Salmon Provides Vital Nutrients to your Diet
Coho's are in season and I’ve seen some pretty amazing deals lately. I usually buy a few pounds, slice the fillets in thin, 4 to 6 oz pieces and freeze some for later. Although summer is the ideal time for eating mostly raw fruits and vegetables, fish meals provide very important nutrients. In particular, EPA and DHA omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, niacin, vitamin B6, selenium and phosphorus. Salmon is low in mercury so it can be enjoyed regularly.
EPA and DHA are the omega 3 fatty acids most beneficial to your health and are vital for brain development and maintaining healthy arteries. You cannot get EPA and DHA from plants. The body can convert ALA omega 3 into EPA and DHA but not everyone’s body does this efficiently. One half of the fat in the human brain is DHA. This nutrient is especially important for pregnant women for proper fetal development.
You also cannot get vitamin B12 from plants. So vegans MUST supplement with this vitamin or they may eventually suffer from megaloblastic anemia, nerve demyelinization and other nervous system problems like confusion and depression. This is a good reason for raw foodists to enjoy an occasional piece of salmon.
Six ounces of Coho salmon cooked with dry heat provides:
236 calories
8 g fat
2 g saturated fat
94 mg cholesterol
0 carbohydrates
0 fiber
40 grams protein
1.9 g omega 3
1.8 g EPA and DHA
0.1 g omega 6
13.6 mg niacin (68% DV)*
1 mg B6 (48% DV)
8.6 mcg B12 (142% DV)
64.6 mcg selenium (92% DV)
548 mg phosphorous (54% DV)
* for adults based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet. Source, Nutritiondata.com
Fast and Easy
With 5 minutes of preparation and less than 15 minutes cooking time, this may be one of the easiest recipes you will ever make. I served this to a dozen people last weekend so feel free to double, triple and quadruple the recipe. The only difference is, it may take an extra minute or so to cook when you have lots of salmon in the pan.
***
Baked Honey Mustard Coho Salmon [serves 2]
3/4 pound wild Coho Salmon filet
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons local honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped -optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a small baking dish with olive oil. Wash off the salmon and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut into 2 equal pieces. Rub the pieces briefly in the oiled pan skin side up to coat the salmon and then turn them skin side down. In a small cup, mix mustard, honey, lemon juice and sea salt until smooth. Spoon the mixture over the top and sides of the salmon. Bake for 12 minutes or until salmon flakes with a fork (do not over cook). Top with black pepper to taste and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
