The Perfect Salmon

Have you ever gone to someone’s house, or a restaurant, and they prepared a beautiful piece of salmon for you? However, as you take your first bite, you can instantly tell that the salmon is overcooked, it is dry, it is chewy, and it is extremely fishy.

At that point, your meal is ruined.

In my opinion, this is one of the greatest tragedies in the culinary world.

Cooking fish is extremely easy, that is if you know the proper tricks to get the job done right.

Salmon, and fish like cod, Chilean sea bass, halibut and others can be easily ruined if not prepared correctly.

And that is why I am here. I am going to teach you how to make the most unbelievable salmon that you have ever had in your life. It will be delicious, utterly mouth-watering, and it is going to be one of the easiest things you can ever make.

What you will need:

  1.         Cast Iron Pan
  2.         Olive Oil
  3.         Himalayan Salt
  4.         Ground black pepper
  5.         1/3 lb filet of a wild caught salmon (not farm raised)
  6.         1 Lemon
  7.         Cilantro

Directions:

*Cook time: 8-11 Minutes

  1.         Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
  2.         Take out your filet and liberally salt and pepper the pink side of the fish.
  3.         Get your cast iron pan hot (cook on high) and then liberally pour olive oil into the smoking pan.
  4.         Once the oil is hot, place the salmon, pink side down, on the skillet.
  5.         Let the fish fry on high for 2-3 minutes.
  6.         Remove skillet from burner and place in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes.
  7.         After the designated time in the oven, take out the salmon and squeeze an entire lemon on the fish.
  8.         Chop up some fresh cilantro and sprinkle over the fish.
  9.         Serve immediately as the fish cooks on standing.

This dish is not just great fresh, but it is also great if you make it the night before and bring it to work on top of a fresh bed of salad (arugula, with maybe an avocado and some cherry tomatoes accompanied with a lemon olive oil dressing).

How easy was that? You can make this whenever you want and as often as you would like. You can eat this dish for lunch and dinner. 

If you are thinking, well isn't salmon really expensive? How can I eat healthy, and buy SALMON and still be on my budget.

Well here is a little secret, salmon is actually not TOO expensive.

I can get a ½ lb filet (which can be cut into two smaller filets) at Whole Foods for under $10.

This recipe is easy, delicious, and cheap. What more can you ask for?

Oh yeah, salmon is actually one of the best things that you can eat. Wild caught salmon is actually considered a super food by most health experts.

Why Wild caught Salmon is good for you:

Not all fish is created equal.

Salmon, in my opinion, is the healthiest fish to eat. However, not all salmon is healthy and nutritious. There is a big difference between farm-raised salmon and wild caught salmon. Wild salmon, mostly from Alaska and the Copper River, is the super food, and farm raised salmon is essentially a toxin.

“Some sources claim that only 50 percent of the fish in our markets are farm-raised, while others state that it could be much more. But one thing we do know: more than 90 percent of all the fish we eat is imported. The problem with imported sources is that foreign manufacturing standards are not monitored and have been linked to having dangerous levels of:

  1.        Mercury
  2.        Pesticides
  3.        Dioxins
  4.        Dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) 
  5.        Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)”                                                                                                                                                                    

To add insult to injury, farm raised salmon is fed a much less nutritious diet than that of their wild-caught counterparts, farm raised salmon:

  1.        Contain just a fraction of heart-healthy omega-3s 
  2.        Contain a significant level of toxins, pesticides and antibiotics
  3.        Are fed dangerous reddish-pink dye in their food to make their flesh an unnatural red color.

In case I was not clear, let me be explicit in saying that one of the foods you should AVOID eating is farm raised salmon.

Now that we have covered why farmed raised salmon is toxic and should be avoided, let me shed some light on why wild salmon is such a great source of nutrition and why it is classified as a super food.

Health facts about wild caught salmon:

  1.        27g of Fat in a 1/2 lb filet of Salmon.
  2.         Salmon provides a large amount of protein per serving, around 22-25 grams of protein per 3.5-ounce serving.
    • Your body requires protein to heal, to protect bone health, to prevent bone health and to prevent muscle loss.
  3.         There is 100 grams of a vitamin B in a 3.5-ounce serving of wild caught salmon.
    •    Vitamin B1 (thiamin): 18% of the RDI
    •    Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): 29% of the RDI
    •    Vitamin B3 (niacin): 56.3% of the RDI
    •    Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): 18.4% of the RDI
    •    Vitamin B6: 37.6% of the RDI
    •    Vitamin B9 (folic acid): 7% of the RDI
    •    Vitamin B12: 236% of the RDI
  4.         These different types of vitamin B are involved in several important processes in your body, including turning the food you eat into energy, creating and repairing DNA and reducing the inflammation that can lead to heart disease 
  5.         Vitamin B12: (236%)
  6.         Vitamin D: (127%)
  7.         Selenium: (78.3%)
  8.         Vitamin B3: (56.3%)
  9.         Omega-3 Fatty Acids: (55%)
  10.         Protein: (53.1%)
  11.         Phosphorus: (52.1%)
  12.         Vitamin B6: (37.6%)
  13.         Iodine: (21.3%
  14.         Choline: (19.2%)
  15.         Vitamin B5: (18.4%)
  16.         Biotin: (15.1%)
  17.         Potassium: (14%)

There are a myriad of health benefits of eating wild caught salmon. Some research shows that it can aid in preventing ADHD within children.

Specifically, various studies suggest that feeding salmon to preschool children helps prevent ADHD symptoms and can boost academic performance.  The nutritional and DNA makeup of the salmon help children focus better and remember more.

Fish oil, as most people who are familiar with functional medicine is great for your skin, but salmon also is great for aging. “The carotenoid anti-oxidants of astaxanthin found in salmon can greatly reduce the effects of free radical damage which causes aging.”

Salmon is a super food, and if you make it right, it can be one of the most delicious things you can eat. Whether you want to put it on top of a salad or have it as a main course, salmon is always a treat, again, if made properly.

This recipe only takes 8-11 minutes to make and can cost you under $10 at Whole foods, or any luxury grocery store. This is not a meal for the elite health conscious, this is a meal everyone can enjoy, and prepare themselves.

Bon appetite!

 

 

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