When searching for alternatives to red meat, many people turn to seafood. This isn’t a surprise as this product has been the fastest-growing supermarket purchase for the last several years. However, it’s not in everyone’s diet. Here are six ways to incorporate seafood into your diet.
1. Select Flavorful Seafood
For many, seafood tastes, well, fishy. Without seasoning, certain fish seem bland without a large dose of seasoning. So, to incorporate seafood into your diet you want to look at naturally flavorful products.
Companies like this Alaska Seafood Company provide suggestions on naturally seasoned varieties. For instance, tuna steak has a bold flavor that’s similar to beef steak. Meanwhile, tilapia has a mild taste with a bit of sweetness.
2. Use as a Replacement for Deli Meat
Seafood is well-known for its strong protein and good fat content. Additionally, it’s a powerful source of vitamins and minerals that strengthen your body and help prevent disease. This is why seafood should be used as a substitute for other forms of protein.
One of these is deli meat. Although ham, turkey, and other items provide necessary protein for a sandwich, they also contain unhealthy preservatives and nitrates. Replacing them with tuna or salmon takes your sandwiches to the next level.
Seafood also works well in salads. Whether it’s mild or tangy, items like crab and shrimp help boost the flavors of vegetables, fruit, and other seasonings. Several types of seafood mix incredibly well with mayonnaise-based salads for sandwiches and to eat on their own.
3. Place Seafood on the Grill
An outdoor grill is a magical instrument. It transforms many foods into flavorful masterpieces. This goes not only for standard meats but also for seafood.
Most fish are grillable. This is especially the case with heavier cuts like tilapia, tuna steak, and Alaskan salmon. In addition, you can also place shrimp, scallops, and lobster tails on an outdoor grill. The taste you get from these is different from what’s available after they’re boiled or fried.
4. Incorporate it With Pasta or Tacos
If you’re not a seafood lover, then eating a dish solo doesn’t encourage you to incorporate it into your diet. What’s needed is to include it in another dish so the flavor is still there yet mingled with other ingredients. For this, both pasta and tacos work incredibly well.
Scallops and shrimp are two examples of seafood that meld well with pasta. Combined with seasonings like garlic they provide texture to a dish. Tacos are also good with shrimp as well as fried tilapia. In both cases, the seafood’s flavor is an enhancement of the rest of the ingredients.
5. Gradually Add Seafood to Your Diet
You aren’t expected to add seafood to every email at the start. Like any change to your diet, you want to gradually include some form of fish. It’s recommended to substitute one meat-based meal a week with a seafood dish.
This doesn’t mean grilling a plain piece of trout. Follow the examples above to add fish to salads, sandwiches, tacos, or pasta. Another recipe to consider is soup. For instance, a bowl of New England clam chowder is immensely satisfying on a cold day.
6. Don’t Include Seafood You Don’t Like
As you incorporate seafood into your diet you’ll encounter items that don’t fit your tastes. No matter if it’s eaten plain or mixed with something else, its taste and texture are too much for you. If this is the case, then take it off your menu.
Incorporating seafood doesn’t mean you should be forced to eat something you don’t like. In the end, doing this turns you off altogether. Only utilize seafood you enjoy in your diet. Also, if you like something in a salad but not alone, then use it in that manner as you move forward.
Wrapping Up
Seafood’s heart-healthy benefits are the main reason to incorporate it into your diet. However, the flavor of certain fish is right up there with its nutritional benefits. Don’t be afraid to make it a part of your regular diet. Even once-a-week seafood meals provide increased health benefits for you and your family.
Do you still have questions related to seafood and the best way to prepare it? Search the internet and cookbooks for great recipes that everyone should enjoy.
