Eating Healthy with Fish

Part of a Healthy Diet

It’s no secret incorporating fish as a staple in your diet is a healthy choice. If you are starting to add fish to your diet, just as Nadine Gourkow has, you may feel a little lost. Here are a few easy to access fish to start with.

Choosing the Right Fish

1. Cod – Fish and Chips! Probably one of the better-known English dishes, it is readily available in most every pub throughout Europe and America. It all starts with good Atlantic Cod. With its white flesh and large flakes, it has a mild flavor that is paired wonderfully well with the robust flavours of a good ale. It is also an amazing fish with a wide variety of Mediterranean dishes. Oven baked with tomatoes and olives, paired with a delicate white wine, or added to a spicy paella. It is a versatile fish that can fit most diets.
2. Salmon – The pink king of the northern seas. The variety of this large family of fish lends itself to a wide array of dishes, starting with the simple grilled, to pasta with lemon and dill sauces, to teriyaki skewers. It is a fish that transcends cultures from Asia to America. From the readily available pink salmon found canned and frozen to the true king of the Northern sea Chinook salmon, you will be able to cook everyday lunch to that truly breathtaking dinner bound to impress any guest.
3. Shrimp – From the tiniest of northern shrimp, to the gigantic prawns of warm waters of the island paradise, here is another versatile seafood that will elevate your everyday dishes. A crispy green leaf salad, with orange dressing and grilled prawn for a zesty, crunchy lunch. Let’s not forget our Paella from earlier, wouldn’t be complete without delicious shrimps. A sumptuous curry, with wonderful sweet shrimps. Shrimps can lend themselves to sweet or savory dishes with ease.
4. Small fries – Now we enter the larger category of the small fishes. Anchovies. Quite pungent taste, that will elevate most dishes. Quantity is not what you are looking for here, for though they are quite small, they pack quite the punch. Sardines being another good example of a small fish that is widely available. Many Mediterranean dishes will lend themselves very well with Sardines. They are quite affordable as well. Smelts. A small, Nordic, white fish, smelts do not, in fact, smell. They are amongst the lighter fish and have a nutty taste to them. Normally eaten whole, bone and all, they are often pureed and mixed in to form fish balls, or simply opened butterfly and quickly pan-fried.
5. Shellfish – Mussels, scallops, and clams. All three are very easy to cook. The classic mussel with white wine sauce is one of the easiest recipes to learn. Clams have a stronger taste but will bring your dish to another level. Scallops having a sweeter, nuttier taste can lend themselves easily to sweet dishes, great paired with berries, or stand alone for the larger sea scallops, simply grilled with a nutty butter.

Now Your Cooking

As you can see, supplementing your diet with fish and seafood is a healthy choice. As discovered by Nadine Gourkow, your proteins can be easily replaced by fish, for any meals, on any budget.