Holy Mackerel!

I know -- more fish!  But this mackerel was soooo delicious!  Firmer than sardines, mild and buttery in flavor, these Portuguese tinned filets from Vital Choice are a revelation.  They were amazing on this bed of greens and raw vegetables with kalamata olives and capers.

LOVE

This cast iron panful was inspired by the front of the Vital Choice catalog. I cannot say enough good things about that company. My Functional Medicine doctor recommended it to me for sustainably harvested, sushi-grade wild seafood and I've never looked back. I am not compensated or otherwise encouraged to speak up for this company, but I'm nevertheless compelled to give them a thumbs-up! The products are superlative and delicious, the customer service is first rate, and there are gobs of online tutorials on their website about cooking and handling the food. Love them!

This salmon never gets old. I eat it about three times per week. My favorite way to fix it is in the broiler in cast iron.  I preheat the pan on 500 degrees in the oven, then put the skin-on portions in the pan with a little olive oil or grass-fed butter, salt and pepper, then turn on the broiler and cook for only 5 minutes. I like it medium-rare. In this case, I sauteed some fresh veggies in coconut oil with a few fennel seeds for a few minutes, then put them in the pan along with the raw fish. The whole thing was amazing!

Tips that worked out well for me:

Sauteing the veggies for a few minutes before broiling them helps them retain moisture and flavor in the fast, dry heat of the broiler.  You can do it quite some time before preheating the pan, and just let it sit off the burner so you aren't worried about doing too many things at once during the preheating and broiling process, which has to be carefully watched.

Preheating the iron pan ensures that the fish doesn't stick to it, and is also cooked evenly all the way through, not just on top. You won't regret this extra step. It'll save you 15 minutes of scrubbing fish skin off the pan, if nothing else! The fish slides right out of the pan if it is hot first.

I love simple, good food like this. Can't wait for the next batch!

A Sustainable Source

Some time ago, one of the physicians with whom I worked at Atlanta Functional Medicine recommended a wonderful website for sustainable, sushi-grade, wild-caught fish: Vital Choice. At the time I was still mostly vegan, only occasionally partaking of sea creatures. As my diet has evolved, I've learned that animal protein is crucial for my health, but only organic animal protein. I can palpably feel the negative effects of non-organic animals. Though I have yet to accomplish a fully Wahls Protocol diet, I've incorporated as much of it as my system will currently tolerate. I do suspect I'll find the Protocol easier to follow as I adjust, but I'm not doing myself any favors by eating grocery store, non-organic animals.

Vital Choice is predictably on the pricey side, but there are ways to maximize savings by selecting random-sized pieces of fish. I chose four lbs. of wild-caught King Salmon frozen in individual servings, and four lbs. of Atlantic Cod, frozen in four large 1 lb. chunks. I will need to do some planning for the cod. Nobody here loves fish the way I do, but if I get creative, I bet I could sell fresh ceviche in addition to fillets on the grill, en papillote or sauteed with some of these lovely tomatoes or some fresh greens. I'll share future experiments.

Obviously the salmon in individual portions is easier to thaw and prepare on the fly, and I've enjoyed it so much -- so fresh and with no "fishy" or "off" scent or flavor. I normally like mine more rare than this one, but in the spirit of enlisting my husband in my fish-eating frenzy, I was grateful to have him grill a couple of filets. They were delicious with lemon and a pile of fresh dill. 

Perfectly Protocol

What a delicious meal this was! I sauteed a large shallot in coconut oil, then seared a lovely piece of wild ahi tuna for only two minutes on each side, leaving it still rare in the center. Meanwhile, I fried broccoli and garlic at a fairly high heat in more coconut oil, turning periodically until crisp-tender. The broccoli was finished with a little olive oil once I took it off the heat. Finally, my very favorite replacement for starch: parsnip puree! I boiled peeled, organic parsnip chunks for about 12 minutes, then drained and processed them (in a food processor -- too dry for a vitamix) with a little of the boiling water, some coconut milk, salt, pepper and lots of nutmeg. The puree beats the heck outta mashed potatoes!

Each item on the plate was of such high quality in taste and nutrition, I was left with an overwhelming sense of well-being for having treated myself, followed soon-after by overwhelming regret that there was none left! No worries -- I'll be making this again!

Fish Baked in Parchment

Isn't healthy food pretty? I love preparing fish this way. It's simple: 400 degrees, 10 minutes for 1" of thickness. I used a piece of parchment roughly 18 inches in length, folded in half and oiled on the inside. Then I placed the fish fillet, in this case sea bass, one one side of the paper and smothered it in raw veggies I had on hand -- here, onion, bell peppers, oregano, dill and Italian parsley with lemon, all thinly sliced. I drizzled a little tequila over all of it before I folded the packet together thus:

You just start at one corner and continue with a series of overlapping folds around to the other side. I didn't do such a neat job of it, as it had begun to unfold in the middle, but I just added a couple more folds and it was fine. This much can be done in advance, and placed in the fridge on a cookie sheet (rimmed is best in case any moisture leaks out) until you are ready to pop it into the preheated oven.

At the end of cooking, use cooking shears to cut a hole in the top of the parchment, being careful to avoid steam burns. Lovely! My parchment-ful was one huge fillet that my husband and I shared. This is one portion. I find that 10 minutes at 400 degrees works well for the way I like fish best -- not overcooked. If you prefer it drier add another minute or two. It's important to keep thickness in mind too when timing the bake. A thicker portion will require more time in the oven. I normally err on the side of undercooking because it's easy to put a little foil on top of the opened pouch and pop it back in for a few more minutes if needed.