Cooking with Fresh Fish: Delicious Crab and Tomato Salad

Fish is extremely good for you in many ways because it’s full of beneficial vitamins and minerals such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and protein. It makes a huge difference in the way your seafood tastes if you purchase fresh fish. There are many types of seafood available, as well as a wide range of recipes to cook to incorporate more fish into your diet. It helps to know how to purchase, prepare, and cook each type of fish for the tastiest results.

Different Types of Seafood

Many types of seafood are available for consumption, which offers a variety of tastes and versatility. Some of the most common types include:

• Tilapia
• Lobster
• Scallops
• Salmon
• Trout
• Crab
• Shrimp
• Tuna
• Halibut

If you’re new to eating seafood, try options with the least fishy taste to start off with such as shrimp, flounder, and tilapia. Always go with a company that specializes in selling customers the freshest products,. Some fish are really high in mercury, such as king mackerel, shark, marlin, and filefish, so avoid consuming too much of them. The types of fish most packed with vitamins and nutrients include salmon, rainbow trout, oysters, albacore tuna, and sardines.

Jalapeno Crab and Tomato Salad

One delicious meal you can make out of seafood is Jalapeno Crab and Tomato Salad, and it’s something you can eat all year long. The ingredients required include:

• ½ cup of mayonnaise
• 1-pound of large ripe tomatoes
• 3 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons of lime juice
• 1-1/2 teaspoons each of finely grated lemon and lime zest
• 2 medium jalapeno peppers, minced
• 2 pounds of jumbo lump crab meat

Start by whisking together the juices, zest, mayonnaise together and fold in the meat from your soft shell crabs. Slice the tomatoes into ½ inch slices and arrange them on a rectangular-shaped platter. Add the crab meat mixture on top of the tomatoes.

Signs that your Fish is Fresh

When purchasing fresh fish or shrimp at the grocery store, there are signs to look out for to make sure the fish you buy is safe to eat. Don’t purchase anything with a strong fishy or sour smell. Fish should have a mild and fresh scent. Look at the eyes of whole fish and purchase ones that have clear and slightly bulging eyes. Fillets should have no signs of discoloration with flesh that springs back when it is pressed. When selecting shellfish, avoid purchasing ones that are cracked and broken. Since crabs and lobsters spoil rapidly after they die, it’s important to purchase them alive so be sure to check for leg movement.

Health Benefits of Fish

Fish is good for you, which is why it’s beneficial to add it to your diet. Some health benefits include:

• Lowers blood pressure
• May decrease risk of depression
• May prevent inflammation
• Can prevent heart disease
• Reduces risk of Alzheimer’s
• Improves hair and skin
• Boosts brain development

The types of fish that provide the most health benefits are the ones high in fat such as herring, trout, salmon, and sardines.
If you’re new to eating fish, try starting slowly with seafood that doesn’t have a strong fishy taste. Look for different recipes to try out to add more variety to your family meals. It’s beneficial to know the signs to look out for of freshness to avoid buying spoiled meat. Take the time to understand how to cook your dishes properly to avoid overcooking or undercooking your meals.