Gone fishing?

I did not like fish when I was growing up, but I also did not digest meat very well so as I started to learn how to cook fish in a way that I liked it, I could shift my eating habits and avoid meat. Some think they have to have meat to feel satisfied and full, but fish is just as much of a protein dense meal as meat is, -and easier to digest. The fats in fish are also healthier for you because the ratio of omega3 fatty acids are higher in fish than in meat and the saturated fats that are unhealthy for us are lower in fish.

Get your fish

There is a lot of conversation about wild fish versus farm raised fish. Wild caught fish are higher in toxins from the ocean but farm-raised fish are higher in toxins from the hatchery, depending on where they are being farmed. So really it is about checking your sources and decided if the fish you choose is a lower mercury wild caught not-overfished fish, or if it is farm-raised in a more eco-sustainable way.

So if you are not catching your own you can go to the fish market at the store or the farmer’s market and you might find just-caught or harvested fish and instead of buying a filet you can get the whole fish. Ask for it cleaned and scaled. All you have to do when you get home is stuff it and put it on the grill or in the oven. You can mix any herbs, chopped veggies or a paste of something you like inside the fish, or simply use sea-salt, pepper and lemon.

Serve with sides of vegetables.

INGREDIENTS:

Trout (whole and cleaned) – 1 per person

Fennel tops

Sea-salt

Fresh ground pepper

Cooking oil and olive oil

Serves 1-many

METHOD:

Clean the trout or any other whole fish, and chop fennel tops. Stuff the trout with the chopped fennel tops, and then add sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Prep the grill by rubbing the cut side of a regular potato on the grill; this makes it non-stick. Now, put the fish directly on the grill.

They only need about 5 minutes on each side, with the grill at 400 degrees. If an outdoor grill is not available, place the fish in a roasting pan and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.