Fish Recipes

(picture taken from scumdoctor.com)
Do you think you get enough fish in your diet? Chances are you probably don't. It is recommended to have 2-3 servings of fish per week in order to maintain a healthy diet. This is because fish is an excellent source of protein (another thing we don't incorporate into our diets enough) and isn't as high in saturated fat as meats have. (Saturated fat is the kind you most want to avoid.) Fish is also extremely high in omega 3 fatty acids, which is a polyunsaturated fat that has many health benefits. Current research is showing a correlation of increasing HDL cholesterol (the good kind), preventing blood clotting, and help lower blood pressure (info taken from: healthcastle.com). There are a multitude of health benefits in omega 3 fatty acids, which I will dedicate another blog to.





Some fish particularly high in omega 3 fatty acids are: salmon (my favorite), mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, and albacore tuna (info taken from: americanheart.org). So here are some good recipes to help bring fish into your life 2-3 times a week!



Herb-Baked Trout
Ingredients: 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (6-ounce) rainbow trout fillets
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small lemon, thinly sliced
Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a liquid measuring cup.
3. Place fillets in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle fillets with pepper and salt; top with lemon slices. Pour half of basil mixture over fillets.
4. Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Spoon remaining basil mixture over fish before serving.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 264 (0.0% from fat)
Fat: 11.6g (sat 3g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g)
Protein: 35.8g
Carbohydrate: 2.6g
Fiber: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 100mg
Iron: 0.7mg
Sodium: 207mg
Calcium: 123mg
Cooking Light, January 2005



Salsa-Roasted Salmon


Ingredients: 1 medium plum tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 or 3 dashes hot sauce
8 ounces center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 2 portions
Preperation: 1. Preheat oven to 400°F.2. Place tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeño, vinegar, chili powder, cumin, salt and hot sauce to taste in a food processor; process until finely chopped and uniform.3. Place salmon in a medium roasting pan; spoon the salsa on top. Roast until the salmon is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.
NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 229 calories; 13 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 67 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrate; 23 g protein; 1 g fiber; 376 mg sodium; 548 mg potassium.Nutrition bonus: Selenium (60% daily value), Vitamin C (20% dv), Potassium (16% dv), Vitamin A (15% dv).

Eatingwell.com

Mackerel with Fennel, Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 medium fennel bulbs, halved, and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 strips lemon peel (about 2 1/2 inches long)
2 strips orange peel (about 2 1/2 inches long)
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/3 cup black olives, such as Nicoise
1/3 cup roughly chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) mackerel fillets, with skin
Directions: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet with the garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the fennel and onions and cook until brown and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme, rosemary, lemon and orange peel, pepper flakes, olives, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook until herbs and zest are fragrant, about 3 minutes more. Transfer vegetables to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
Wipe out the skillet.
Make 1-inch diagonal slashes into the fishes' skin to prevent the mackerel from curling while cooking. Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet over high heat and season the mackerel with salt and pepper. Place fish skin side down in the skillet and cook undisturbed until crisp brown and a spatula can easily be slipped under the fish to flip, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook another 2 minutes, until just firm. Set on top of the fennel mixture and serve.
Nutritional Analysis per serving: Calories: 547
Fat: 40 grams
Saturated Fat: 8 grams
Carbohydrates: 14 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Protein: 34 grams


Take home message: Enjoy more fish!