Salmon Cane, Stéphanie Kilgast. Licensed by CC NC, ND 2.0. Accessed Sept 30, 2014.
We’ll be kicking off the Perricone Diet Series with recipes for cooking the humble salmon, which is featured prominently in Dr. Nicholas Perricone’s signature Perricone Diet, outlined several of his books: The Wrinkle Cure, The Perricone Prescription and most recently Forever Young. In The Wrinkle Cure, Dr. Perricone argues that salmon and other cold-water fish are excellent sources of protein, omega-3s and other essential fats. Wait, FAT? As in, the F-word? At first blush, fat and diet don’t seem as though they belong in the same sentence, unless that sentence is something along the lines of “I need to get rid of this fat so I’m going on this diet.” Contrary to popular belief, certain types of fat, such as omega-3 fatty acids, actually aid weight loss. Read more about it here and here .
According to webMD, omega-3 fatty acids are vital in building healthy cells and maintaining brain function, among other bodily tasks. Some studies have also suggested that the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids helps the body burn fat more efficiently. Strong evidence has also linked better heart health to the consumption of omega-3s. Omega 3s are found mostly in cold-water fish. Dr. Perricone seems to favor the salmon in particular because it also contains carotenoid antioxidants and other antioxidants such as astaxanthin which he claims have an anti-aging effect by increasing the skin’s firmness and elasticity.
From Theory to Table
Preparing fish for dinner can be somewhat of a hassle. Unlike other types of meat, creatures from the sea tend to decay at a faster rate, which could explain why many non-coastal households tend to shy away from fish. The thought seeing eye to eye with a lifeless fish eye can also enough to put some people off as well.
There’s good news though: salmon takes the ick factor out of cooking fish! In addition to fresh cut salmon, many supermarket carry frozen salmon fillet to fit a variety of budgets. Fillets usually come pre-cut and are easy to manage. Adding salmon to the dinner roster is as easy as picking up a steak or pork chop. While fresh usually tastes better, frozen fillets are very convenient. In some cases, frozen fillets can be purchased pre-marinated.
If you prefer your groceries delivered to your door, Amazon has a number of options:
- Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Fillets, Wild Caught
- Omaha Steaks Marinated Salmon
- Seabear Smoked Salmon (not a fillet but great with scrambled eggs or in a sandwich for breakfast and lunch)
Salmon Fillet, Marju Randmer, Licensed by CC NC, ND. Accessed Sept 30, 2014.
Cooking salmon is as easy as buying it. Here are some basic salmon recipes to get you started:
- Pan fried: coat salmon fillet with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and pan sear for 3 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
- En papillote: season salmon with salt, pepper, tarragon and a bit of butter. Wrap in parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350F/170C depending on how rare you like your salmon. This method also works well with white wine and EVOO in place of butter or with veggies such as cherry tomatoes, asparagus, carrot, fingerling potatoes etc, added to the paper parcel. Papillote wrapping directions here.
- Salmon fried rice: use either fresh, frozen or even canned salmon and leftover rice. Just One Cookbook has a good recipe for Japanese-style salmon fried rice here. Spice lovers can also consider this recipe from Real Simple magazine.
- Salmon patties and salmon burgers as an alternative to beef burgers. Switch it up a bit! Ready, Set Eat has a great 5 ingredient quickie recipe for salmon patties. This salmon burger recipe from Real Simple magazine uses canned salmon as a more economical option.
Any other ideas? Share your favorite salmon recipes with us in the comments!
-H.
