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Kalyn Denny is a former third grade teacher from Salt Lake City, Utah, who discovered blogging when she wanted a place to share her recipes online....
 
 
 
 

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Weekend Menu Planning: Eat More Heart Healthy Fish in February

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Did you know that February is American Heart Month and that the American Heart Association recommends eating fish that's high in Omaga-3 fatty acids at least twice a week? I love fish and cook it fairly often, but when I checked to see which fish have the most Omega-3, I realized I could do better at eating the right types of fish. Salt water fish, especially salmon, fresh tuna, herring, mackerel, and sardines are highest in Omega-3 fatty acids, but some freshwater fish is also good, especially lake trout, channel catfish, and carp.

With this in mind, I decided that for this edition of Weekend Menu Planning, I'd find some irresistible fish recipes to entice you to cook more of the right types of fish. I'm focusing on salmon and tuna, which are the most widely available of the high Omega-3 types of fish, but if you scroll past the photos there are some ideas for other types too.

(For vegetarians, be sure you're eating dishes that contain flax seed oil, rape seed oil, walnuts, and tofu, which are also good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids.)

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Photo of Seared Tuna Pepper Steak
from Blue Kitchen

Fresh tuna is one of the recommended types of fish for heart health, and eating sushi is one delicious way to get it, but if making sushi at home seems like too much trouble I think this Seared Tuna Pepper Steak from Blue Kitchen captures some of those Asian flavors that go so well with tuna.

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Photo of Sesame-Seared Tuna with Lime Ginger Vinaigrette
from Steamy Kitchen

Another tuna recipe with an Asian twist that sounds delicious is this Sesame-Seared Tuna with Lime Ginger Vinaigrette from Steamy Kitchen. I love this way these tuna steaks are smeared with wasabi before they're cooked.

More Heart-Healthy Tuna:

Seared Ahi Tuna ~ from Simply Recipes
Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna Steak ~ from Eclectic Recipes
Sicilian Grilled Tuna with Oregano Oil ~ from Hunter Gardener Angler Cook
Tuna Nicoise-ish Salad ~ from The Perfect Pantry
Tuna Lumpia (Spring Rolls) ~ from Home Cooking Rocks

Photobucket
Photo of Roasted Salmon and Asparagus
from Kitchen Parade

Salmon is the other heart-healthy fish that's widely available. When you have good salmon, roasting is one of the simplest ways to cook it, and I think the Roasted Salmon and Asparagus at Kitchen Parade looks like a lovely dinner.

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Photo of Asian Flavored Wild Salmon Patties with Ginger,
Scallions, and Sesame-Lime Mayonnaise
from Kalyn's Kitchen

Salmon is the one healthful fish I cook quite often, but I'd never tried a recipe like these Asian Flavored Wild Salmon Patties with Ginger, Scallions, and Sesame-Lime Mayonnaise, and they really wowed me!

More Heart-Healthy Salmon:

Salmon and Corn Cakes ~ from White on Rice Couple
Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Salmon ~ from A Year of Slow Cooking
Salmon Confit ~ from Nami Nami
Baked Salmon with White Wine Dill Sauce ~ from Life's Ambrosia
Salt-Baked Wild Salmon with Tomato Aioli and Potatoes ~ from Leite's Culinaria

Recipe Ideas for Other Heart-Healthy Types of Fish:

Two Foolproof Swedish Herring Recipes ~ from My Recipes
Salted Herring, Estonian Style ~ from Nami Nami
Grilled Mackerel with Flageolet Beans, Guanciale, Preserved lemon, and Parsley oil ~ from Wright Food
Mackerel in Tomato Sauce ~ from Christine's Recipes
Marinated Sardines ~ from Spanish Recipes
Salt Grilled Sardines ~ from la Fuji Mama
Spicy Baked Rainbow Trout ~ from Indian Food Rocks
Crispy Trout with Cilantro and Macadamia Nut Sauce ~ from Seduction Meals
Vietnamese Claypot Catfish ~ from Hunter Gardener Angler Cook
Common Carp Baked in Salt ~ from Rubber Slippers in Italy

Sources:

Which Species of Fish Has the Most Fish Oil
Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fish Oil and Your Health

What's your favorite out of all these heart-healthy types of fish? If you have a good recipe to share, please let us know about it in the comments.

(Every week on BlogHer, we spotlight five recipes with a common theme for a feature called Weekend Menu Planning, hoping one of them might make it onto the menu at your house. You can find previous recipes shared by checking the Weekend Menu Planning Archives or clicking the tag Weekend Menu Planning.)

Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn's Kitchen, where she's focused on creating low-glycemic recipes using fresh ingredients. Kalyn's favorite heart-healthy fish is

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Kalyn Denny 5 pts

And don't forget that Rainbow Trout is the state fish of Utah!

Kalyn Denny Kalyn's Kitchen ( http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com )

fabfrugalfoodie 5 pts

Fabulously frugal recipes - for foodies. ( http://www.fabfrugalfood.com/ )

My fave heart-healthy fish is trout - it has a lighter and fresher taste and texture than its cousin, salmon. And, it's a smaller fish lower on the food chain, so it doesn't have the same risks that eating the larger predators like salmon and tuna and has less of an environmental impact than those bigger guys.

I highly recommend Alton Brown's episode
"The Once and Future Fish." - so fun!

Kalyn Denny 5 pts

I can't get fresh sardines in Utah but I've eaten them at one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco (Contigo) and absolutely loved them. I think they'd be heavenly with your lemon and olive oil sauce!

Kalyn Denny Kalyn's Kitchen ( http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com )

Mamma Mia 5 pts

How come anything I cook never looks like that?! I wanted to dive into my computer and EAT it.

Mamma Mia aka Tove Cecilie Fasting is a writer and runs a small hotel in a village in northern Greece.

My Fabulous Life in Greece ( http://myfabulouslifeingreece.kairos-holidays.com )

Mamma Mia 5 pts

I am crazy about fresh grilled sardines, served with the classic Greek My Fabulous Life in Greece ( http://myfabulouslifeingreece.kairos-holidays.com )

Womens Voices 5 pts

It is key to protect the heart, and fish is certainly a key ingredient in keeping the heart healthy.

We always believe a second ingredient is information - staying informed about heart issues and how they affect women specifically. For this important month, we had a
post about what every women should know about heart attacks.

Women's Voices for Change ( http://www.womensvoicesforchange.org/ ) | @WomensVoices ( http://www.twitter.com/womensvoices ) | WVFC Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/Womens.Voices.For.Change )

Kalyn Denny 5 pts

I have a friend who hates salmon, which I just don't get. I agree, it pairs so well with so many flavors. Never seen cod loin here, and I've been disappointed in the frozen cod I've tried.

Kalyn Denny Kalyn's Kitchen ( http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com )

Lydia 5 pts

I probably cook salmon more often than any other fish. The closest fish market is more than 10 miles away, and when I do get there, I look for cod loin (a beautiful cut of fish, easy to find in New England) or tuna. What I love about salmon is how well it pairs with other flavors, sweet or spicy.

Lydia
www.theperfectpantry.com ( http://www.theperfectpantry.com )

Kalyn Denny 5 pts

Your salmon on top of the noodles looks just delicious!

Kalyn Denny Kalyn's Kitchen ( http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com )

lisalawless 5 pts

I don't eat red meat, so I often turn to fish and as my protein of choice. And, tuna is hard to resist, but I try to avoid it because it's over-fished and because of the mercury content. For a favorite, I would have to choose wild salmon. Here's a dish I posted recently:
http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/2011/02/seaweed-... ( http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/2011/02/seaweed-... )

lisa from lisa is cooking

http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/ 
@lisaiscooking