Fish provides us with good protein source. It is always good to eat more fish than meat. Below are a few simple and healthy catfish recipes and baked fish recipe.

Pan-Seared Catfish with Light Cream Sauce
Serves 4

Exchanges/Choices:
1/2 Starch
5 Lean Meat
1 Fat

Basic Nutritional Values:
Calories 305
Fat 15g
Cholesterol 100mg
Sodium 155mg
Carbohydrate 8g
Protein 30g

Ingredients:
4 catfish fillets (6 oz each)
Pinch salt
Pinch black pepper
2 Tbsp flour, sifted
2 tsp olive oil

Sauce:
1 tbsp minced shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup fish stock
1/2 cup fat-free half & half
2 tsp minced thyme
1 Tbsp chopped scallions

Methods:
Place the catfish on a flat surface. Season with salt and pepper and then dredge in sifted flour.
Preheat a saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Place fillets carefully in pan and cook until golden brown. Turn over and repeat until fish is cooked. Remove fish from pan.
Add shallots to pan and sweat them. Add white wine to de-glaze, reduce until almost dry. Add fish stock and half & half, bring to a simmer.
Add a small amount of water to the cornstarch to make slurry and whisk into sauce to thicken.
Add thyme and finish with scallions.
Pour sauce over fish and serve.

Baked Salmon with Mango Vinaigrette
Serves 4

Exchanges/Choices:
5 Lean Meat
2 Fat

Basic Nutritional Values:
Calories 325
Total Fat 19g
Cholesterol 115mg
Sodium 90mg
Total Carbohydrate 1g
Protein 36g

Ingredients:
4 salmon steaks/fillets (6 oz each)
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch salt
Green peppercorns, to taste
8 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tbsp mango vinaigrette

Method:
Place salmon in a baking dish. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat salmon with extra-virgin oil. Season with salt and green peppercorns. Place a few sprigs of thyme on top of the salmon. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 375 Fahrenheit until salmon is fully cooked.
Drizzle 1 tbsp of mango vinaigrette over the salmon and serve immediately.

Fish are one of the best food stuffs you can eat. They contain great natural oils that are not only good for the brain but also for your skin. The fatty acids contained in Omega 3 can contribute to the health of the brain and retina. Eating fish twice a week can reduce the risk of Heart disease, Dementia, cholesterol, High blood pressure and children who eat fish regular have less of a tendency to become obese.

Here are five quick and easy fish recipes that can be prepared in minutes in you microwave oven. Why use your microwave? Because if you get right it really is the best way to cook fish.If cooked with the right covering the fish will steam naturally in its own juices.

1; Garlic Cod or Monkfish. Time seven minutes

Take a piece of monkfish or cod of about eight ounces and place it in a microwave safe dish and cover with a microwave safe covering. Cook on full power for about two and a half minutes. Remove the fish from the microwave and leave to stand for two minutes. Crush a couple of cloves of garlic and scatter over the fish add a knob of butter and cook on full power for another minute and a half and remove from the microwave. Squeeze some lime juice over the fish and black pepper leave to stand for another minute. Serve with a rocket salad. Stunningly tasty quick and easy to prepare and best of all extremely healthy.

2; Chili and Lime Tuna;

Take an eight ounce piece of Tuna and place it in a microwave dish and cover it with a microwave safe cover. Cook for two minutes and remove from the microwave. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes and drizzle with some chili oil. Cook for a further minute and leave to stand for another couple of minutes.

Check the fish to make sure that it is cooked. It is important though not to over cook tuna as it will be really dry and taste awful. Squeeze some lime over the Tuna and serve.

3;Red Snapper.

Take a Red Snapper fillet and put it in your microwave dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle a little Cajun seasoning. Cook for four minutes on full power. Season with salt and pepper and leave to stand for a couple of minutes. This is then ready to be served. One of the quickest and easiest ways to serve this great tasting fish.

4; Shrimp.

Take the heads off some shrimp and place you your microwave dish. Do not peel the shrimp. Cover and cook for two minutes. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes and serve with some lemon and cracked black pepper butter. The works best with bigger shrimp, But which ever ones you use the flavours are always amazing.

5; Italian style Cod;

Chop some tomatoes and basil into a bowl, add a couple of spoons of olive oil and toss the ingredients together. Take an eight ounce cod fillet and place it in a microwave dish. spoon the tomato and basil mixture over the fish. Cook on full power for four to five minutes. Remove the dish from the microwave and leave to stand for a couple of minutes. The fish will be infused with the basil and blends wonderfully with the tomato. Just serve with rice or pasta and enjoy another beautiful fish dish

There are many tilapia fish recipes, each of which offers a slightly different texture and taste. Tilapia is very versatile and there are several recommended cooking methods, baking being one of the best.

Not only are all baked fish recipes delicious but also tilapia is a very healthy fish and an ideal part of a nutritionally balanced diet. Tilapia is a mild-flavored fish, which means you can feel free to use tilapia fish recipes with strong sauces. Eating Tilapia, twice a week has various health benefits and this fish is available all year round.

A small piece of salmon contains 158 calories and the same sized piece of tilapia has only 85. The salmon contains 7.9g of fat and the tilapia only 1g for the same sized portion.

Tilapia Fish Recipes – Health Benefits

A small portion of tilapia fish has about half the calories of an equal size piece of salmon. The salmon ways in with a whooping 158 calories, which as said is about double! In addition tilapia contains only 1g of fat compared to 7.9g of fat in the same sized portion of salmon.

Tilapia contains no carbohydrates or fiber. It is low in sodium and a good source of phosphorus and niacin. Tilapia is also a plentiful source of selenium, protein, and vitamin B12. The only negatives are that it is quite high in cholesterol and does not contain healthy omega-3 fatty oils but you can make up for this by consuming oily fish such as mackerel or salmon once or twice a week too.

Tilapia fish recipe nutrients vary depending on how the fish is prepared and cooked and what fats or sauces are added. You can marinate tilapia but you should only marinate it for a short time because else the proteins will be broken down, resulting in mushy fish. Grilling is another cooking method although tilapia does tend to be thin and small, meaning it tears easily if you are not careful. It needs only a few minutes grilling else it might dry out. Tilapia has a delicate taste and suits most seasonings. Grilling is a healthy way of cooking tilapia. You might want to grill a whole fish with some seasoning added or you might want to marinate it first.

You can use a baked tilapia recipe too. You will need to add fat by brushing on some oil or melted butter, to ensure the fish remains moist. This type of fish can dry out easily because there is very little fat content, so using butter or oil has great results.

You might like to place the tilapia on a bed of celery and onion or bake some vegetables with it or some thinly sliced vegetables on top of it to add moisture during cooking. If you want to saute the tilapia, this will also require butter or oil. If you do not want to add extra fats, steaming the tilapia is also a good cooking method.

Tilapia Fish Recipes Using Oil

You can bake or saute tilapia in oil or melted butter. If you would rather use oil, peanut, or sunflower oil are good choices, as they will not change the flavor of the fish. Many other oils will add their taste to the tilapia. Olive oil or canola oil can be used but you will be able to taste the oil flavor as well as the fish. Preparing tilapia with fats is also healthy, since fats are one of the major food groups required for overall good health.

Eating fish is an enjoyable and tasty treat when you use healthy recipes. There are lots of health benefits when you eat fish cooked using healthy fish recipes. Many studies support the nutritional values contained in fish. It gives your body enough nutrients and even improves your health.

At least once or twice in your weekly diet, you must not fail to include fish. According to studies, eating fish at least once a week will lessen the threat of any heart problem. Fish rich in Omega-3 is very beneficial in your body.

Oily fish such as mackerel is rich in omega-3. Omega-3 shields your heart and blood circulation thus, reducing chances of heart disease. Furthermore, Omega-3 lightens your mood during depression. It also prevents problems in your joint, Alzheimer’s and even cancer.

Health studies show that Omega – 3 is also important in brain development. Fish can also be a source of vitamins that will help you maintain a healthy nerve tissue, gives you stronger bones and teeth, plus a glowing complexion.

Fish is important in the growth and development of your muscular and body tissues as well. Also fish contains low fats and a great source of protein.

Other benefits of fish in your diet includes good source of low fat and protein, importance in the growth and development of muscular and body tissues, and reduces heart problems. It can also prevent dementia, cholesterol, high blood pressure and even obesity in children.

Seafood like scallops and crabs are rich in nutrients. It contains the essential nutrients like iron and zinc that is needed in your body.

Always include in your diet to cook a healthy fish recipe once or twice a week. Having a healthy fish recipe once or twice a week can give you lots of nutrients because fish is low in calories and low in saturated fats.

When you cook your preferred choice of healthy fish recipes, you can opt to cook it either by poaching, baking, roasting or grilling. There are many ways to cook fish and many healthy fish recipes are also available online to help you in your diet.

There are plenty of different ways of cooking fish and it is fun to try different methods. Depending on whether you are using a whole fish, steaks of fillets, you might like to try braising, deep or shallow frying, steaming or even cooking the fish on a wood fish board. Stuffed fish tastes delicious and adds texture. Round fish are the best for stuffing because the body cavity is larger. Most stuffing is made from breadcrumbs, which expand when they cook, so do not use too much. If you are using sea bass, a parsley and walnut pesto makes a great stuffing. If you have fillets, you can sandwich them with stuffing or roll them, then oven-bake them.

Different Ways of Fish Cooking

Poaching usually gives excellent results. To poach fish, you need to add herbs, seasoning and a thickener such as cream. You can use this as a sauce to serve with the fish. Steaming is easy and suits whole fish, steaks, or fillets. To steam fish, put it in a steamer over boiling water and make sure you use a tight-fitting lid.

Oven baking and roasting give great results and suit whole fish or fillets. You need to add oil or butter, seasoning, herbs and white wine to the fish, in an ovenproof dish. For very tender and moist flesh, you can cook the fish “en papillote”, which is in sealed paper or foil. This means the fish will cook it its own steam. You can add lemon or limejuice, fresh herbs and white wine to the foil parcel before cooking, for more flavors. To braise fish, you place it on some sauted vegetables in an ovenproof dish. Pour over white wine and bouillon, put a lid on the dish, and bake it for 20 minutes or so.

Grilling is a good way of cooking small whole fish or fillets. If you are using whole fish, slash the skin on both sides a few times and brush with melted butter or olive oil. Baste the fish during cooking and turn it halfway through. You might like to wrap the fish in foil with olive oil, herbs, and lemon juice before placing it on the grill.

You do not always need to heat fish in order to cook it. Ceviche is when you soak white fish, usually snapper, in chili, herbs, and lime juice. You can also use flounder, sole, or scallops. The acidic citrus juice cooks the fish.

Wood Fish Board for Cooking

Most types of wood are suitable for cooking fish, as long as the board is pest-free and untreated. You need to soak the wood before using it. Soak the wood for at least an hour, until it is totally waterlogged. This ensures it is going to give off enough steam to cook the fish.

You can use maple, apple, cherry, alder, or oak, but cedar is the most popular. You can only use a wood fish board once and you can buy it online or at a specialty food store.

Brushing your fish with oil stops it from sticking to the board. When you cook on a wood fish board, you do not flip the fish because it cooks indirectly. Once your fish is prepared, oiled on one side and seasoned, you need to place the fish board and fish directly on the grill. You can baste the fish during cooking but do not use anything flammable. The board should be over a low fire so as not to ignite.

Using a wood fish board to cook the fish results in a wonderful flavor. The wood will smolder, making the fish deliciously smoky. In addition, since you only use the board once, it really cuts down on washing up!

I recently went to my doctor and learned I have high cholesterol and my doctor recommended a diet with more fish in it. I wasn’t scared I knew the secrets to cooking fish and now I know just how easy and healthy fish recipes can be for me now I love to cook fish and do so often.

You can often find me in the kitchen cooking it is a true love of mine and I love experimenting with new and wonderful taste. I like to share these with visitors to my wife’s websites on cooking. Why not try one of our recipes like Baked Dijon Salmon just one of the recipes we like sharing with our four young sons.

Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. They are very beneficial for reducing the risk of heart diseases, blood pressure, helps to prevent arthritis, prevent abnormal functioning of the heart and also promote healthy functioning of the brain. There are many good food recipes which help you to improve your health by providing all necessary nutrients to your body. You will benefit from omega-3 fatty acids when you eat different fish dishes. Here is one of the interesting fish recipes for you to try at home.

Grilled mackerel with herbs – Ingredients required

For herb puree

Blanched, drained and chopped parsley leaves 25 g

Unsalted butter 15 g

Peeled and finely chopped shalots 15 washed, drained, chopped watercress with stalks removed

Whipping cream 50 ml

Pommery mustard 10 g salt 2 g

Freshly ground white pepper 1/2 g

For mackerel

Mackerel fillets with bones removed and skin lightly scored 200 g

Olive oil 15 ml

Squeeze 10 ml Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven for 180 degrees. Heat saucepan and boil water in it. Add the parsley cook for about four minutes, remove from the water and transfer them to iced water. Strain the leaves and keep them aside.

In another saucepan, soften the chopped shalots in butter for a few minutes. Increase the heat and add the watercress and spinach and cook for a while. Add the parsley, salt, pepper and cream. Stir well and boil, then remove from the heat. Pour all the contents into a food processor and blend well to get a purée. Taste it and correct the seasoning. Spread this purée on a large tray and let it cool for some time.

Preheat the grill on full power. Season the fillets with black pepper and sea salt and place them on the tray skin side up. Grill for about 4-5 minutes according to the thickness of the fillets. Remove the fillets from the grill and squeeze lemon over the fillets. You grilled mackerel with herbs is ready.