Salmon: The Happy Fish

Posted by Kelly Davis on 15 February 2012

This is probably not news to you, but we are now into the throes of winter.

You know — that period of time when there are no holidays to guarantee a much-needed day off, the days are short and cold, and the only vegetables you want to eat are mashed potatoes.

It’s easy to get down in the dumps during this time of year.  So what better time than the present to embrace my favorite fish, salmon?

Eating salmon regularly may help alleviate depression.  Studies have suggested that depression or seasonal affective disorder, often experienced during the cold winter months, may be alleviated or decreased by increasing our intake of foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. 

So, will salmon actually make you happy?  The jury is still out on that.  But in the short run, a tasty healthy meal does a lot for my short term happiness and that’s why, for me, salmon is the happy fish.

Here are two of my favorite ways to prepare salmon:

Salmon with Brandy Sauce (serves 2)

2 4 ounce salmon filets ¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Brandy
¾ cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon corn starch

Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper on both sides.  Warm a teaspoon of oil in a pan or skillet on medium high heat.  Add salmon and cook for about five minutes on the first side, flip and cook until salmon begins to brown on the second side.*

Remove salmon from pan, place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in the same pan, warm the other ½ teaspoon of oil.  Add the shallot and cook, stirring periodically for about two minutes or until shallots started to turn slightly brown.  Add Brandy and allow liquid to reduce by half.  Stir in Dijon mustard and then the corn starch.  Whisk the corn starch quickly so that it is completely mixed in with the sauce. 

Plate salmon on separate plates and spoon half of the Brandy sauce over each filet.

*A good rule of thumb is 10 minutes total cooking time per inch thickness of salmon.  So if your salmon is thicker than one inch, it might require 11-12 minutes, and if it’s slightly under  1 inch thick, it might only require 8-9 minutes total.

Baked Salmon with Dill Sauce (serves 2)

2 4 ounce salmon filets
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
arugula (for garnish)

For the sauce:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper.  Lightly oil a glass baking dish.  Bake salmon at 350 degrees until fish is fully cooked through (about 15 minutes).

Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce.  When fish is just cooked, turn oven off and spoon sauce onto the fish.  Let it sit in the oven for another five minutes so the sauce will warm and the flavors will soak into the fish.  Plate salmon and garnish with arugula.

Choose wild-caught (not farmed) salmon for the highest content of Omega 3 fatty acids and to encourage sustainable fishing practices, which you can read more about here.