Tumeric, Ginger, Tahini-Miso Glaze Pan Seared Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon

All salmon is not created equal.

Farmed raised salmon are kept in tight-nit pens where they are unable to swim, move around or use their muscles as they were designed to work.  Farmed salmon are fed grains, artificial coloring, growth hormones and a linty of pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, wild caught Alaskan salmon spends their lives in the open, swimming upstream and using all of sinews to work and expend energy. Wild salmon is high in Omega-3’s, which has been shown to lower risks of heart disease, LDL cholesterol, is low in inflammatory Omega – 6’s. Wild caught salmon is a one of the healthier sources of protein as well as being a great source of vitamins and nutrients, including Vitamins A, C, D, E, B-12 and niacin.

Now that you know that wild Alaskan salmon is optimal for your overall health, and especially for your brain health, let me teach you how to turn a piece of salmon into a superfood and mega-nutrient rich meal in only a few steps.

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Tools & Ingredients

Tool

A Cast Iron Pan

Ingredients

Salmon 1lb

Pink Himalayan sea salt (2 tbsp.)

Coarse ground pepper (2 tbsp.)

Wild Alaskan Salmon (1 lb. – Fresh or Frozen)

Olive oil

Miso Dressing

Tahini (1/4 cup)

Brown rice miso (1/2 cup)

Toasted sesame oil (1/3 cup)

Grated Ginger (to taste)

Grated Garlic (to taste)

Grated fresh turmeric (to taste)

Whole lemon juice, fresh squeezed

3 pinches of fresh cilantro

Garnish

Garnish

Black sesame seeds (handful)

Finely chopped scallions (handful)

Instructions

1.) When buying your salmon, your fishmonger to slice the salmon in 1 ½ in filets.

2.) Take your fresh salmon out of fridge an hour before you begin cooking it so it can rest at room temperature before. This is important because you want your fish to cook evenly.

3.) If you buy frozen salmon, defrost fully before beginning recipe.

4.) Salt and pepper the salmon to taste, do not be shy.

5.) Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.

6.) Pour all of the contents of the miso dressing into a blender until it pureed.

7.) Place aside to dress the salmon.

8.) Use a cast iron pan (or a pan without a rubber handle) and place on stove with the heat turned to high.

9.) When the pan begins to smoke, liberally pour olive oil on the pan and as the oil simmers, place the salmon on the pan with the scales facing up.

10.) Cook the salmon on the stovetop of the stove for 2-3 minutes, then place in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes depending on how rare you like your fish.

11.) Pour the glaze over the pieces of fish, the less the better since the salmon on its own is marvelous.

12.) Garnish the glazed salmon with finely chopped scallion, cilantro and black sesame for some added fat and high quality fuel.

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Why is this good for you?

Wild caught Alaskan salmon is a superfood, as discussed above. There is a major difference between farmed raised salmon and wild caught Alaskan Salmon. One is a super food, a nootropic, and the other is a neurotoxin, and incredibly harmful to your immune system.

It is so important to try to avoid farmed salmon, and even wild caught Scottish salmon.

Restaurants are now selling wild caught Scottish salmon and emphasizing the "WILD". In my opinion, this is almost criminal. Scottish "Wild" caught salmon usually are not released from the pens and freed into the wild and the fish contain large amounts of pesticides, neurtoxins, enviromental toxins, and other contaminants that are perilous to the human, brain, immune system, and overall health. 

In 2013, Scottish wild caught salmon was removed from the Marine Conservation Society 's (MSC) list of "fish to avoid" and changed to the list properly titled, eaten "very occasionally" list. 

This by no means that this fish is a health food, or even remotely good for you. When dining out to eat, especially at a high end, health conscious restaurant, make sure they are not serving WILD SCOTTISH salmon.

So we know to use wild caught Alaskan Salmon! Good!

But the turmeric, ginger, olive, oil, sesame seeds in the recipe are also packed with vitamins and nutrients. From the high levels of fat and ketones in the sesame seeds to the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, olive oil, and ginger, every bite of this meal is packed with powerful nutritional "magic", and energy.

Food is medicine, as Socrates so famously stated. And that Marry Poppins song, "A Spoon Full of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down" drives me nuts! 

Why do you need a spoon full of sugar in order to eat medicine? If your medicine, or vitamins and nutrients taste good, and satiates you, why do you need sugar?

Do you get my point?

Coconut Whipped Cream

I am not a sucker for sweets, but for some reason, every time I see whipped cream my mouth waters and I cannot control myself. Whether it is on top of a pumpkin pie, a key lime pie, sitting alone at a Sunday bar, or on top of a hot chocolate, whipped cream is my kryptonite. In the effort of full disclosure, when I was young, I used to go to the grocery store with my family and hide the heavy whipping cream canisters in the bottom of the shopping cart so that once we got in the car I could be shooting whipped cream into my mouth with no regard for human life.

The truth is, my love for whipped cream has not waned. However, I am fully aware of what dairy does to my digestive system, my skin, and my overall health. So I did a little research and found a great alternative to whipped cream.

The answer: coconut whipped cream.

As you know by now, coconuts are a super food. They have a myriad of health benefits and they also taste great too! So I created a recipe that, if you are a dairy and a sweets lover, this will supplement your cravings and will help you get back on the track towards optimum health.

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Tools & Ingredients

A whisk, an electric whisk works best.

1 can of coconut milk (not light) or two cans of coconut cream.

One tablespoon of honey (You could also use vanilla extract or maple syrup). *optional

Instructions

Put bowl in freezer for 30 minutes before making whipped cream.

Open can of coconut milk and separate out the liquid and only use the coconut cream (the thick substance in the can).

Use sweetener of your choice (vanilla, honey or maple syrup)

Whisk the cream until there are wispy clouds in the mix.

Once finished, put in fridge until you are ready to enjoy!

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Why is this good for you?

Coconuts are one of the best things you can eat. They are high in healthy fats and they protect you against heart disease by increasing good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering the ratio of bad and good cholesterol. Coconuts are great for digestion since they are exceptionally easy to absorb and they also help diabetics by slowing the sugar release into the blood stream.

Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which can increase how many calories you burn compared to the same amount of other fats. One study found that 15-30 grams of MCTs per day increased 24 hour energy expenditure by 5%, totaling about 120 calories per day.

Coconuts are a powerful superfood, and the more coconut or coconut oil you use in your diet, the better off you will be.

This is one of my favorite recipes, and it helps that when I am eating a "sweet", it actually is doing wonders for my OVERALL health!