Substituting Salmon

[cpaccione]

I am planning to try the SuperFoods healthy eating plan from WildOats and am really excited about it cause it looks like something the whole family can enjoy and I'm looking to lose weight. I've also wanted to start introducing more organic and whole foods into my family's diet anyway...

The only drawback is that we are not fans of fish. We could tolerate a light white fish here and there but there is no way any of us will eat salmon or any other strong fishy fish. I want to follow this meal plan as close as possible but they have salmon in there for at least 2 meals a week and I'm wondering if there is something similar in protein and/or calorie levels that would be OK to substitute.

I would ask this on their forum boards but it didn't look like there was much traffic over there.

What do ya think?

[KarenS]

You could probably substitute tuna steaks or even something like Mahi Mahi. Mahi is pretty "non fishy" and it'll be lower in calories (it's not as oily) but will cook up similarly in recipes.

Kaen

[Renrel]

I am not sure about a substitute but keep in mind that the Salmon is rich in Omega fats and that might be part of the balance in the diet. You might want to add something else, like some flax seed oil, to the meal plan somewhere to replace this fat. I am not an expert on this stuff though, so maybe someone else will comment more meanfully on this idea.

[Hello Kitty]

I agree that salmon likely isn't in there for the macronutrients, but for the healthy fats it provides.

[Sami]

Another huge salmon fan adding my two cents. Perhaps you don't like salmon based on how you've prepared it in the past. Have you ever tried poaching salmon? Often, it reduces the "wow" potency of the fish taste and gives it a milder taste. For me, broiled salmon is just way too fishy and oily. Anyway, you can (and should try at least once!) to poach salmon in white wine or even just water.

Another great substitute is chicken tenders...lots of low-fat, high-protein white meat. You can add it in to stir fry, grill it and top on a salad, etc.

Let me know if you want more tips. :)

[chefker]

I'll second the mahi-mahi recommendation. I like orange roughy too, it's nice and light tasting. You can even buy quick-frozen fillets of orange roughy, this is what we usually get since I can't find it fresh in my area.

Is the SuperFoods diet on the Wild Oats website? Sounds interesting. We have a WO near us, and I like the selections in that store.

[KarenS]

yeah, the reason I suggested mahi was not so much because of the nutrients, but because of the firmness and texture, which might be crucial to the recipe. Salmon is a pretty firm, chunky fish and you don't want to sub anything lighter and flakier because it will totally alter the nature of the recipe and change your cooking times dramatically.

Karen

[Janey]

cpaccione - I have to nod in agreement to others that how you cook it makes a HUGE difference. Growing up there's NFW I would ever touch salmon with a 10-foot pole. My mom would stick the stuff in a pyrex baking dish with a little lemon on top and let it cook in its own juices and EWW. Gross. Hard for me to even think about. I hated salmon all the way until age 27 and would not even try it (amazing for a northwesterner!), until we went to a fancy restaurant, and I tried it and really liked it. Now it's practically all we eat, and I cried on the phone to my husband when I found out I had to limit salmon during pregnancy. :o

Another thing that makes a difference: Which kind you get. Silvers, Reds, Kings, and Farmed salmon all taste different. We're all pretty much in agreement in my family that we like Kings the best (they are mild).