Foil pouch salmon, squash and zucchini dinner

  I like getting my Omega-3s the old fashioned way ? by eating fish! One of my favorites is to grilled wild caught salmon. Wild Atlantic salmon (6 oz. cooked) has 3,130 mg of EPA and DHA, and Wild Coho salmon (6 oz. cooked) has 1800 mg according to Nutrition Action Health Article: Omega Medicine? Is fish oil good for what ails you? (PDF).

Wild caught vs farm raised fish

I prefer wild caught because I?ve read that farmed salmon are given antibiotics to help fight disease outbreaks. I don?t like antibiotics in my beef, pork, turkey or chicken, so why would I want it in my fish? I also believe that fish farming is harmful to the environment.

More information on fish farming and the benefits of wild caught fish can be found at:

Is Fish Farming Safe? from Time magazine
Salmon farming in Canada from the Living Oceans Society
Smart Fish: A PDF guide for Minnesota moms, moms-to-be and kids under 15 from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
Wild-caught salmon has less PCB contaminants than farmed salmon says the Center for Science in the Public Interest

 

 

Cooking salmon

Since you?re spending a little more on wild caught versus farm raised salmon, you want to make sure you cook it perfectly. The easiest way is making it ? along with your favorite vegetables ? in a foil pouch. I got this idea from the July/August 2010 issue of Clean Eating magazine and from The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great by Pam Anderson.

Both Pam?s cookbook and Clean Eating gave elaborate  recipes for sauces and seasonings. I simplified it by using herbs I had on hand and vegetables fresh from my garden. I cooked my on the grill but you can also cook foil pouches in the oven.

Foil pouch salmon, squash and zucchini dinner

Serves 2

1-12 ounce salmon fillet
1 tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dried herbs like thyme, dill or herbes de provence
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small summer squash, diced
1 small onion, diced

Preparation:

Tear off a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil ? about 20 inches. Place on a flat surface, long side facing you.
Place fish in center foil. Drizzle both sides of fish with oil.
Season with salt and pepper.
Placed diced vegetables on top and season with herbs.
Grasp top and bottom edges of foil (the long sides) and pull up over the food, pinching together at the top.
Begin folding the foil down toward the food until it is about 2 inches from the food.
Grasp the right side of the foil and fold at least twice toward the center to seal.
Repeat with the left side.

Stove cooking instructions:

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat over to 500 degrees.
Set foil packet on a large baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and let stand for 3 minutes.
Open packet carefully to test fish for doneness (fish should be flakey). If the fish is ready, serve.
If needed, close the packet back up to cook a few more minutes.

Grill cooking instructions:

On a gas grill, ignite all the burners on high for 5 to 10 minutes.
Set foil packet on hot rack, cover and grill for 8 minutes.
Remove from grill and let stand for 3 minutes.
Open packet carefully to test fish for doneness (fish should be flakey). If the fish is ready, serve.
If needed, close the packet back up and place back on grill for a few more minutes.

Nutritional information:

Calories 444
Calories from Fat 252
Total Fat 28.0g
Saturated Fat 5.2g
Cholesterol 107mg
Sodium 117mg (before adding salt)
Total Carbohydrates 7.4g
Dietary Fiber 2.0g
Sugars 3.5g
Protein 39.4g
Vitamin A 7%
Vitamin C 48%
Calcium 6%
Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade B+ from CalorieCount 

Weight Watchers POINTS = 10 for 6 ounces of salmon or 7 for 4 ounces

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