The Hemp Connection:
trout

In going with my theme of"I hate top ten food lists", I thought I'd write about trout. I love salmon, it's one of my favorite fish, but I have two really big problems with the fact that 99% of health professionals giving omega-3 diet advice either never considered or simply ignore:

1. There is not enough wild Alaskan salmon on the planet to make it the primary omega-3 source for everyone on the planet. It is unhealthy for the salmon, and the ecosystem surrounding them, for us to only recommend that fish as an omega-3 source. Anyone who presents this as their only option for increasing omega-3's is providing you with advice that may be immediately healthy for you, but given its effect on planetary health, may hurt all of us in the long run.

2. Salmon is seasonal, and regional, and it is not a budget-friendly choice for many people.

The truth is, ALL fish and seafood contain omega-3. Sure, salmon is a very dense source, but it is not the ONLY source. I'd like to write a little bit today about salmon's"kissin' cousin," or as this past weekend's Los Angeles training group came to call it,"poor man's salmon".

I have a freezer full of trout because my parents spend their summer days in Arizona's White Mountains fishing and catching their limit. I have learned from all my omega-3 research that trout are nutritionally similar to salmon. In fact, there is even one type of fish that, depending on if it heads back to the ocean or stays in the river, is labelled a salmon or a trout. It makes sense, the flesh is pink like salmon and it lives happily in cold water.

I think part of the reason trout is not popular is that it is traditionally eaten in its skin, with bones intact. If that's your issue, find a local grocer that bones the fillets. It makes a huge difference.

For awhile, I had trouble with trout because I didn't know how to cook it. Then it occurred to me that if it's practically a salmon, then my salmon recipes would likely work pretty well on trout. And that has proven to be true.

Gretchen Kubacky shared these trout recipes that are popular in her home. I am sharing them because they're yummy…and so that all you readers can see that you don't just have to be a nutritionist to love healthy food and tasty cooking! Thanks Gretchen!

Here's a great website on trout if you'd like to learn more.

Grilled Trout

Can use any quantity of trout – for each trout:

1. Wash and dry the trout, inside and out.

2. Slash both sides of the trout at approximately 1” intervals, being careful not to slice all the way through.

3. On both sides of the fish, open the slits, and, with a teaspoon or your finger, rub your favorite Cajun spice rub into each slit, and inside the cavity of the fish. Trial and error will determine the correct amount of spice rub. However, start with about a tablespoon for the entire fish, as a guideline.

4. Let the fish sit for 20 – 30 minutes at room temperature (or the refrigerator, in Arizona!) so the spices penetrate the flesh.

5. In the meantime, heat the grill to medium-high/high.

6. Put the trout on the grill for four minutes, turn it, and grill for four minutes on the other side (depending on the heat and size of the fish). It will char and the skin should be easy to peel off.

7. Remove from the grill. Serve with or without skin/bones/head/tail, as desired.

Chinese Steamed Trout

Again, this is good for any quantity – whatever your microwave’s capacity is.

1. Wash and dry the trout, inside and out.

2. Slash both sides of the trout at approximately 1” intervals, being careful not to slice all the way through.

3. Thinly slice (1/8” or so) approximately a 1” chunk of ginger (approximately ½” to ¾” diameter).

4. Sprinkle a little sugar and a little salt in each slit, both sides of the fish (again, trial and error). Both will contribute to softening the flesh, and developing the complexity of flavor.

5. Slice/shred a good handful of cilantro (half a bunch per fish, or thereabouts).

6. Insert a ginger slice in each slit, along with some cilantro.

7. Put the rest of the ginger slices and cilantro in the cavity of the fish.

8. Pour soy sauce and rice vinegar in the slits and over both sides of the fish, and in the cavity.

9. Put it in a rectangular Pyrex dish (cut in half if necessary to fit).

10. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

11. Let the fish sit for 20 – 30 minutes at room temperature, turning periodically and spooning the “marinade” over/into the fish.

12. Cover tightly. Microwave 6 – 7 minutes at medium high (1,000 watt microwave oven).

13. Remove from microwave oven; keep covered and let stand for 2 – 3 minutes. Fish is done when flesh is opaque.

14. Optional, for added flair: Heat a little sesame oil and drizzle over fish prior to serving.

15. Serve with your favorite rice, stir-fried bok choy, etc. The best way to eat this is with chopsticks – the flesh just peels off – and watch for bones.

In a recent post I mentioned that lake trout has a higher omega-3 content than salmon…actually almost twice as much if you look at some charts!

So how are you going to cook it? Think salmon recipes. They're very similar and I've found that the recipes work well interchangeably.

With this on my mind as I was shopping yesterday, I found some Greek tzatziki (yogurt/dill/cucumber sauce) on sale and thought it would be great on some trout fillets. I found this recipe online, so apparently someone else had the same idea!

Enjoy!

If you're a foodie…a New York Times lover…or a Twitter junkie, you likely saw the article last week about the strong possibility that genetically engineered salmon may soon make its way to our marketplace. These salmon can grow twice as quickly as natural salmon, therefore making salmon more available to the growing market of people who have been educated to believe that this fish is the only one providing a significant source of omega-3 fatty acids. (An important note: These fish will not grow to humongous size, they will merely reach their mature size more quickly than natural salmon…a"body builder fish," so to speak.)

Essentially, this new type of salmon is an Atlantic salmon with genes spliced into its DNA from the Pacific Chinook salmon and the pout, another salmon-type of fish. The genes allow the new fish to produce growth hormone year round, and therefore grow year round, instead of just during the summer.

Aqua Bounty, the company that created this fish, has to provide seven sets of data to the FDA, proving that this new fish is the traditional equivalent of natural salmon; they've already submitted five of those sets.

This is what happens when we get overly enthusiastic about one type of fish and recommend it to the exclusion of all other possibilities in the sea. Greed sets in.

What is of concern to me is that these fish, according to current labeling laws, would not even be required to be labeled as genetically engineered. (The FDA to date actually opposes mandatory labeling on a food"merely because it was genetically engineered"). The CEO of Aqua Bounty, Ronald Stotish, has already absolved himself of responsibility in this area, claiming that since his company would only be selling eggs to fish farms, and not fish to markets, they would not be the party in the production chain to regulate. His take?"If there's no material difference, then it would be misleading to require labeling."

It seems as though this would be a great way to tank the entire salmon industry, given the fact that people tend to be all-or-nothing in their consumer choices and would likely shift away from all salmon"just to be safe".

If this technology is approved, it will still take 2 to 3 years for these salmon to show up in your stores.

For those of you reading this blog who know how much we love to recommend fish for your health, here are some questions to ask yourself and points to remember when making your own seafood choices.

1. ALL seafood contains omega-3 fatty acids. You don't have to eat just salmon! The benefit is double, as every ounce of fish you eat replaces an ounce of a more saturated type of meat. So whether it's bass, tuna, scallops, or shrimp, your choice is perfectly fine.

2. The Monterey Bay Aquarium, the go-to place for fish recommendations, lists Atlantic salmon, farmed and wild, as a type of seafood to avoid in their seafood watch program.

3. To help increase the total omega-3 supply, consider trout! Farmed trout, which is genetically and nutritionally slightly higher in omega-3's than salmon*, is on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Best Choices List. You can buy it boned if that is a deterrent. I've been experimenting with trout and many of my salmon recipes work very well. It's a bit more fragile as far as cooking methods, but the flavors you cook with can work just fine.

4. In addition to trout, there are numerous farmed fish options getting the Monterey Bay green light, including: char, clams, cobia, mussels, oysters, striped bass, and tilapia.

4. If you're an adventurous eater…why not just eat the pout? It's plentiful and edible.

5. Speak up! Don't let this issue fall through the cracks. The only reason this kind of technology can even survive…is if consumers create a market for it.

*Trout contains 1.6 grams omega-3's per 100 grams
Salmon contains 1.4 grams omega-3's per 100 grams