Salmon today, healthy tomorrow.

For The Love And Health Benefits Of Salmon

I love to eat healthy foods, so when it comes to a well-balanced diet, I want recipes that taste great, look enticing, and are easy to prepare. What you cook are easy Lifestyle Changes that can make an enormous difference in your life. Once you get the hang of what ingredients and recipes are best for your palette and plate, staying healthy is that much easier! One of my favorite healthy recipes along with the numerous health benefits of its main ingredient, salmon, is featured below.

Sumac Salmon with Roast Fennel and Herb Dressing

This is one of my favorite salmon recipes bursting with flavor and nutrition. It’s a recipe I found from Australia’s renowned television chef and nutritionist, Zoe Bingley-Pullin.

Sumac salmon with fennel – yes, please!

Let’s start with your list of ingredients to add to your shopping list before you start cooking:

Ingredients

1 tbsp sumac
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup (165ml) extra virgin olive oil
8 x 150g salmon fillets (skin on)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup (125ml) verjuice
4 fennel bulbs, quartered lengthways
Micro coriander, to serve

Herb Dressing

1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves finely chopped
1/2 bunch lemon thyme, leaves chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

How To Prepare

Now that you are set with your food list, here is how to prepare this tasty dish popping with immune-boosting vitamins

To make the salmon, combine the sumac, lemon zest and juice, and 1/3 cup (80ml) oil in a bowl. Season, then add salmon fillets and turn to coat.
Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes to marinate. (Remove the salmon from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.) Preheat the oven to 425°F.
To make the fennel, combine the garlic, lemon zest and juice, and remaining 1/3 cup oil, in a bowl and season. Brush all over the fennel and place in an ovenproof dish. Roast for 50 minutes or until tender and slightly dark around the edges.
Meanwhile, place a large frypan over medium-high heat. Cook the salmon, skin-side down, for 4-5 minutes until skin is golden, turn and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the salmon is just cooked through. Set aside.
For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and season. Serve the salmon with fennel, micro coriander, and drizzled with dressing.

Now that your palette is pleased here are the benefits of the uber-healthy, immune-boosting salmon we all need as we approach back-to-school, cooler weather, and viruses that come along at this time.

The Benefits Of Salmon

As we know, this delicious and healthy fatty fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids – essential in that our body does not create this kind of fat on its own so we need to add it to our diet. The increase of omega-3 helps to reduce the unhealthy fatty acid omega-6 and lowers triglycerides and other factors that could lead to heart disease. Studies have shown that omega-3 also helps to decrease belly fat and fatty liver disease.

Salmon and its omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart.

This popular fish also offers a variety of vitamin B including B12, niacin, B6, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, thiamin, and folic acid. These vitamins turn the food you eat into energy and help to reduce chronic inflammation. In addition, Salmon provides 13% of the potassium recommended daily which helps to manage blood pressure and reduce your risk of stroke. Interestingly, potassium also helps to balance your sodium intake by preventing water retention.

Selenium, a trace mineral important to your body’s health, is another benefit of salmon. This mineral helps to protect your bones and decrease thyroid antibodies associated with individuals with autoimmune thyroid disease. It may also help reduce the likelihood of certain cancers.

Last and definitely not least given my bariatric expertise and weight management practice, Salmon helps in weight loss by regulating the hormones that control your appetite and make you feel full. Eating salmon and other healthy proteins, increase your metabolism while helping your body heal, maintain bone health, and protect muscle mass. And, it is low in calories so enjoy every bite!

By now you should be eager to make this recipe and to look for other ways to add salmon to your diet. This tasty and simple lifestyle change is an important part of meal planning when following a well-managed diet for weight loss.

Stay tuned for more healthy recipes in upcoming blog posts about weight loss, health, immunity, and more.

Yours in health,

Dr. Janine Darby of Lifestyle Changes