Fish recipes for a healthy heart

By M H Ahssan

When eating for your heart, it is not only vital to stay away from high cholesterol food items and commit to a regular exercise routine - it is also important to create and maintain heart healthy food variety and availability at home.

In addition, when it comes to heart health, fish is always in the top ten list of heart healthy foods. Oily fish like salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna and sardines are full of omega-3 fatty acids, which lower "bad" LDL levels, decrease blood pressure and lowers levels of blood fat called triglycerides by 25%-30%.

The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of fish per week for a heart-healthy diet. There is substantial proof that omega-3 fatty acids cut the risk of heart related ailments such as heart attack and dangerous heart rhythms in people with cardiovascular diseases. Of course, the heart health benefits of fish in your diet will stand negated if you fry or add too much salt in the fish dish's preparations. The way that you prepare otherwise healthy foods makes a big difference to what you actually gain from the meal's nutrient value. It's always best to broil, grill, or steam these foods.

Here are two delectable healthy fish recipes that retain all the heart health goodness while giving you delicious meal options for a healthy lifestyle:

Grilled mackerel Ingredients: Olive oil , salt to taste , 1 lemon zest & juice , 2 fresh mackerel , 600 gms potatoes , 1 tsp wholegrain mustard , 1 tbsp white wine vinegar , 1 red onion (finely sliced) , 1 fennel bulb (finely sliced) , 1 cup parsley (roughly chopped) and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Method - Preheat your grill to a medium-high heat.
- Clean the mackerel and get rid of all the rib bones.
- Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice and a sprinkling of zest over mackerel well and sprinkle them with olive oil.
- Now, place the mackerel, skin side up, for at least five minutes. Make sure to turn its side when you are half way through the grilling process.
- For salad, boil the potatoes and cut them in half.
- Place the potato pieces in a mixing bowl and add a dash of olive oil, the rest of the lemon juice and zest, along with mustard and vinegar.
- Mix all the ingredients together well and add the finely sliced onion and fennel.
- Now, add parsley and seasoning.
- Place the salad on the serving plates to form a mound. Carefully lay the mackerel fillets on top of salad.
- Grilled Mackerel is ready to serve.

Salmon curry Ingredients: 2 pounds salmon steaks, 1 large onion (chopped) , 1 large tomato (chopped) , 2 tbsp lemon juice , 1tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp ginger paste , 1 tsp red chili powder , 1 tsp turmeric powder , 1 tbsp coriander powder , 1 tsp poppy seeds , fresh coriander leaves , salt to taste and 1 tbsps oil.

Method - Marinate lemon juice, salt and turmeric powder and half tablespoon of oil with salmon streaks and let it stand for 20 minutes.
- Stir fry onions and ginger garlic paste in half tablespoon of oil until they turn light brown.
- Add poppy seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt.
- Add chopped tomatoes and marinated salmon steaks to the mixture.
- Cook until salmon steaks are cooked.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.