10 Healthiest Foods for Your Heart in 10 Days: Day 2

Salmon
If you are a parent, salmon is a literal lifesaver; on the practical front, kids love it because it is colorful with just enough taste to make them happy without tasting overly fishy, but eating 3.5 ounces twice per week of this omega-3 packed food can also reduce your blood pressure and your risk of dying from a heart attack by up to one-third. 

Salmon is a great protein source and can be prepared in a variety of ways, but before you can cook it, you have to know what to buy.  First, only buy wild salmon, never farm-raised, which contains more pesticides and insecticides, but you can find wild salmon in a can, with Costco's Kirkland brand being a great option.  When purchasing fresh salmon, avoid pieces with discoloration, darkening, or drying on the edges.  If the cut has flesh present, it should be shiny and no milk-colored slime should be present.  Finally, fish should never stink.  Take fresh fish home on ice or in a cooler, and store it in the coldest part of your refrigerator, where it may stay for up to twenty-four hours.  If you do not intend to cook it immediately, freeze it, but in groupings only large enough to provide a single meal, as fish should not be thawed and re-frozen.  If fresh fish is not an option, elect vacuum-packed, individually frozen pieces of fish, with the phrase "once frozen" on the label.  Much like fresh fish, only thaw what you need for a single meal, as it cannot be re-frozen.
Wild Pacific salmon comes in five varieties, with the two most common being King and Sockeye.  Sockeye has a slightly richer taste than King but both are tender and moist.  Coho is also common, but has a milder taste and is not as moist as the other two.  I, personally, love the King or Sockeye and am not a fan of the Coho, because I like a more robust salmon flavor and large flakes, but experiment to find your favorite.
Salmon is much like a lot of things in life, in that if you spend a little extra on it, you get a better fish and taste, but fish can be expensive, so shop around to find a place that stocks fresh fish at a reasonable price.  If you live in an area with a fish or farmer's market, such as the DeKalb Farmers Market in Atlanta, you have a great source, but Whole Foods runs specials multiple times per year on salmon that makes their prices comparable to a farmer's market, and when they do, stock up your freezer!    

To get two servings per week of salmon, you will need a variety of ways to use it, but salmon's mild taste makes it very versatile.  Below is a run-down of great salmon recipes, so experiment and find what you enjoy:
Omelet: use flakes of salmon from last night's dinner in your omelets or simply mix it in with your scrambled eggs to create a filling breakfast.  Serve it on a piece of whole wheat toast, which you could lightly spread with low-fat cream cheese, and sprinkle with a pinch of dill. 

Salmon Salad (see recipe) uses canned wild salmon to create a flavorful and healthy salad that offers both twang and sweetness.  It can be eaten plain or served with fresh sliced tomato on a piece of toasted whole wheat bread for a filling lunch.

Patty: fast, easy and kids love these.  Mix 1/2-3/4 of a cup of canned or fresh salmon per patty, ready-made (or make your own) whole wheat breadcrumbs, yellow mustard (to taste and consistency), 3T fresh, finely chopped onion and 2T red pepper per patty.  This recipe varies by the moisture in your fish and your love of mustard, though I generally use 1T+ per patty.  I would suggest mixing all other ingredients and then add just enough bread crumbs to hold it all together.  Make patties and cook on a skillet until cooked through.  Serve with slices of fresh tomato or if you want to go gourmet, serve with a vinegar based slaw for a crunch and twang against the rich salmon that will make your mouth sing.    

Salmon Steaks: fire up the grill and barbeque these thick pieces of meat.  This cut is filled with bones, but the extra work is well-worth it for the moist and flavorful meat that comes from this cut.  Try brining first in salt, brown sugar, and fresh minced garlic for extra moisture and then lightly sprinkle with brown sugar once on the grill.  Grill until fish flakes easily, though times will vary by grill.

Fillet: nothing is simpler or faster than preparing a salmon fillet (see recipe), but you can also smoke one for a treat that goes beautifully over a fresh salad with sautéed asparagus.  My other favorite place to flake a salmon fillet is over a homemade pizza.  

Finally, if you are looking for simple, fast meals that kids will love, try our Two Minute rice meal or, my son's favorite couscous topped with canned wild salmon.