February 19, 2022
There’s a lot to love about seafood. From rich, buttery salmon to light and flaky flounder, the seafood department is loaded with a variety of delicious flavors. Seafood is also packed with heart-healthy nutrients that may help lower triglycerides, reduce blood pressure, and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends eating one serving (about three ounces) twice a week. With nutrition like this, it’s easy to get hooked.
- Omega-3s: This unsaturated fatty acid is known for reducing inflammation throughout the body, especially in your blood vessels. A meal plan rich in omega-3s has been shown to decrease triglycerides, lower blood pressure, and reduce risk of blood clots. For more of this heart-healthy nutrient, choose fatty fish like salmon, sardines, cod, trout, and even tuna canned in water.
- Lean protein: You already know that protein is an important part of a healthy diet. Foods high in protein can fill you up, build muscle, and speed up recovery after exercise or injury. Lean, white-fleshed fish like cod, tilapia, pollock and flounder are excellent protein choices. They’re also low in saturated fat, a nutrient found in some meats that’s linked to an increased risk of heart disease. To boost your heart health, try swapping a serving of red meat for lean white fish.
- Vitamin D: Also known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is necessary for our bodies to absorb calcium, making in an important nutrient for building strong bones and teeth. Recent research has also shown that vitamin D may improve heart health and enhance your immune system. We get the majority (up to 90 percent) of the recommended vitamin D from the sun. It’s no surprise that during the dark and cloudy winter months, vitamin D deficiency increases. The good news: fatty fish are some of the best dietary sources of vitamin D. Adding a serving of salmon, herring or mackerel to your meal plan can give your body a much-needed dose of the sunshine vitamin.
Ready to dive in? Another benefit of fish is that there are many cooking methods in the sea. You can roast fish in the oven, sauté fillets on the stove, steam it in parchment, or even create crispy tenders in the air fryer. Most fish cooks in less than 30 minutes, making it an easy weeknight meal. You’ll know seafood is ready to eat when it flakes apart easily with a fork and loses its shiny, translucent appearance. You can also use a food thermometer — seafood should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees F. For more mouth-watering seafood recipe ideas, visit hy-vee.com or schedule a Discovery Session with your local Hy-Vee dietitian.
This colorful, heart-healthy teriyaki salmon is a delicious weeknight meal that uses one pan and comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Teriyaki Salmon with Roasted Pineapple and Veggies
Serves 4
All You Need:
8 oz. Hy-Vee Short Cuts garlic-lemon asparagus, cut into 3-inch pieces
2 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
1 tbsp Gustare Vita olive oil
½ (1-lbs.) pkg Hy-Vee Short Cuts pineapple chunks, cut into ½-inch wedges
4 (5-oz. each) salmon fillets, ¾- to 1-inch thick
½ cup Culinary Tours sesame teriyaki sauce, divided
Sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish
Lemon halves, roasted, for garnish
All you do:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 15x9x2-inch sheet pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Toss asparagus with carrots and olive oil; add to one section on prepared pan. Add a row of pineapple. Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Arrange salmon on pan alongside pineapple. Brush salmon with ¼ cup teriyaki sauce.
- Roast for 10 to 14 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork (145 degrees F) and vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring pineapple and veggies halfway through cooking.
- Brush remaining ¼ cup teriyaki sauce on salmon, pineapple and vegetables. Sprinkle sesame seeds on salmon, if desired. Serve with roasted lemon half, if desired.
Recipe source: September 2019 Hy-Vee Seasons magazine (https://www.hy-vee.com/recipes-ideas/recipes/teriyaki-salmon-with-roasted-pineapple-and-veggies). The information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice.
