All About Seafood (and flavors)
Easy ways to pick and prepare perfect seafood
Easy ways to pick and prepare perfect seafood
Why is seafood healthy?
Fish is an incredibly healthy protein. Unlike beef and chicken, fish is low in fat and high in protein and omega 3 fatty acids. This is important because Omega 3’s make up the “good fats” that are deficient in the american diet. Due to all the unhealthy fats found in animal protein, specifically omega 6 fatty acids, the american diet is unbalanced, hence the negative effect traditional protein sources have on our diet.
Omega 3’s are important for the following reasons (just to list a few):
Lower risk of sudden death.
Reduce blood clot formation.
Inhibit the growth of plaque on arteries.
Decrease triglycerides.
May increase levels of the good cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
Have anti-inflammatory properties.
Lower blood pressure
BUT
Seafood doesn’t come without it’s own set of worries -- contamination, chemicals, mercury, etc. all creep into our mind when we think about choosing what fish/shellfish to eat. This is why so many people turn to chicken, pork and beef for their protein allowance.
Choosing healthy, sustainable seafood shouldn’t be difficult. There are a few principles to consider when buying seafood.
Sustainability tips for the market:
Buy domestic- If you buy fish managed under a U.S. fishery management plan, you can be assured it meets 10 national standards that ensure fish stocks are maintained, overfishing is eliminated, and the long-term socioeconomic benefits to the nation are achieved (www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/).
Farmed is not a bad thing- Farmed seafood has gotten a bad reputation due to a few bad apples, however, over the past decade the market has corrected itself and consumers can feel confident purchasing farmed seafood. Look for the label BAP (Best Aquaculture Practice). Try and buy farmed seafood from US, Canada, or Mexico.
Break the routine- Salmon, shrimp and tuna are the 3 most consumed seafood items in the United States. While there are wonderful well-managed options for all three of these fish, by expanding preferences outside of this seafood trinity consumers can experience some amazing species that are abundant and incredibly sustainable.
Easy cooking tips
Simple is best- Ever had a dish that just tasted like a lot of disjointed ingredients put together? Resist the temptation to add an excess of ingredients to any dish (exception: a sandwich). Each item on your plate should have no more than 4 main ingredients. Think of your palette as suffering from a severe case of Attention Deficit Disorder. The more ingredients included in the meal, the more confusing it becomes, and the more the dish will taste like the kitchen sink (literally in many cases).
Brighten with an acid- There are 4 parts to your palette: Salty, Sour, Sweet and Bitter. If any part of this foursome is ignored, the results seem unbalanced and lacking. Salty and sweet are not too difficult to attain as most foods have natural sugars and in America we salt with ease, but sour and bitter can be easily dismissed. The sour taste buds fire when an acid meets water and releases hydrogen ions in your mouth. A finishing dash of vinegar, citrus, or tomato can be all it takes to turn a dish from confusing to brilliant.
Some options to finish: balsamic vinegar (or any other vinegar), lemons, oranges, green apples, limes, tomatoes, grapefruit, wine...
Crunch is fun- We eat with our senses more than we actually do with our mouth. Think about the last time you saw a sizzle platter pass your table at a restaurant, a huge dessert, or walked into a restaurant that smelled great. Before you even tasted any food you were captivated. The idea of sounds and texture function in this same vein when we are eating. Think about the feeling of a crunchy potato chip engaging your jawbone with a subtle vibration, echoing in your ears as the salty goodness played with your palette. If there is no variety in texture, the senses get angry, and yes, the food suffers. It is important to always consider a textural aspect of your dish. A quick crunch of radish, the brittleness of a cracker, breading, crispy crust, or crushed nuts are the secret.
Herbs finish the formula- Herbs are so often forgotten in any dish. They infuse your shampoo, but what about your salmon? The complex nature of any herb is enough to make a dish taste like it deserves a quick “BAM” from Emeril. Try new herbs like marjoram, lemongrass, and sorrell for a new experience.
Zest With Citrus- Always have a microplane handy when finishing fish. The bright flavor of citrus zest will take any seafood dish from bland to bold in seconds. Also great on popcorn.
Pan Roasted Trout with Almonds, Dill, and Orange
Serves 2
Note: This recipe can be used as a guide for any protein, fish or vegetable.
Ingredients:
2 whole trout-skin on
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 cup (aka one handful) of Marcona almonds crushed (by cheese section of any grocery store)
1 tble spoon Dijon mustard
1 whole orange
Some chopped dill
Salt and pepper to taste
For the trout: With any fish, be sure to give it a quick rinse when you bring it back from the market. Lay the fish out on a sheet pan and pat dry with paper towel until the fish is completely free from water (any extra water will make the fish steam while it cooks). Set the fish aside next to the stove and get ready to start your trip to flavor country.
Time to Cook:
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and wait until it is shimmering or lightly smoking. While the pan is heating, season the trout on the flesh side liberally with salt and fresh cracked pepper (paprika will work if you don’t have fresh pepper, avoid pre-ground pepper as it taste like a garage sale).
Add the fish flesh side down so that the skin is facing you and sear for about 4 minutes on that side. Flip the fish and cook on the skin side for another 4 minutes. Turn the pan off and rub a light coating of the mustard over the flesh of the fish. Mix the nuts with the dill and press into the mustard coating of the fish.
With a spatula, remove the fish from the pan and place onto a plate or over a salad. Squeeze the orange juice over the fish to finish.
This dish can be made with any other fish, including but not limited to:
Pacific Cod, Sablefish, Catfish, Fresh Albacore Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Salmon, Sardines, Arctic Char, Scallops, Tilapia, Yellowtail, Seabass, Shrimp
Vanilla Dusted Sea Scallops
Serves 4
Flavor and Cooking: There is nothing worse than a rubber steamed scallop. When prepared properly large sea scallops should offer a crispy exterior with heightened sweetness surrounding barley cooked fresh inside. The vanilla in this recipe works wonders with the sweet richness of a fresh sea scallop while the tartness of the pear cuts through that richness balancing the palette,
Ingredients
16 large sea scallops
2 tble grapeseed oil
2 tble vanilla powder (found in the spice section) Note: if vanilla powder is not available mix fresh vanilla bean pulp with salt and season on the scallops.
2 pears large diced
1 Lemon
mixed greens for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Be sure that your pan heats up long enough to bring the oil to a shimmer, the point right before it begins to smoke. Do not overcrowd the pan wither because this will create steam and therefore alter the browning process. Most likely the scallops will need to be cooked in batches. The thing to keep in mind is to undercook the scallop a touch if it is part of an earlier batch as it will continue to cook off the heat.
While the pan is heating, season the scallops with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Right as the oil is about to smoke, place the scallops in the pan and cook about 1 minute on each side making sure to allow a crust to form on the outside. Right before removing the scallops from the pan, dust the tops of the scallops with the vanilla powder and continue cooking for about 10 seconds. Remove the scallops from the pan and place on a plate.
Gently cover the scallops with a paper towel to keep them warm. Place the pan back over the heat and add the diced pears. Sauté the apples for 2 minutes and place the scallops back into the pan with the pears. Deglaze the scallop apple mixture with the fresh lemon juice and immediately remove the pan from the heat.