We visited the farmer's market this last weekend and bought a nice piece of previously frozen sockeye salmon. They also had fresh Keta salmon...maybe next time!
Fish and shellfish are high in triptophan. That's the precursor to seratonin which we all could use a little more of in our brains during winter! This makes enough for three people (or two people with leftovers!)
3/4 pound pound of very fresh, wild salmon
1 small, juicy lemon
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt (Greek for creaminess, but for added health find one with live cultures which Greek doesn't have)
1 cup brown rice
1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Salt and pepper
1. Cook rice. Add 1 cup of rice and 2 1/2 cups of water to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 mins. Cover, and reduce to low heat. Cook for 40 minutes.
2. Cook fish. Lay the fish, skin side down in fillets, on a baking sheet. Salt and pepper (coarse salt and fresh ground pepper). Set on highest rack under broiler on high and broil 10 mins per inch (ours was a tiny bit over 1 inch at it's thickest point and 12 mins was perfect).
3. Make sauce. Zest and juice the lemon into a small bowl. Add yogurt. Stir until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I also threw in a tiny palmful of dried thyme. Dill would also be nice. Optional.
4. Once rice is done, fluff with a fork, then add in parmesan and butter. Stir through till melted.
Serve fish, de-skinned, along side the rice. Top fish with a couple spoonfuls of yogurt sauce.
407 calories per serving: 34 carbs (33%), 15 fat (33%), 34 protein (33%)
Showing posts with label fish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fish. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
I'm Back! And I'm Cooking Marlin...
Marlin is high in mercury, as is tuna, so it's not something you should eat every day. Which is really too bad because it's incredibly high in protein and low in fat. We're talking 41g of protein and less than 1g of fat for 6 ounces (which is a HUGE piece of fish, my friend).
Tonight, we are trying our first marlin; blue marlin, to be exact. It's marinating now in soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic. As I was prepping the marinade I was wondering aloud to hubby why some marinades call for oil...oil and water don't mix, and the other ingredients are typically water-based. It's like putting oil in your pasta water: A big waste of good oil.
Once the steaks have set a while I'll be spraying them with olive oil using our oil atomizer and searing them in a hot, hot, hot pan for about 2 mins per side...I want them raw in the middle because this fish has no fat and gets chewy if you cook it all the way through (I'm told).
We'll be serving this with a little canned pineapple and fresh peppers. It ought to be pineapple salsa, but we don't have any of the other ingredients so we're making due with what we've got.
Serves 2
1/2 cup soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 blue marlin steaks (4-6 ounces each, 1 inch thick)
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup pineapple chunks
3-4 mini peppers or 1 medium sweet pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Marinate the steaks in soy, lemon and garlic for 30 mins to 2 hrs (put in the fridge). Sear in olive oil in a very hot pan for 2-3 mins per side.
Chop peppers and mix with pepper flakes and pineapple. Serve with 1 cup of brown rice per serving.
Without rice per serving:
Per Serving: 268 calories, 16% fat (4.7 g), 62% protein (41.5 g), 22% carbs (15.8 g, 1.9 g fiber).
With one cup of brown rice:
Per Serving: 486 calories, 12% fat (6.3 g), 38% protein (46 g), 50% carbs (61.6 g, 5.4 g fiber or 21.6% of RDA).
AAAAnd the verdict:
It was awesome! This marinade was beautiful and I highly recommend (could also be used on swordfish or non-sashimi grade tuna). We adapted this marinade from the garlic-ginger-soy, or sometimes just garlic-soy, marinade with typically use for flank steak (when we're not rubbing it with cumin-lime for fajitas). The addition of the lemon went wonderfully with the clean, slightly bitter taste of the fish.
Usually we are grilling when we use this marinade, so it's fair to point out that things got VERY smoky during the 5 minutes of pan searing due to the low smoking point of the soy sauce. Five minutes, which was too long, in my opinion. I said 2 mins per side and should have stuck to my guns. I did 3 on the first side and 2 on the second and it was a little more done that I had hoped (barely pink in the middle).
If you can grill these instead I'd do it. It's not likely to stick if you oiled your fish and gotten your grill super hot before you start, and it won't fall apart once it starts to cook (so it's actually a pretty ideal fish for the BBQ).
The fish is, indeed, a bit tough, but given it's pretty low price point ($10 per pound) and delicious flavor I'm willing to deal with a less-than-ideal texture (it's not that bad, anyway). I was left thinking that this fish might be a good candidate for braising in a tomato-based broth next time. Sound weird, but given the texture I think it would hold up just fine. The flavor is pretty clean and I think it would be delicious with tomatoes.
Tonight, we are trying our first marlin; blue marlin, to be exact. It's marinating now in soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic. As I was prepping the marinade I was wondering aloud to hubby why some marinades call for oil...oil and water don't mix, and the other ingredients are typically water-based. It's like putting oil in your pasta water: A big waste of good oil.
Once the steaks have set a while I'll be spraying them with olive oil using our oil atomizer and searing them in a hot, hot, hot pan for about 2 mins per side...I want them raw in the middle because this fish has no fat and gets chewy if you cook it all the way through (I'm told).
We'll be serving this with a little canned pineapple and fresh peppers. It ought to be pineapple salsa, but we don't have any of the other ingredients so we're making due with what we've got.
Serves 2
1/2 cup soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 blue marlin steaks (4-6 ounces each, 1 inch thick)
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup pineapple chunks
3-4 mini peppers or 1 medium sweet pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Marinate the steaks in soy, lemon and garlic for 30 mins to 2 hrs (put in the fridge). Sear in olive oil in a very hot pan for 2-3 mins per side.
Chop peppers and mix with pepper flakes and pineapple. Serve with 1 cup of brown rice per serving.
Without rice per serving:
Per Serving: 268 calories, 16% fat (4.7 g), 62% protein (41.5 g), 22% carbs (15.8 g, 1.9 g fiber).
With one cup of brown rice:
Per Serving: 486 calories, 12% fat (6.3 g), 38% protein (46 g), 50% carbs (61.6 g, 5.4 g fiber or 21.6% of RDA).
AAAAnd the verdict:
It was awesome! This marinade was beautiful and I highly recommend (could also be used on swordfish or non-sashimi grade tuna). We adapted this marinade from the garlic-ginger-soy, or sometimes just garlic-soy, marinade with typically use for flank steak (when we're not rubbing it with cumin-lime for fajitas). The addition of the lemon went wonderfully with the clean, slightly bitter taste of the fish.
Usually we are grilling when we use this marinade, so it's fair to point out that things got VERY smoky during the 5 minutes of pan searing due to the low smoking point of the soy sauce. Five minutes, which was too long, in my opinion. I said 2 mins per side and should have stuck to my guns. I did 3 on the first side and 2 on the second and it was a little more done that I had hoped (barely pink in the middle).
If you can grill these instead I'd do it. It's not likely to stick if you oiled your fish and gotten your grill super hot before you start, and it won't fall apart once it starts to cook (so it's actually a pretty ideal fish for the BBQ).
The fish is, indeed, a bit tough, but given it's pretty low price point ($10 per pound) and delicious flavor I'm willing to deal with a less-than-ideal texture (it's not that bad, anyway). I was left thinking that this fish might be a good candidate for braising in a tomato-based broth next time. Sound weird, but given the texture I think it would hold up just fine. The flavor is pretty clean and I think it would be delicious with tomatoes.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
On the Menu: Mango, Fennel
Why does fennel get me so inspired? Dunno. This week I have two large, gorgeous bulbs from our produce box. I'm gonna try this (easily serve 2 people):
2 fennel bulbs
1 orange
1 can chicken broth (or 2 cups homemade)
salt and pepper
Cut bulbs into 2 inch wedges (leave a bit of the root attached so they hold together)
Braise the bulbs in chicken broth and the juice from one large orange and about a tsp of grated peel if you're feeling energetic.
Simmer for about 20-30 mins (add water if the liquid cooks off too much). Make sure they are nice an tender before you take them off the heat. Strain them from the cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper.
Per Serving: 59 calories, 0% fat (0 g), 10% protein (1.5 g), 90% carbs (13 g, 3.6 g fiber).
I may serve this over arugula with some thinly sliced spring onions and some white wine vinaigrette. We'll see.
The other thing we got was some Ataulfo mangoes. I am going to make salsa with them and have them with fish. This salsa is so good, although it takes a lot of chopping. It will serve 4 (or, two people for two days):
red onion (1/3)
small bunch of cilantro
1 small jalapeno
2 mangoes
1 red bell peppers
1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
chop 1/3 of a red onion and let soak in water, changing the water several times. Soak for at least 20 mins.
cut the bell pepper and mango into dice
mince the cilantro and jalapeno (leave out the seeds for mild; include them in desired degrees for spicier)
combine all chopped ingredients (drain the onion and pat dry) with the juice of the lime and the olive oil. season with salt and pepper and allow to macerate for 15 mins to overnight before serving.
Per Serving: 132 calories, 46% fat (7 g), 3% protein (1 g), 54% carbs (18g, 2.6 g fiber).
I'm going to serve this with Alaskan cod. I may dredge said fish in flour, egg and cornmeal before frying, or I may simply broil it with salt and pepper.
2 fennel bulbs
1 orange
1 can chicken broth (or 2 cups homemade)
salt and pepper
Cut bulbs into 2 inch wedges (leave a bit of the root attached so they hold together)
Braise the bulbs in chicken broth and the juice from one large orange and about a tsp of grated peel if you're feeling energetic.
Simmer for about 20-30 mins (add water if the liquid cooks off too much). Make sure they are nice an tender before you take them off the heat. Strain them from the cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper.
Per Serving: 59 calories, 0% fat (0 g), 10% protein (1.5 g), 90% carbs (13 g, 3.6 g fiber).
I may serve this over arugula with some thinly sliced spring onions and some white wine vinaigrette. We'll see.
The other thing we got was some Ataulfo mangoes. I am going to make salsa with them and have them with fish. This salsa is so good, although it takes a lot of chopping. It will serve 4 (or, two people for two days):
red onion (1/3)
small bunch of cilantro
1 small jalapeno
2 mangoes
1 red bell peppers
1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
chop 1/3 of a red onion and let soak in water, changing the water several times. Soak for at least 20 mins.
cut the bell pepper and mango into dice
mince the cilantro and jalapeno (leave out the seeds for mild; include them in desired degrees for spicier)
combine all chopped ingredients (drain the onion and pat dry) with the juice of the lime and the olive oil. season with salt and pepper and allow to macerate for 15 mins to overnight before serving.
Per Serving: 132 calories, 46% fat (7 g), 3% protein (1 g), 54% carbs (18g, 2.6 g fiber).
I'm going to serve this with Alaskan cod. I may dredge said fish in flour, egg and cornmeal before frying, or I may simply broil it with salt and pepper.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Protein Dense Foods
Today I had lots of fiberous carbs for lunch (squash and pear bisque soup, green salad with balsamic vinegar, reb bell peppers and beets), so I was looking to get a little more protein in my dinner without adding any carbs. I had also eaten very little fat by lunch time, so I was looking for protein dense food without too much regard to fat content to fix for my dinner. Here are how my favorite protein sources lay out in terms of nutritionals:
6 oz pork loin, trimmed and roasted without oil
354 calories, 16.3 g fat, 48.5 g protein
6 oz turkey breast, roasted without skin or oil
263 calories, 5.4 g fat, 50 g protein
6 oz chicken breast, roasted without skin or oil
317 calories, 12.3 g fat, 48.2 g protein
6 oz salmon, roasted without oil
291 calories, 12.9 g fat, 40.8 g protein
6 oz halibut, roasted without oil
238 calories, 5 g fat, 45.4 g protein
6 oz ground beef, 95% lean, fried without extra oil
284 calories, 11.2 g fat, 44.6 g protein
6 oz top sirloin, lean only, fried without extra oil
360 calories, 20 g fat, 42.1 g protein
What is amazing to me is the comparison between things I had previously thought to be comparable. For instance, turkey breast and chicken breast; while chicken breast is pretty protein packed compared to other items, turkey is much leaner and has more protein!
To a lesser degree, I also lumped all fish in to the same "low calorie" category. Halibut certainly earns that label, but salmon is actually fattier than chicken with less protein. Now, I realize that salmon's fat is the "healthy" kind, but it still drives up calories, and ultimately we need to eat fewer calories than we burn in order to lose weight.
In addition, I had thought that pork was lower in fat than beef (just because it's lighter colored, I guess) but lean ground beef is actually much less fatty with only slightly less protein. In fact, extra lean ground beef is comparable in content to chicken breast!
I guess we'll be having turkey breast for dinner tonight...
6 oz pork loin, trimmed and roasted without oil
354 calories, 16.3 g fat, 48.5 g protein
6 oz turkey breast, roasted without skin or oil
263 calories, 5.4 g fat, 50 g protein
6 oz chicken breast, roasted without skin or oil
317 calories, 12.3 g fat, 48.2 g protein
6 oz salmon, roasted without oil
291 calories, 12.9 g fat, 40.8 g protein
6 oz halibut, roasted without oil
238 calories, 5 g fat, 45.4 g protein
6 oz ground beef, 95% lean, fried without extra oil
284 calories, 11.2 g fat, 44.6 g protein
6 oz top sirloin, lean only, fried without extra oil
360 calories, 20 g fat, 42.1 g protein
What is amazing to me is the comparison between things I had previously thought to be comparable. For instance, turkey breast and chicken breast; while chicken breast is pretty protein packed compared to other items, turkey is much leaner and has more protein!
To a lesser degree, I also lumped all fish in to the same "low calorie" category. Halibut certainly earns that label, but salmon is actually fattier than chicken with less protein. Now, I realize that salmon's fat is the "healthy" kind, but it still drives up calories, and ultimately we need to eat fewer calories than we burn in order to lose weight.
In addition, I had thought that pork was lower in fat than beef (just because it's lighter colored, I guess) but lean ground beef is actually much less fatty with only slightly less protein. In fact, extra lean ground beef is comparable in content to chicken breast!
I guess we'll be having turkey breast for dinner tonight...
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