Healthy and some unhealthy ways to cook salmon

Healthy and some unhealthy ways to cook salmon

The health benefits of fish are well documented, as evidenced by the American Heart Association's recommendation to eat at least two servings of fish per week for a healthier heart. Salmon has been named one of the best types of fish for health reasons. It is at the top of the list of foods that burn fat.

Salmon has the added benefit of tasting very good and being easy to prepare. Due to high demand, farmed salmon poses some health risks that the industry is not necessarily keen to address. Since virtually all of the fresh salmon we consume comes from farms, it is important to know the healthiest ways to prepare it if we want to reap the benefits of this delicious fish.

Most of the pollutants in farmed salmon are found in the fish's fat and skin. Therefore, when looking for the healthiest preparation, we will look for ways to boil or eliminate these contaminated areas. Additionally, some types of cooking are inherently better than others, so we'll look at these factors and make recommendations for preparing salmon.

With that in mind, we're going to stay away from frying or deep-frying, and oily fish like salmon doesn't steam well. When preparing salmon, you can use strong spices and marinades because it has a stronger flavor than most types of fish. There are literally hundreds of salmon recipes online, so I won't go into favorites other than to say that I love dill with my salmon. But it's all personal choice.

1. Grilled. Quick and healthy grilling works well for salmon as it is usually cut thick and is considered fatty. If you're worried it might fall apart on the grill, cook it on a piece of foil.

2. Baking. As with grilling, the fish can be marinated before cooking or sprinkled with a little lemon and your favorite herbs and spices. Avoid recipes that call for large amounts of mayonnaise, butter, oil, or cheese.

3. Poached. I'm not a huge fan of poached salmon, but many people swear by this method. I think it works very well for tilapia and other light fish, but other cooking methods better bring out the wonderful properties of salmon.

One constant with fish is not to overcook it. Even salmon is much more delicate than meat and can easily dry out if cooked for too long, so grill, bake or broil over high heat for shorter periods of time. Additionally, overcooking destroys much of its high nutritional value. The other constant when buying fish is the fresher the better.

Granted, there's nothing better than a beautifully cooked piece of fresh salmon, but a safer and perhaps even more nutritious alternative is canned Alaskan salmon. There are many recipes for salmon cakes, chowder, salads and many other alternatives on the Internet. Just because it's canned doesn't mean it can't be delicious.