Should We Still Buy (and eat) Salmon?
I remember how – still not so long ago – salmon was considered a delicacy enjoyed occasionally. Whether smoked or raw, prepared in any preferred way, it used to mark special occasions.
Nowadays, it has become so much more popular and widely available. Although (just like with the hen and the egg) I am not sure what was first – the popularity or the availability, I know that farming of salmon caused this situation.
Initially, it sounded like a great idea – more people could enjoy a very healthy fish. However, in the long run, that idea backfired.
Wild salmon eat food they find in their natural habitat: invertebrates, plankton, small fish.
Farmed salmon live in a completely different environment, and feed on a processed high-fat and high-protein food that makes the fish grow fast. As a result, farmed salmon contains more calories and fat (especially unhealthy saturated fat). Additionally, it often includes antibiotics; it may also be higher in contaminants than the wild fish.
From the other hand, we hear that today’s fishing is often carried out irresponsibly, threatening ecosystems.
So should we buy and eat wild salmon after all?
The answer is yes, as long as we know it is MSC certified sustainable fish. How to check it? If you buy it in a supermarket, the packaging will have a blue MSC logo. And if you buy it elsewhere, you can always ask a fishmonger about it.
Tomato and Beetroot Salmon – a Perfect Recipe for Any Occasion
And how to prepare the healthy wild salmon that came from sustainable fishing?
Most probably, we all have our favourite salmon recipes (I have quite a few of them on my blog). But why not try something new like this delicious Tomato and Beetroot Salmon. In my opinion, the slightly sour sauce made with baby beetroot and cherry tomatoes matches the fatty fish perfectly. This dish tastes divine with buttered new potatoes sprinkled with dill. Very simple but sooo good!
Tomato and Beetroot Salmon
Ingredients
- 250 g baby beetroot (with leaves)*
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic , sliced
- 200 g cherry tomatoes , halved
- 2 skinless salmon fillets
- 5 tbsp water
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper.
Instructions
- Wash the baby beets thoroughly; cut out the beets' roots and cut them into thicker matchsticks. Chop thinly the beets' stems and leaves (keep the leaves separately).
- On a big frying pan warm up 1 tbsp olive oil, add the garlic slices and fry for 15 seconds, then add all the beets' stems and pieces, stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, fry for 5 minutes and finally add the chopped leaves and water and fry for further 5 minutes.
- After you add the tomatoes, on a separate frying pan warm up the remaining oil and fry the seasoned salmon fillets for 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Season the vegetables and add lemon juice.
- Serve the fried salmon on top of the vegetables with buttered new potatoes.
Notes
Related Recipes:
https://tastesofhealth.eu/recipe/asian-soup-with-salmon-and-kale/
https://tastesofhealth.eu/recipe/beetroot-soup-borscht/
https://tastesofhealth.eu/recipe/raw-beet-salad-with-apples-carrots-and-pomegranate/
