doctor told me that I needed to quit eating beef and pork because my body doesn't have the ability to digest the animal fat. I could go the vegetarian route again with no problem but she said no. She wanted me to keep chicken in my diet and if possible try to add fish. What! I have never really liked fish unless you count those little fish sticks that fish lovers say are fake. And I am allergic to seafood and shellfish.

While shopping yesterday I decided to check out the "fake" fish. I came across some of the Gorton's products and they looked really good. Now I know that Gorton's is not in the fake fish category because they aren't using minced meat. In the past I have been able to eat fish sticks if I had plenty of tartar sauce and if they had a crunchy batter. My daddy said it was because I was getting more breading than fish but oh well, wasn't I getting some fish in my system?

So, I browsed all the Gorton's fish products and then I called my daddy to see what he thought the Captain's Catch sandwich at Capt. D's was made of because I really liked that. He said most likely it was flounder. He suggested I go after a flounder with breading. My mother doesn't like fish either but since he began cooking for her he has introduced some of the Gorton's products into her diet too and he said that as long as there is a lot of breading she does okay. So, I continued my quest for a healthy food and found it. Gorton's Garlic and Herb Crunchy Breaded Fish Fillets.

For $3.66 at Wal-Mart I got 6 crunchy breaded fish fillets. They look very appetizing on the box. When you look at that crunchy breading with the garlic and herb seasoning you can almost taste it in your mouth. And every purchase of this product supports Breast Cancer Awareness Programs. Gorton's has been in business since 1849 so there must be a reason why they have been around for over 150 years.

Today I wasn't sure what I wanted to eat. I got a new toaster oven so I have been wanting to experiment with that. I decided to try the Gorton's Garlic & Herb Fish. When you open the box you get a slight whiff of something that smells delicious or at least has the potential to taste good. It's not a strong and overpowering aroma like you would get with most garlic products. I am always counting calories and watching what I eat so of course I look at the nutrition panel and serving size.

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size 2 fillets (104g)

Calories: 240 Calories from Fat 120
Total Fat: 13g
Saturated Fat 2.5 g
Trans Fat: 0
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 720mg
Potassium: 95mg
Total Carbs: 21g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 9g
Calcium: 2%
Iron 2%

*Not a significant source of dietary fiber, Vitamin A or Vitamin C.

With the above in mind I put two fillets in the toaster oven. This is a convection oven so I believe that it can be used similar to the conventional oven.

I merely followed the cooking directions for the conventional oven and did the same with the toaster/convection oven.

Move oven rack to middle of oven (I placed the rack on the bottom of two positions).
Heat oven to 425º F. Arrange frozen fillets in a shallow metal baking pan, leaving space between fillets. (I covered the baking pan provided with the oven with aluminum foil and then placed my 2 fillets on it).
Bake uncovered 18 to 20 minutes, or until coating is golden brown and crunchy.
Turn fillets over after 12 minutes of cooking.

MICROWAVING IS NOT RECOMMENDED. I wouldn't think so because then you would lose the crunchy appeal.

Once I got the fillets baking I left the kitchen. I came to the study and played on the computer. Within about 5-8 minutes I started to get a slight hint of the aroma. I walked into the kitchen and the closer I got to the counter where the toaster oven was sitting the better it smelled and I could hear the fillets beginning to sizzle. When I opened the door to turn them over the smell was breathtaking! I couldn't believe I was actually enjoying this! I let them finish cooking and then I placed them on a plate.

I cut one bite to see how it tasted before I even doused it with tartar sauce. Hmm...it was pretty good but I would not be able to eat them both without tartar sauce. I squirted tartar sauce on the side of the place to dip them in. My first reaction was that the breading was very crunchy but the inside was too mushy for me. Uh oh, here we go! Girl in Bubble Alert: I can't stand the feel of weird things in my mouth. I wondered why the meat wasn't more solid. I began reading the box and much to my chagrin on the warning labele for allergies was this: Contains Pollock, Wheat and Milk! I don't know what the heck Pollock is but I do know it isn't flounder! Flounder has more of a solid appeal.

Okay, so I didn't lose my belly and I was able to eat both of the fillets. This product has a really good shelf life. The package said, "Best if used by February 2010." So I will finish the other 4 at some point. However, I won't buy this specific one again. I will read the next package and make sure I get flounder!

I only have one complaint about Gorton's. Why don't they put their fillets in resealable bags to ensure freshness? Do they expect someone to use all 6 fillets at the same time? I put mine in a Reynold's HandiVac bag and made it airtight! The fish is already dead so I'm sure it won't mind that I didn't leave it any air!

I'm giving this product a 5-star rating because even though it didn't meet my expectations it was better than I thought. And if I had been more observant while perusing the products I wouldn't have chosen the "wrong" item.

Have a craving for fish but don't feel like getting out the rod and reel? Well, trust the Gorton's fisherman. He'll bring the catch of the day right to you!

Last edited on Jan 04, 2009

Gorton's Garlic & Herb Crunchy Breaded Fish Fillets (6 pk) is recommended by GigiandAdonai

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Comments about GigiandAdonai’s Review

Great idea about having resealable bags!

In response to madgolfer's comment from Jan 15, 2009 at 8:20AM:

Thanks for the recommendation. I have been seeing Mrs. Paul's and was wondering about how good that brand would be. And I will definitely try your recipe for tartar sauce because I generally have all three items in my fridge.

Have a wonderful day! ~Gigi

Gorton's is ok, but if you want the best (frozen), try Mrs Paul's Frozen haddock filets. A little pricy but much cleaner taste and perfect for a burger bun. For tartar sauce try mayo, sweet relish and a splash of lemon. Bon appetit, G.

I only like a few types of frozen fish, but Gorton's happens to be one of them. You describe this product quite nicely!

Great review, but frozen fish makes me GAG. ewwww......

In response to LaurieM's comment from Jan 5, 2009 at 1:25PM:

I don't like fresh or "real" fish so any thing that looks good and fake but may be healthy for me then okay, I MAY try ;+)

Good review but for some reason I never got into frozen fish. :P

This is actually one of the better ones -- and cooks better in a regular oven. But I too noticed if you don't cook long enough there is the mushy, you can also fry them in the deep fryer. But at least it gives the kids a change in routine and the breading is quite tasty. I agree though at least a re-closeable bag.

In response to GigiandAdonai's comment from Jan 5, 2009 at 6:16AM:

It must be really difficult to not like so many things! As for me, I hardly ever eat breading on things, even when I make fried chicken at home I'll just fry chicken breasts unbreaded. Eating "regular" fried chicken is something I love but I do rarely. I sort of like things simple. Well, good luck finding something -- maybe fish sticks would be best. I'll catch ya later -- picked today to go to my bank and of course we are back to the freezing bit here again.

In response to AnnaBanana's comment from Jan 5, 2009 at 12:42AM:

I'll pass--that's the problem, I don't like "real" fish. The crunchy breading and lots of tartar sauce is what allowed me to eat healthy along with the fact that I didn't eat anything else with those 2 fillets.

In response to GigiandAdonai's comment from Jan 4, 2009 at 7:59PM:

That's right! If you got the Congratulations thing, then you're okay. What a great idea THAT was!

In response to GigiandAdonai's comment from Jan 4, 2009 at 7:55PM:

Hi, not to get my two cents in here but am just reading the other comments. I thought they said we didn't need BOTH pros and cons to get credit but that we had to have something there. But maybe I got it wrong -- like Jovial, I just don't want to see someone not getting credit for such a nice review.

Gee, does this sound good or what!!!! I hope This2ShallPass also reads this, she's another garlic fan like I am. And in my microwave, this would have baked up nice and crunchy. If you want more of a "real" fish, maybe you should try broiled or baked salmon with just a touch of olive oil and seasoning. I generally prefer that to something breaded but this product you've reviewed really sounds terrific. Take care and have a nice night! Catch you in the morning, am signing off for now!

In response to GigiandAdonai's comment from Jan 4, 2009 at 7:55PM:

Oh, I forgot--we also have to rate it ;+) A helpful thing they did is that when you publish the review Viewpoints will immediately tell you if it counts toward your writer status. IF it doesn't then you go in and do some adjusting. I knew it was "official" because I got the congratulations on posting the review announcement.

BTW: I am OCD and very anal about my stats and reviews and the like. I did go and add some pros and cons because I'm aware that many people search reviews by those. Thanks again!

In response to JovialCougar's comment from Jan 4, 2009 at 7:22PM:

Nah, they determined a few mos. ago that we get credit for an official review if we post a soundbite, at least one "I am tag" and sufficient word count which I believe is 250 or more. It's not necessary to have pros/cons listed separately if they are in the body of the review. Usually I do put pros and cons so if it would help others when doing a search then I will go back and add some but it won't be necessary to qualify for a review. Thanks for reading and for caring enough to drop the little memo by. That was very nice of you ;+)

I noticed your review doesn't have any Pros or Cons. That may affect if it's counted as an ''official review'', if those things concern you :)

In response to GigiandAdonai's comment from Jan 4, 2009 at 6:23PM:

I'm with you on that one! I hate mushy anything, especially fish. I can't even eat bread pudding because it is like soggy bread. However, my Tastefully Simple Bread Pudding is really good and doesn't bother me as much as others.

In response to this2shallpass19's comment from Jan 4, 2009 at 5:15PM:

Perhaps if you made some TS tartar sauce then we could both enjoy them better ;+) They really were okay if I could just get past that mushy meat feeling in my mouth ;+/