Gorton's Fish Fillets...parts are parts

[Caslon]

Gortons fish fillet products you buy (frozen) at the supermarket shows a package with fish that is fluffly looking and tender.

I'm talking Gorton's Beer Battered fish fillets. Or, all their battered fish.

The package is really decieving. What they produce is actually a mash
of fishes, almost a paste, wrapped in batter.

I think it stinks that Gorton's isn't brought to court about false advertising.

Showing flaky looking delicious fish on the package, when in fact, it's a mush fish paste product they sell.

How are they getting away with this type of false packaging for this many years?????

 

[Andy M.]

Which is why I never buy frozen fish filets or sticks, etc.

It's not confined to Gorton's. Did you ever see a Big MAc or a Whopper that looked like the ones on TV?

 

[suziquzie]

I only buy them to get my kids used to eating fish, so I can make normal fish down the road.
Maybe it wont work, since the fish sticks (fiilets) are nothing like fish!!!

 

[bowlingshirt]

Yeah, they're seafood's version of hotdogs.

 

[Constance]

If the package say "fillets", it's supposed to be a whole piece of fish, while if it just says, "fish", it can be made of fish pieces.
I wish I could remember the brand, but we buy some in a big package at Sam's that are delicious.

 

[GotGarlic]

Which is why I never buy frozen fish filets or sticks, etc.

It's not confined to Gorton's. Did you ever see a Big MAc or a Whopper that looked like the ones on TV?

You never buy frozen fish fillets? It's my understanding that most fish is frozen on the boat when caught, so it's actually fresher than "fresh" fish in the grocery store, because the "fresh" fish has generally been frozen and then thawed, and there's no way to know how long it has been thawed.

I'm talking about whole fillets here, not fish sticks.

 

[kitchenelf]

Surely you are not just figuring this out. This is one of those age-old "issues".

OK, so it's fish parts/pieces, etc. It's inexpensive and there has always been a market - especially for kids. Remember eating fish sticks when you were little? It's a fish "stepping-stone" to the "real stuff"

 

[suziquzie]

I have to admit, I am a sucker for the fish sticks when I make them for the kids.
I loved it when we had a babysitter cuz Mom and Dad would always leave fish sticks....
I think I know whats for lunch today!

 

[GB]

We buy fish sticks for my daughter, although she has not had them in a while. I had not eaten them since I was a kid. I ate one of hers when I made them for her and they tasted (gasp) good.

 

[suziquzie]

try the lemon herb tartar sauce on them. makes it even worse to love em!!!!!

 

[kitchenelf]

We buy fish sticks for my daughter, although she has not had them in a while. I had not eaten them since I was a kid. I ate one of hers when I made them for her and they tasted (gasp) good.

I know GB - I had written that out exactly, about making them for my son, sneaking one, and LOVING it! I deleted it 'cause I'm a big ol' I took one bite and then had to make tartar sauce and cocktail sauce to finish the rest of it!



So.....I actually lied about them being a "stepping stone" - they are forever a childhood "feel good" food. I bet you can't eat one without smiling!!!!

 

[auntdot]

Gosh when I was a kid loved the frozen fish sticks, Mrs. Paul's I think the variety was.

We also regularly, at least once a week, had fresh fish from the local monger who would fillet it if needed. Flounder, bluefish, swordfish, mackeral, you name it. And as we got older we would catch dinner.

The frozen sticks no longer appeal to me, nor does the fish products one finds in the freezer section.

How do they get away with what you are referring to, legally?

Those companies have high price lawyers. Nothing goes on the package that expensive legal eyes have not seen.

My guess, and I am certainly not a lawyer, is that you can put a picture of almost anything on a package. You are not stating that is what is included inside.

And the term fillet, well, my guess is that the word is not legally defined. Or if it is, their product somehow squeezes into it. Maybe it is a lot of leftover pieces of fillets. The legal mavens have it covered, I will bet.

The name of the game is still caveat emptor, and there are still folks out there like me who forget that every now and again and get taken in.

Shame on both them and me.

If you don't like Gorton's products just don't buy them.

They have been in business for a long time so some folks must be buying the stuff.

I, too, am not a fan, but there are a probably a lot of folks making their livings processing the fish. So, without knowing much about the company, I have no gripe.

Just my take on things.

 

[*amy*]

You could always disguise them, i.e. fish stick stuffed shells - & bury them w mozzarella, parm & tomato sauce...

Fish Stick Stuffed Shells

 

[Andy M.]

You never buy frozen fish fillets? It's my understanding that most fish is frozen on the boat when caught, so it's actually fresher than "fresh" fish in the grocery store, because the "fresh" fish has generally been frozen and then thawed, and there's no way to know how long it has been thawed.

I'm talking about whole fillets here, not fish sticks.

I was assuming the frozen fish filet the OP was talking about was the larger version of the frozen fish sticks - breaded, shaped fish scraps.

I do buy actual filets that have been frozen and find them to be very good.

 

[GotGarlic]

Surely you are not just figuring this out. This is one of those age-old "issues".

OK, so it's fish parts/pieces, etc. It's inexpensive and there has always been a market - especially for kids. Remember eating fish sticks when you were little? It's a fish "stepping-stone" to the "real stuff"

It sounds kind of like fish cakes that are battered. Not a bad way to use up leftover fish.

 

[Elf]

Gordon's beer batter fish portions and other fishcakes make a good quick fish taco, if you are on hurry.

 

[attie]

It sounds kind of like fish cakes that are battered. Not a bad way to use up leftover fish.

Does the labelling tell you what sort of fish it is? Our labeling laws are a bit over the top, they would tell you what sort of fish it is, what the batter was made from and what sort of oil it was cooked in, then, it would give you the nutritional facts.

Then, it might say "May contain traces of nuts" -- Peanut allergy is a big thing here. Only a week or so back a product was recalled because they omitted to inform us on the labelling that it contained Soy milk.

 

[GotGarlic]

Ours are like that, too. I haven't bought Gorton's in years, but I looked at the Web site and in the ingredients list on the box, it said pollock.

 

[MexicoKaren]

I can actually remember when fish sticks were made of real flaky fish, not the extruded fish paste stuff that they became. They were good. Sometime during the early-mid 70s, when my own children were little, things changed. I was so disappointed. I bought some frozen shrimp here a few months ago that were the same - looked like fried shrimp on the box, but they were just some kind of formed shrimp paste. Yuk. Even the dogs and cats wouldn't eat them.

 

[jpmcgrew]

I can actually remember when fish sticks were made of real flaky fish, not the extruded fish paste stuff that they became. They were good. Sometime during the early-mid 70s, when my own children were little, things changed. I was so disappointed. I bought some frozen shrimp here a few months ago that were the same - looked like fried shrimp on the box, but they were just some kind of formed shrimp paste. Yuk. Even the dogs and cats wouldn't eat them.

It seems to me the fish breaded frozen fish these days has a really fishy taste that I do not enjoy so I gave up on them. So I make my own, Tilapia is great for that. I also loved fish sticks as a kid but they definitely are not the same now.