Ginger-Lime Seared Tuna with Spinach

I guess it's not a secret that Nick and I are thinking of having children (or at least, a child) at this point in our lives.  I mean, we're both thirty (or.....above, ahem....) and we've been together for a while and are ready for that next giant step!  That being said, no, I'm not pregnant, and nor do I plan to be in the really near future (although life never really goes as planned, right?!).  However I've been thinking about all of the foods that I'll have to limit (or omit) once I do get pregnant (and drinks.....wine, coffee, wahhhh!!!).  Tuna, one of my favorite types of fish, will definitely have to be an "every once in a while food", check out the mercury levels of your favorite fish (including tuna) in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Appendices.  And if you're pregnant and want to know how much tuna (and what types) you can and can't eat, check out AmericanPregnancy.org's recommendations.  

And of course we can't forget what the Monterey Bay Aquarium has to say.  If you would like more information, visit their website.  Here is the information on Ahi Tuna.

Source: MontereyBayAquarium.org
Basically when it comes to buying tuna, or any fish for that matter, it's best to know where your fish is coming from and how it was caught.  This may not be necessary all the time, but it's especially true if you're pregnant, have young kids who eat fish, or if you eat a specific type of fish on a regular basis.

Anyway...... because tuna tends to be higher in mercury, I'm getting my fill before I decide to start thinking about getting pregnant.  Next week I'll be posting a Clean Eating Magazine recipe for sesame seared tuna and carrot salad.  But today it's all about the ginger and lime!

Ginger Lime Seared Tuna with Spinach

Source  

Serves 4

Ingredients

1.5 pounds tuna steak, cut into 4 even pieces (use a high to sashimi grade if you're cooking it rare to medium rare)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lime juice

2 garlic cloves, minced *

1 piece of ginger (thumb-sized)

course salt and ground pepper to taste

1/2 Tbsp. butter

4 handfuls of fresh spinach

** NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet omit the garlic and replace the garlic taste by using a tuscan or garlic olive oil instead of regular olive oil.

Directions

1.  Mix olive oil and lime in a mixing bowl.  

2.  Crush ginger and mince, then mince garlic and add them with the salt and pepper into the bowl with the lime and oil.  Whisk thoroughly.

3.  Place tuna pieces in bowl, turn them over in 10 minutes (basically you are marinating each side for about 10 minutes)

4.  In hot skillet, melt the butter and then place tuna pieces in, pouring the rest of the marinade over them, about two to three minute son each side to sear to medium-rare.

5.  Place a handful of fresh spinach on each plate, then plate a tuna steak on each bed of spinach.  Use the leftover marinade and butter in the skillet to drizzle over the tuna and spinach.

Estimated nutrition facts for one serving

Nutrition Highlights: Under 500 calories, excellent source of protein, vitamin A and vitamin C, good source of iron.  Also, based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines, this recipe provides ~200-400 mg EPA/DHA.

The original recipe called for rice, but I thought spinach would be a better choice.  First off, it's a vegetable, and second, it's lower in carbohydrate so you can leave room for a dessert ;)

QUESTION: Do you like tuna??  What's your favorite kind and how do you like to prepare it?  I really love the lazy dinners of pouched tuna on top of a salad.  I don't do this often, but it's nice to have as an option sometimes. 

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Nick Makes a (Sustainable) Seabass Dinner, with Three Pepper Relish

I told Nick that all I wanted for my birthday this year (the big 3-0) was for him to make me dinner.  I know he gets nervous making me dinner because a) I have a lot of dietary restrictions due to my low FODMAPs diet and b) I like to eat pretty healthy, even on my birthday.  So, right away he started researching and planning ahead (planning ahead is rare for him, so I was impressed).  

I got some heat from a not-so-happy reader recently when I posted a recipe using a fish that was on the "avoid list" on Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program.  To be fair, the recipe I posted was one that could be modified to fit just about any fish (especially the lighter white fish, which is what I mentioned in the blog post).  I wasn't promoting the fish, necessarily, but the recipe, and the fact that you don't need to eat salmon or tuna in order to reap the benefits of fish. That being said, I realize I am a health care professional and need to be careful about what I post, so when Nick picked up "Seabass" for my birthday dinner, I freaked!  Chilean Seabass?  That's a no no.  That's a fish that is certainly not sustainable, and I was shocked to hear that the seafood department where Nick purchased the fish (which is that uses very sustainable seafood policies) was even carrying it! 

If your supermarket is selling Chilean Sea Bass and abides by the Marine Stewardship Counsil (MSC) standards, it's a much better product.  If you don't know, ask!

But the good news is that it was not Chilean Sea Bass, but instead a Mero Hawaiian Seabass (which is actually a type of grouper, sold under the name "Mero Sea Bass".  Yeah, grouper and sea bass are in the same family...who knew?!).  The Mero Hawaiian Seabass is actually "caught using environmentally friendly methods to reduce habitat damage and bycatch".  Nice work Nick. High five!  So, I went ahead and gave Nick the "ok" for this one.

Nick had it planned out pretty well.  I worked until about 6:30pm, and he started making dinner right when I walked in the door (because he knows how I like to take my time and unwind after work).  I could smell the deliciousness of the sauteed vegetables, roasted potatoes, and the fresh fish wafting through our house.....

It was dark by the time we ate, so the color wasn't great, but the end product was amazing.  Once again I thought; "Nick needs to cook more often"!

As it turns out Nick had gone to the grocery store looking for halibut, because the recipe he had was for halibut.  Of course, halibut can't be found fresh here in Ohio until later in March (not late January/early February....come on Nick, didn't you know?!  haha, jk. I didn't know that either).  That being said, you could make this recipe with halibut, if you can find it fresh.

Grilled Mero Hawaiian Seabass (or Halibut) with Three Pepper Relish

Serves 8

Source

Ingredients

Relish:
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered
1 red bell pepper, quartered

1 orange bell pepper, quartered

Cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped capers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced **

Fish:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

8 (6-ounce) skinless sea bass fillets (or halibut)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

**Note: If you are following a  low FODMAPs diet , omit the garlic and replace the olive oil with a  garlic-infused version.  And because Nick loves me so, he made sure to omit the garlic and use garlic-infused olive oil to make up for the garlic flavor, even though he loves garlic (I mean..who doesn't?!)!

Directions

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

2. To prepare relish, coat bell pepper pieces with cooking spray. Place pepper pieces on a grill rack; grill 3 minutes on each side or until lightly charred. Remove from grill; cool slightly. Coarsely chop bell pepper pieces. Combine chopped bell peppers, parsley, and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); set aside.

3. To prepare fish, brush oil evenly over fish. Sprinkle fish evenly with thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Place fish on grill rack; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with relish.

Nutrition Facts for 1/8th of recipe, made with Mero Hawaiian Seabass
** If made with halibut the calories will be only slightly higher **

NOTE:  The cholesterol on this is not accurate.  This recipe would have about 70 mg cholesterol, all from the seabass.


Nutrition Highlights: Under 200 calories, about 700-1000mg combined EPA and DHA (not bad!).  Salmon has double that, but many types of fish have much less.

QUESTION:  What was the last great meal you had made for you, at home or in a restaurant??

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Is Tilapia Healthy? (Confused Day Tuesday!)

You've probably noticed a couple tilapia recipes on this blog in the past.  Perhaps you were surprised that a dietitian would choose to eat tilapia.  After all, there have been some not-so-great things in the news over the past couple years about tilapia, mainly concerning the amount of omega-3 fatty acids it contains (or lacks).  But are any of the cases against tilapia really justified?  Maybe, but in my opinion there isn't a enough evidence to compel me to stop buying it and feeding it to my family.  Here are some pros and cons so you can make your own decision.

Cons

• Many people don't like the idea that almost all of the tilapia found in the US is farm-raised. This article from the New York Times, for example, paints a slightly disturbing picture of farm-raised tilapia and it's effect on the environment.  However, I'd like to point out that best practices are taking place in the United States and Latin America.  Look for tilapia from these places, according to the article.  Or, get to know your fish department and learn where your fish is coming from so you can better trust it's origin.

• If you are watching out for best practices when it comes to raising fish, you'll want to read this article.  As with most species of fish, you may be getting previously frozen fish that claims to be "fresh".  This means whoever raised and shipped your fish may have added things for "freshness" about which you may not be happy to hear (or put in your body).  Make sure you are aware of where your fish is from, and read the sign to see if it was "previously frozen" (most seafood departments will have this on their point of sale signs).

• Tilapia is not a significant source of omega-3, with only 135 mg per serving.  Compare this to salmon, which contains closer to 1800-200 mg per serving.  That's quite a difference.

• Some people say that tilapia is a poor choice because of the "imbalance of omegas", meaning the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is too high.  If you believe this is a problem, avoid tilapia, but read the Pro section below to learn why this many not really be a "con" after all.

Pros

• Worried about the mercury in tilapia?  You shouldn't be, it's one of varieties of fish with the lowest amount of mercury.  Check out appendix 11 in the USDA Dietary Guidelines to see more about mercury and omega-3 in your favorite fish variety.

• "Why is it that when I was growing up I never heard of tilapia?"; this is what I hear from customers at work, quite often.  It's a good question, I mean, even I hadn't really heard about tilapia until probably ten years ago.  The truth is, it's been around for thousands and thousands of years, but it's only become popular lately because it's become a popular fish to farm.  It's become popular among consumers because many people will eat it because it's not very fishy tasting.  It's a mild tasting fish that many people enjoy, and that is very versatile.

• While tilapia may be low in omega-3s (compared to other fish), it's also very low in calories, fat, and saturated fat.  Four ounces of raw tilapia contains only 120 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 1 gram saturated fat.  Compare that to some of your other favorite animal proteins and all of a sudden tilapia is looking pretty good!

• Tilapia does have a higher omega-6 content, but why is that so bad?  There is really no conclusive evidence that omega-6 is harmful, and in fact there is much more evidence that it plays a positive role in our health.    This section of the American Heart Association website provides a link to an article from Circulation (The AHA's Journal).  The conclusions are posted below;

 

Want to choose a more sustainable tilapia?  Check out the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch guide online.  Here are the best types of tilapia to buy, according to them; 

Buy tilapia from the US, which is farmed in a more sustainable manor, with less pollution.  For a good alternative, tilapia from places like Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Honduras are good too.

The bottom line is that you need to get the facts before making a decision that is right for you, and your family.   Right now the evidence suggests that while it may not be the best choice for your "two servings of fish per week" (you'll need to go elsewhere to get your omega-3s), it still fits into a healthy and balanced diet.   And if you're like me and you live with someone who really despises the taste of "fishy-fish"such as salmon, tilapia can be a nice compromise at the dinner table.  You may still not want to eat tilapia, and that's fine too, but I hope I cleared up some questions either way.

QUESTION:  What's your favorite type of seafood? Do you eat tilapia?

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Top Five Ways I Keep My Heart Pumping!

If you've never tried Tempt Hemp milk (made by Living Harvest), you must (and I'm not just saying that because they sent me free coupons to try their product.) It's just so creamy, rich, and delicious. In fact, I sometimes use hemp oil for dressings and to marinate meats/poultry. I enjoy the unique flavor and of course the essential fatty acids are an added bonus.

I recently wrote a post for Living Harvest's blog, titled "Top Five Ways I Keep My Heart Pumping!". Go ahead and check it out if you're interested. I'd love you for it ;)

Happy American Heart Month to you!