Seafood isn't universally adored, despite its widespread popularity among enthusiasts. Those who aren't fond of seafood often cite its fishy taste or avoid it due to dietary restrictions that exclude seafood from their meals. However, if you've ever been curious about trying seafood but weren't sure where to begin, it's helpful to explore the options available and understand which ones might be most appealing to you. Contrary to popular belief, not all seafood carries that strong "fishy" flavor, and this misconception is often formed by those who have sampled only a few types of seafood and didn't enjoy the experience. Seafood offers a world of culinary possibilities, and if you're interested in giving it another try, it's important to be aware of the various options and tips for introducing it into your diet. With the right knowledge and approach, seafood can become a delightful addition to your meals. Explore some helpful insights and tips to guide you in your seafood journey. Some of the health benefits of seafood include:
Helps Your Heart
Seafood is a great food type for reducing the risk of heart problems, whether that's a heart attack, hypertension, or stroke. Eating oily fish in particular is helpful, so consider fish like salmon, sardines, etc. These are all high in omega-3 fatty acids and that's a great one for your heart's health.
Benefits Brain Health
Another essential organ within the body is the brain and your brain is something you want to look after. Seafood helps with healthy brain function and as you get older, that's something you need. Seafood can help decrease the risk of mental disorders such as depression, as well as help with diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and more.
Maintains Eye Health
As you get older, age-related macular degeneration can occur. It's often unavoidable but by consuming more seafood, you're more than likely going to help reduce the chances of AMD, as well as helping to maintain your eyesight for longer.
Fights Inflammation
We often forget how vulnerable our bodies are until we injure ourselves or feel pain for long periods of time. Inflammation is common for those who might suffer from certain health conditions or injure themselves on occasion. Eating seafood certainly helps reduce this inflammation within the body, as well as the risk of arthritis in some cases.
Source of Vitamin D
Not all parts of the world benefit from sunshine and when it comes to Vitamin D, there are many that are often deficient in it. With that being said, anyway that you can improve your intake of Vitamin D can only be a good thing. Seafood especially fatty seafood like sardines and salmon is great when it comes to consuming natural sources of Vitamin D.
Helps With Fetal Development
For all those moms-to-be, consuming seafood is a good one when it comes to helping with fetal growth and development. It helps provide essential nutrients during the baby's development, so that's always worth knowing about.
If it's your first time trying out seafood, then it might not always be the best option to dive into something like a lobster or shellfish in general. The more complex shellfish that requires you to hammer or crack open claws, is likely to put some people off it completely. With that in mind, here are some helpful tips to enjoy seafood for the first time, or to at least reintroduce yourself to it if you've given it a go before.
Start With a Simple Fish
Before you go diving into the deep end, remember that there are milder fish types out there that aren't as fishy or don't have much of a strong flavor. For example, fish like haddock or cod is likely a preferred choice when requiring a mild and barely there, fishy taste. Once you've begun with a simple fish, you can then move on to the more complex and intense flavors like salmon or mackerel for example. Try not to overwhelm yourself too early on, otherwise you'll naturally put yourself off it.
Avoid Anything With Bones
One of the challenges that comes with some fish and seafood options is the bones. When you're shopping or looking to try seafood in a restaurant, opt for a fish that has been deboned or that you know won't contain any bones. Fish bones can cause a lot of stress for newcomers to fish, not to mention can be quite painful if they get caught in the mouth or throat.
Marinate and Season Like Meat
While seafood is a type of meat, not everyone associates it with the other types of meat that you consume like chicken, sausages or steak. However, seafood should be treated in the same way as you would a piece of meat. Marinating and seasoning your fish is something that you want to try and do more of where possible. Yes, that does come with a bit of research and trial and error. However, when you're marinating or seasoning the fish correctly, you can help enhance the flavor and remove that fishy taste. Just like you would with other meat, the longer you leave some seafood to marinate, the more flavor it's going to pick up. That's what will help really deliver some exciting new taste profiles in your mouth.
Know Utensils for Shellfish
Shellfish is often one of the most challenging forms of seafood because it often requires some utensils. Whether that's using a seafood fork or claw cracker, it's useful to get acquainted with the tools that you'll need. Knowing what tools you'll need and how to use them is important. Whether you're in a restaurant or in the comfort of your own home, it's good to read up on how to use them properly. That way, you stand the best chance of extracting all of the meat from the shell itself. For example, with red king crab, there's a lot of meat to be found in the claws and legs themselves, as well as some delicious meat found in the head of the crab. This is often mixed in with rice.
Mix With Other Foods
Talking of mixing in other foods, try to enjoy some seafood mixed in with other food. For example, you might want to enjoy some king prawns mixed in with linguine pasta and tomato sauce. The more you can incorporate it with foods you're familiar with, the more you're likely going to get used to it on your plate. Mixing it with other foods is also helpful when you're trying to dilute the fishy flavor.
Seafood is a wonderful food to enjoy and one that you should want to try, even if you've not had the best experience with it before. There's a world of food to explore within this category of cuisine, so make sure you're following these tips to give it a go and try out some new dishes for yourself. From lobster to clams, the world is your oyster From lobster to clams, the world is your oyster when it comes to seafood.
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