Interesting Nutrition Facts About Fish and Some Recipe Ideas !

Damn, I ate my asparagus with lamb chops and Gloucester Old Spot sausages, I forgot to keep some back for the recipe a few posts above. I guess I'll buy TWO bunches next week, so far it's in from Norfolk but not the local farm yet.

If summer is here in your part of the world - why not consider this lovely fish dish soon!!!

This lovely recipe is from Swedish chef Birgitta Höglund, who has her own low carb/Paleo recipe blog, and is also featured on Diet Doctor site.

Ingredients:
Serves Four
1 bunch white asparagus
7 tablespoons (100 ml) almonds
4 cod fillets, 5 1/4 oz. (150 g) a piece
1/4–1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 tablespoons melted butter (for brushing the foil)
6 3/4 fl. oz. (200 ml) julienned fennel
1/4 cup (50 ml) julienned leek
1/4 cup (50 ml) coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
4 pats of butter (to place on top of the fish)


Please see the recipe instructions on Birgitta's blog here https://lchfmadeinsweden.com/2015/06/05/filet-of-cod-baked-in-foil-with-fennel-asparagus-and-cilantro/

Made with Scotch Bonnet chillies and warming ginger, these flavourful parcels really bring the heat ... but if spice isn't your thing, swap in capers, garlic or a splash of soy sauce.

Ingredients:
Serves Four
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 scotch bonnet chilli
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves
½ tsp ground allspice
250ml coconut cream
Juice of half a lime
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
4 salmon fillets

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for 5-8 minutes until softened. Add the chilli, ginger, garlic, thyme and allspice and cook for 2 minutes. Add the coconut cream with a splash of water to loosen it slightly and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and sugar, then season to taste.
2. Make four packages by laying out a large sheet of tin foil with a sheet of greaseproof paper on top of it (you might need to trim this to make it roughly the same size as the foil). Place a salmon fillet on each, then slightly bring up the sides and divide the coconut sauce between each parcel. Scrunch the sides together to create a parcel, but leave enough space for the fish to steam.
3. Place each parcel on a hot barbecue or griddle pan for 8-10 minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Open the parcels and serve.

Each serving provides:
11.1g carbohydrate 3.0g fibre 26.3g protein 34.5g Fat

Recipe with relevant links also shown here
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/jamaican-salmon-parcels-with-coconut.html

All the best Jan

Walnuts are a delicious and crunchy topping for salmon, while the combination of earthy cauliflower and creamy goat's cheese makes an amazing mash, why not try it and see!

Ingredients:
Serves 4
100g walnuts, finely chopped
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp za'atar
4 x 130g skinless salmon fillets
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
100g soft goat's cheese
320g tenderstem broccoli

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Mix together the walnuts, honey, vinegar and za’atar. Place the salmon fillets on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Top each fillet with the walnut mixture, pressing down so it coats the skin. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden and crispy on top and the fish is opaque.
2. Meanwhile, boil the cauliflower florets for 10-12 minutes until soft. Drain and return to the pan. Cook over a gentle heat for a couple of minutes to dry it out. Add the goat's cheese and mash with a potato masher, then season with black pepper.
3. Meanwhile, steam the tenderstem broccoli for 8-10 minutes. Serve with the salmon and mash.

Each serving provides
15.3g carbohydrate 6.9g fibre 39.0g protein 41.4g fat

Original idea from here
https://www.homemadebyyou.co.uk/recipes/main-courses/walnut-coated-salmon-with-a-goats-cheese-and-cauliflower-mash

All the best Jan

If you are looking for a special starter dish, then this could be it. It is a really simple recipe to put together and the dash of cream and green peppercorns go beautifully with seafood.

Ingredients
Serves Two
6 scallops, white meat removed from the shells
1 knob of butter
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp green peppercorns
2 thyme sprigs
2-3 tbsp double (heavy) cream

Method
1. Heat the grill to its highest setting. Place the prepared scallops in a solid dish that will sit happily under the grill. Dot the butter over and around them, along with the sliced garlic, green peppercorns and thyme sprigs. Season well.
2. Place the dish under the grill. It needs to be pretty close to the flame or element. Grill the scallops for 2–3 minutes, then flip them over, add the cream, give the dish a little shuffle to mix it all up, and return to the grill to cook for a further 2 minutes, until the scallops are cooked through and the sauce is bubbling deliciously.
3. Serve and enjoy ...

Each serving provides
1.9g carbohydrate 0.9g fibre 6.7g protein 14.1g fat

Original idea from Gill Meller and you can find it here
https://www.homemadebyyou.co.uk/recipes/20-minute-recipes/grilled-scallops-with-green-peppercorns-and-garlic

All the best Jan

Ingredients
Serves Four

Shrimp Scampi
1 pound shrimp shelled, 16 oz/ 454 g
2 tablespoons salted butter 1 oz/ 28 g
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice 2 oz/ 59 g
1/4 cup dry white wine 2 oz/ 59 g, or chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 spring onions/scallions sliced (light green part, too)
1/4 cup parsley chopped, small handful
2 tablespoons more salted butter 1 oz/ 28 g

Courgette / Zucchini Noodles
1 1/2 pounds courgette/zucchini spiralized into noodles
2 tablespoons salted butter 1 oz/ 28 g

Toss With the Rest
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 small handfuls
4 slices bacon crumbled
6 ounces cherry tomatoes halved, 177 g

Please see instructions here
https://www.lowcarbmaven.com/zucchini-noodle-shrimp-scampi/

All the best Jan

This is a lovely Gino D'Acampo recipe idea:

Ingredients:
For One
For the Sicilian-style salmon
100g/3½oz salmon fillet, skin removed
1 lime, juice only
olive oil, for drizzling
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the mushrooms and broccoli
1 tbsp olive oil
100g/3½oz button mushrooms, sliced
100g/3½oz broccoli, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, optional

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
2. Put the salmon fillet on a lightly oiled baking tray. Drizzle over the lime juice and a little olive oil. Sprinkle with the chilli flakes and paprika and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and stir-fry until cooked to your liking. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute, then stir in the parsley. Serve immediately with the salmon

All the best Jan

Now there's a coincidence! I just had some salmon, only I grilled it plain along with some dry toasted almonds and some briefly boiled spinach, plus a couple of thickly buttered oatcakes.

As a change from my usual winter fare of red meat or pheasants with green vegetables, yesterday I lightly fried some cashews in coconut oil, added my usual combination of multicoloured peppers, chillies and garlic, a handful of king prawns and a can of crab. Sprinkled on some crushed chillies, toasted sesame oil and the juice of a whole lime and had it with just enough rice to soak up all the fat.

Ingredients:
Serves Four
4 large salmon fillets
16 mussels, fresh, prepared
500ml fish stock
200ml water
200ml dry white wine
200ml double cream
25g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
40g sliced almonds
4 sprigs flat leaf parsley for garnish

Method:
1. In a pan, heat the water over a moderate heat and add the white wine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels and simmer for three minutes until cooked.

2. Mussels are cooked when the shell opens. Discard any where the shells remain closed. Remove the mussels from the pan and set aside and retain the cooking liquid. Return the pan over a moderate heat, add the fish stock to the cooking liquid and then reduce by half to concentrate the flavours.

3. Meanwhile cut the salmon fillets into large pieces and sauté in a frying pan in the olive oil. When browned remove from the pan and drain on kitchen roll. Add the cream to the stock and reduce further and then add the butter to finish.

4. Add the salmon and the mussels and simmer for eight minutes on a low heat until the salmon is cooked through. Turn into four bowls and garnish with the sliced almonds fresh black pepper and a sprig of flat leaf parsley.

Each Serving:
Carbohydrate 3.3g Protein 38.6g Fibre 0g Fat 61.0g

Can be enjoyed anytime - but with Easter fast approaching, it could be a great Easter Dish  

Recipe from here
https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/salmon-blanquette.html

All the best Jan

Hey ... can you believe it's Friday AGAIN!

Will you be having fish for dinner?
So quick and easy to cook, just add some low carb vegetables!

All the best Jan

Oily Fish ... did you know !

CJ Jackson writes for BBC Food, she is also in the team at the Billingsgate Seafood School which is "a charitable company with the aim of promoting the awareness of fish in young people and to increase the knowledge of those people already working in the industry, in areas such as retail and catering. All commercial activities undertaken by the school will fund courses for school children free of charge."

About oily fish she writes:
" Oil-rich fish (or oily fish) are those that have oil distributed through their body, as opposed to white fish, whose main concentration of oils is located in the liver. Although oily fish contain higher levels of oil, they are an essential part of a healthy diet due to the presence of the fatty acid, long-chain omega-3. Oil-rich species include the mackerel and tuna group, herring and anchovy group, as well as salmon and trout. The most sustainable varieties of oily fish are mackerel, pilchards, sardines, herring and skipjack tuna (usually sold canned).

Buyer's guide:
In most cases, fresh is best when it comes to choosing oil-rich fish species because the natural fats occurring in these fish deteriorate and they lose their quality quickly. Oily fish tend to be landed and sold un-gutted to maintain their quality. They’re generally also good value for money. Look for fish that are still stiff and rigid and in ‘rigor mortis’ – this will indicate that the fish has been out of the water for no more than a day or so. At this stage the fish will have bright, clear eyes, the gills will be a vibrant, red colour and it will hardly have any smell at all. As the fish loses condition it will become softer and its smell will become stronger.

Storage:
Oily fish must be stored in as cool a place as possible and eaten quickly, ideally on the day of purchase. Arrange it in a single layer on a tray and keep cool by covering the fish with ice. Oil-rich species freeze well for a short period of time: gut or fillet them, pack into freezer bags as whole fish (or two portions at a time), extract the air and secure the bag. Defrost the fish for a few hours in the fridge before use.

Preparation:
Oily fish are versatile. They suit grilling, barbecuing, roasting and baking and, in some cases, pan-frying. The natural oils give these fish an intense flavour that pairs well with other strong flavours.
Oily fish can also be successfully preserved - smoking, brining and salting are all popular preserving methods. Mackerel is available both hot-smoked and salted; tuna and mackerel are both sold canned too. Herrings can be smoked or transformed into rollmops; anchovies are salted and brined. Salmon and trout can both be hot or cold-smoked.

Other considerations:
Omega-3 is reported to be essential for maintaining good health and preventing diseases in old-age. It's also important for brain development in young children. However, the Food Standards Agency advises a limit to the quantity of oily fish that we should eat because these fish contain more mercury than other types of fish. The FSA recommends that girls and women who might have a baby one day, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding eat up to two portions of oily fish per week. Other women, men and boys can eat up to four portions of oily fish a week. In addition, marlin, shark and swordfish are not recommended for consumption by boys or girls under 16 or by pregnant women or women who may wish to become pregnant."

Above words from here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/oily_fish

Read more about The Billingsgate Seafood School here
http://www.seafoodtraining.org/who_we_are

How about Mackerel on toast (use a lower carb bread) with salted cucumber and horseradish


Recipe is here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mackerelontoastwiths_90005

All the best Jan

Two parrots on a perch.

One says to the other

"Can you smell fish?"

The van that usually comes on Monday lunchtime will be delayed until tomorrow afternoon due to the Bank Holiday, which gives me more time to decide what I'm going to buy. Usually a hunk of salmon, enough for one or two meals, maybe some haddock, kipper, bloater, mackerel, ah decisions decisions . . .

chris c wrote:Two parrots on a perch.

One says to the other

"Can you smell fish?"

The van that usually comes on Monday lunchtime will be delayed until tomorrow afternoon due to the Bank Holiday, which gives me more time to decide what I'm going to buy. Usually a hunk of salmon, enough for one or two meals, maybe some haddock, kipper, bloater, mackerel, ah decisions decisions . . .

How nice to make these sort of decisions ...

We had salmon the other day ... and later this week it will be a fish pie with a mashed swede topping. Delicious

We tend to have fish on the meal plans at least twice a week.

All the best Jan

Same here! Yesterday for a change it was baked salmon, which barely went into the fridge before I fished it out again and ate it with my usual toasted almonds, spinach and thickly buttered oatcakes. That just leaves the kipper . . .

. . . today was a huge (currently Hereford) rump steak with half an armful of asparagus. Currently I'm considering a small stir-fry including a can of red salmon just to top me up.

Mother used to do a killer fish pie - probably literally as it was topped with potato and cheese - which I think she learned from her mother. I'm less fond of white fish but have it occasionally. Swede would be an interesting variant but then I'd have to find something else to do with the rest of it.

How To Cook Salmon: Perfect Fillets Every Time

Salmon is probably the king of all fish.

It’s extremely high in beneficial nutrients, low in mercury, and delicious too.

However, depending on how we cook it, we can either make it taste amazing or end up with a dull, boring taste.

If you’re looking for some ideas on how to serve your salmon fillets, then this article will show you how to cook salmon perfectly.

Also, some tasty and easy recipes are thrown in.

Read Michael Joseph's article at Nutrition Advance here
http://nutritionadvance.com/how-to-cook-salmon/

All the best Jan

Ingredients
Serves Four
4 cod fillets
3tbsp cream cheese
100g (3½oz) fresh breadcrumbs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2tbsp parsley, chopped
1tbsp chives, chopped
black pepper and salt
4 vines of cherry tomatoes
1tbsp olive oil
crisp green salad, to serve

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220ºC, fan 200ºC. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Place the cod fillets and onto the prepared baking sheet.
2. Spread the cream cheese over the top of the cod fillets. In a bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice, chopped parsley and chives, and season to taste.
3. Place the cherry tomatoes on the baking sheet next to the cod. Drizzle the cod and tomatoes with the olive oil then bake for 15 minutes, or until the cod is cooked and the crust is golden.

Each serving, as per original recipe idea, is:
Carbohydrate 0.8g Protein 39.1g Fibre 0g Fat 19.2g
From an original Tesco real food recipe here
https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/herb-crusted-baked-cod.html

All the best Jan

Take some salmon, add some mashed avocado and what a fabulous pairing they make. It's a quick and easy, great tasting meal!

Ingredients:
Serves Four
4 Salmon Fillets (approx. 4/6 oz. each)
2 Avocados, mashed
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Sea Salt + Black Pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. / 200C. / Gas 6.  Place salmon fillets on a work surface and cut a slit in them horizontally (do not cut all the way through). Stuff mashed avocado in between the slits and season the fillets liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in an oven safe skillet/pan (you can use cast iron for this, but any will do) over medium high heat. Sear the salmon, skin side up if they have skin, for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Flip the fillets over, transfer the pan to the oven and finish cooking until salmon is cooked to desired done-ness, about 5-7 minutes depending on thickness. Serves 4.

Goes well with sautéed lower carb vegetables ...
As seen on Nourished Peach Blog here
https://nourishedpeach.com/2017/09/13/avocado-stuffed-salmon/

All the best Jan

Oh that would work!

I had half my avocado with prawns, but before I could get round to eating the other half it had gone black, in the fridge. As they do.

I'll probably buy another one tomorrow or friday.

Meanwhile I just polished off the season's first herring - with a hard roe, no less - with spinach and a thickly buttered oatcake.

Yesterday would have been mother's 102nd birthday, I had intended to go to the fish restaurant and walk the sea wall at Orford - her usual birthday surprise, though once she passed 90 the walks got significantly shorter and for her 95th and final birthday we took her to Ramsholt where we could sit in the pub looking out over the estuary while eating whitebait.

I was also going to pick up a bloater and some smoked cod's roe from the smokehouse, but the weather wasn't so good, so on the basis that if the Queen could have an Official Birthday so could she, I put the trip off until it was fine enough (and my shoulder hurt less).

If this was the place you and your Mother used to go it looks very nice ...
I always think it nice to remember our loved ones special days.

All the best Jan

That's it! We would sit out on the terrace, though on her last visit we sat inside looking out through that very window. Still dog-friendly, which is nice.

Then we would walk off to the left in this photo along the beach and up onto the sea wall (we used to walk along the sea wall all the way until a landslip blocked off part of the path), past a pond with kind of fossilised trees which have since blown down and crumbled into the water, and up onto a grassy knoll backed with pines where we would listen to the Nightingale in the scrub, under a very ancient horse chestnut and back onto the sea wall with watermeadows grazed by Suffolk Red Poll and similar old-breed cattle and a longitudinal lake on the landward side with reeds and assorted warblers, and the church atop the hill with pines on either side.

You could walk all the way to Woodbridge but we seldom made it more than half way.

The hurricane thirty years ago blew down the pines, the scrub grew up into trees and the grassy knoll became obscured, and more recently the ancient horse chestnut died and started shedding limbs. Apart from that it hasn't changed much.

Fish is often on the menu in our house ...

Michael Joseph MSc on Nutrition Advance Blog has recently written an article called.

"9 Fatty Fish High in Omega-3 (and Low in Mercury)

We always hear that we should get more omega-3 in our diets.

There is a good reason for this too; the modern diet is extremely high in pro-inflammatory omega-6, yet low in anti-inflammatory omega-3.

As the human body cannot make fatty acids such as DHA and EPA, this makes them an essential nutrient.

The best place to get them is seafood, and there are a wealth of oily fish options available to us.
However, many fish have high levels of mercury due to industrial pollution.

For instance, tuna is one of the best sources of omega-3, but it’s very high in mercury, which can cause problems if it builds up in the body.

This article examines nine fatty fish which are high in omega-3 but low in mercury."

It features Salmon, Mackerel (Atlantic), Sardines, Herring, Trout, Kippers, Anchovies, Catfish and Shrimp.

" Final Thoughts

All in all, most people are eating way too much omega-6 and far too little omega-3.

The nine fatty fish listed in this article are among the healthiest of seafood.
They’re low in mercury and very high in omega-3 fatty acids.
As a result, they probably deserve a place on your plate."

You can read the whole article here
http://nutritionadvance.com/fatty-fish/

All the best Jan