For years the health benefits of salmon have been touted in the media. As a source of Omega-3 fatty acids – one of the good fats – salmon’s health benefits also have been widely researched. Chief among the advantages is lowering one’s risk of heart disease. Although some other fish are also high in Omega-3 fatty acids (including mackerel, herring, and sardines), salmon seems to be most frequently mentioned. The American Heart Association currently recommends that adults try to incorporate two or more servings a week of one of these fish into their diet.

I love fish, but have a tendency to cook mild white fish such as tilapia, sole, and cod. But a few weeks ago I decided to try to start incorporating salmon into my diet on a regular basis.I do have one, nearly fail safe recipe for salmon fillets. I put salmon between thick layers of fresh dill and poach it. But I can only get fresh dill weed for about one month in the summer, so this tends to be a late August/early September dish.

Since this is winter, and no fresh dill is available, I decided to try incorporating salmon in other ways into my diet. Not so easy. I started with a few salmon fillets. First, I baked one after marinating it with lemon juice and a bit of olive oil and pepper. Boring. The next night I tried poaching one in a bit of white wine. Again, boring. And not so tasty.

Never one to give up too quickly, I decided to grill a salmon fillet. I don’t have access to an outdoor grill, so used my trusty George Foreman indoor grill. I marinated the fillet once again in a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. Clearly I don’t have the knack for grilling salmon as it came out quite dry and overcooked.

I then flipped to canned salmon, which was a bit more of a success. I made a salmon salad sandwich (reduced fat mayo, pickles, celery, and canned salmon). Placed on whole wheat bread with some lettuce and tomato, it was quite tasty. I next found a recipe for baked salmon patties which in theory sounded good. The canned salmon was mixed with panko bread crumbs, one egg, and a variety of seasonings. Clearly I did something wrong because the patties all mushed together into one rather big blob. It tasted okay but just didn’t work out as planned.

So out of all of this I have one new way of making salmon: salmon salad sandwiches. I do like them and could probably eat them twice a week for years. But I really would like to add a bit of variety into my salmon eating. Do you ever cook salmon? If you do, what are your favorite ways of preparing it. Alternatively, do you eat mackerel, herring, or sardines? I like all three of those, but have only ever had them in restaurants, so would be very curious to learn about any ideas you have for making them at home.

-LinnieGayl

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My first memory is sitting with my mother on a blanket in our backyard surrounded by books and she is reading one of them to me. My love of reading was encouraged by my parents and it continues to today. I’ve gone through a lot of different genres over the years, but I currently primarily read mysteries (historical mysteries are my favorites) and romances (focusing on contemporaries, categories, and steampunk). When I’m not reading or working, I love to travel, knit, and work on various community projects.