Real Food, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, IBD-AID (Phase I), Paleo, AIP (omit pepper), Whole30
A QUICK WEEKNIGHT MEAL
Baked Salmon is my go-to weeknight meal when I need real-food real fast. If you have fresh salmon on hand, you can take it from the package to the plate in fifteen minutes. Tack on an extra fifteen minutes if you need to thaw frozen salmon filets. They can be thawed quickly by placing the wrapped filets in a water bath. Even then…a thirty minute meal on a weeknight? Yes, please.
FOOD IS INFORMATION FOR THE BODY
I love this quote :
Food is information, not just calories. Food influences gene function, hormones, your immune system and even your gut flora. Literally, food controls every function within your body.
Dr. Mark Hyman
If what we eat is that important, what role does salmon play as “information” for the body?
Salmon is a nutrient dense, highly beneficial food. You may have heard of Omega-6 or Omega-3 fatty acids. In the average American diet, 80% of the fats consumed are Omega-6 fats. These fats contribute to inflammation, which is the fuel for nearly every disease known to man. To lower this inflammatory burden, we need to include more Omega-3 foods in our diet. Think of it as balancing or tipping the scales. Instead of creating inflammation, a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids fights inflammation.
Dr. Sarah Ballantyne has a great article about the way in which our bodies use these fats. If you like to dig deep into the science, you’ll love her writing. I’d like to share one quote here.
The omega-3s that our bodies really need are DHA and EPA. The shorter-chain omega-3 fatty acid ALA, which is found in flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts, is not easily used by the body because it must first be converted to DHA or EPA, which is a very inefficient process. A 3½-ounce serving of oily cold-water fish like wild-caught salmon, sardines, albacore tuna, trout, or mackerel has more than 500 milligrams of DHA and EPA.
Dr. Sarah Ballantyne
So while you can find Omega-3s in plant based foods, they are most useful to the body when consumed through wild-caught cold-water fish like salmon.
I generally cut my salmon into smaller filets before baking.
WHY WILD-CAUGHT?
When sourcing fish, look for wild caught varieties over farmed fish. Factory farms pack fish tightly into unsanitary conditions. The fish are often diseased and require antibiotics to maintain a semblance of health. Also, the nutritional quality of fish is dependent upon what the fish eat in their lifetime. Wild fish consume a diverse, natural diet. Farmed fish are fed fortified feed, which may result in a higher Omega-3 profile, but that comes with a higher contaminant burden as well. In packaging, farmed fish are often injected with dye to make them look as appealing as their wild-caught relatives. Check out this article for more details.
This is why I choose wild-caught over farmed when making Baked Salmon for dinner.
Baked Salmon
Notes
I recommend that while baking the salmon at 425, you throw some quick-cooking vegetables on a roasting pan on the lower rack. I often do asparagus or green beans or broccoli while cooking salmon. They’ll complete this quick week-night meal.
Ingredients
- roasting pan
- parchment paper
- 1 lb. salmon filet
- olive oil
- sea salt
- white pepper
- suggested additions…pick and choose, not all at once (fresh rosemary, dill, or thyme, cumin, thinly sliced lemon pieces, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper and lay it on the roasting pan. Remove the salmon from packaging and pat it dry. (You can choose to cook the salmon as one large filet or cut it into smaller portions. I generally cut mine into 3-4 smaller fillets before cooking.) Lay the salmon atop the parchment paper, skin side down.
- Drizzle a line of olive oil across the length of each piece of salmon. With a brush or your fingers, pat the olive oil to cover all exposed sides of the salmon.
- Liberally salt and pepper. (Sometimes I only use salt and pepper. If serving Mexican sides, I add cumin. If I have fresh herbs on hand, I’ll add those instead. Sometimes I like thinly sliced lemon atop the salmon. Get creative and mix up your choices.)
- Bake the salmon on the top rack for ten minutes. (This generally cooks the salmon all the way through.) You may need to increase cooking time if you are cooking the salmon as one piece instead of smaller filets.
- After baking, turn the broiler on high. Broil the salmon until a crust begins to form on top. This happens quickly, so keep an eye on it. It will probably take 3-5 minutes. If you go too long, the parchment paper will begin to burn.
- Serve and enjoy.
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