Heart-Healthy Fish That's Perfect For A Light Dinner
If you're not a fan of fish dishes, you must give this heart-healthy fish recipe a try. The sweet honey blended with pungent garlic gives this serving of salmon a taste like no other. Garlic and honey come together beautifully as a sauce for wings and chicken thighs, as a dip for leftover pizza crusts, and as part of a vinaigrette for your healthy salad. There's no stopping this powerful combo.
When using honey and garlic drizzled across salmon filets, the result is a juicy, flavorful meal packed full of health benefits. Even better is that it takes just five minutes to prepare this meal and ten minutes to cook it. You'll have a sticky sweet and garlic-infused dish ready on the table in no time at all! It's perfect for a quick and healthy meal or a late night dinner. Recipe developer Erin Johnson of Probably in the Kitchen noted that this dish is "very versatile" and pairs well with sides such as noodles, rice, mashed, potatoes or even on top of a salad.
Reel in this heart-healthy fish dish
Everyone knows how incredibly healthy eating certain types of fish happens to be. Registered dietitian Jaclyn London describes salmon as a superfood that contains vital omega-3s, selenium and vitamins A and D, all of which are beneficial to improving the body's immunity. Don't forget vitamin D boosts bone health, too.
It's an exceptionally lean source of protein, boasting 26 grams in a mere four ounces. Salmon also contains an abundance of healthy fats, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids that improve serum cholesterol. This fish also harbors potassium, which can help balance blood pressure. Another polyunsaturated fat, DHA, boosts fetal brain development, making it a perfect dish for pregnant and nursing women.
Gather up the ingredients for this heart-healthy fish
For this heart-healthy fish recipe, you will need just a tablespoon of honey and two minced cloves of garlic, along with a quarter of a cup of orange juice. Be sure to grab low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos, along with 12 ounces of salmon cut into three- or four-ounce fillets of similar size. You'll also want to have handy salt and pepper, oil for the pan, fresh parsley, and orange zest.
What are coconut aminos? They are an alternative to soy sauce and usually are located right next to the soy sauce on grocery store shelves.
"Coconut aminos are a great option to mimic the flavor of soy sauce, further reducing the sodium content in the recipe. This is especially important for those desiring a heart-healthy recipe," Johnson said.
How to select salmon for this heart-healthy fish recipe
Johnson explained that good-quality salmon can be found at most grocery stores. "It should be vibrant and smell-free. If you can't find fresh, frozen salmon fillets are a great alternative. Just thaw overnight in the fridge," she said.
Keith Harris, the Alaska port buyer for Whole Foods Market, noted that salmon can be found in a variety of colors and that redder-hued salmon doesn't mean better.
"Coho is a little paler than King, but is equally delicious," he said. "What you want to avoid is any salmon that shows signs of browning. You can also check for clear eyes, minimal bruising and firmness of flesh, which should be resistant to light pressure and bounce back easily once depressed."
First step to fixing this heart-healthy fish
For this heart-healthy fish recipe, measure out one tablespoon of honey, two minced garlic cloves, one-fourth of a cup of orange juice, and two tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos and mix until well combined. This is your honey garlic glaze, and the recipe makes enough for three to five fillets. Of course, don't be afraid to get creative here. Feel free to add some heat if that's your thing. As you work with this recipe, you'll develop your own approach to making this incredibly healthy dish.
Cook the salmon for this heart-healthy fish dish
Pour in just enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet and heat until hot. Once it's sizzling, season the heart-healthy fish with salt and pepper and cook the salmon skin-side down for an estimated five minutes. Flip the salmon and cook the other side for an additional three to five minutes.
"The cook time for salmon depends on the thickness, so to tell if your salmon is ready, gently press on the top. If the fish separates into flakes, it's ready," Johnson said. "It's possible to burn anything in a skillet. With this, it is important that the oil and pan be hot to crisp the skin, but you can reduce the heat to medium/medium high once you flip the fillet to avoid overcooking if it seems to be too hot."
Glaze and garnish your heart-healthy fish
Flip the salmon again so that it is skin side down and pour the honey garlic sauce into the pan, allowing the fish to reduce for two minutes.
"Allow to reduce means heating liquid until some of the water content has evaporated, making the liquid thicker. There isn't a best way to do this; the only way is to just let it cook for the specified time," Johnson said.
Glaze the tops of the salmon fillets with the sauce, then remove from the stovetop. Garnish with fresh parsley and orange zest, if desired. "I prefer to use juice from a fresh orange, but you can use regular orange juice if that's what you have on hand," Johnson said.
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 12 ounces salmon, cut into 3- to 4-ounce fillets of equal size
- Salt and pepper
- Oil for the pan
- Fresh parsley and orange zest for garnish
- Mix together the honey, garlic, orange juice, and soy/coconut aminos until combined.
- Heat enough oil to just cover the bottom of your skillet until hot.
- Season the salmon with salt and pepper, and cook the salmon skin side down for approximately 5 minutes.
- Flip the salmon and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
- Flip salmon so that it is skin-side down and then pour the sauce into the pan, allowing it to reduce for 2 minutes.
- Glaze the tops of the salmon fillets with the sauce and then remove from heat.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and orange zest, if desired.
| Calories per Serving | 295 |
| Total Fat | 17.4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3.6 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 62.4 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 9.5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 7.6 g |
| Sodium | 409.3 mg |
| Protein | 24.4 g |
