Herb & Pesto Polenta with Salmon & Eggs

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a friend had come to visit and brought with her treats from the northwest where she lives.

One of those treats was a bottle of marionberry spread, which I wrote about in my post titled Marionberry Rhubarb with CashewNut Cream.

Another of the treats was an 8-ounce pack of locally caught, wild king salmon (also known as Chinook salmon) which she'd bought direct from the fisherman who'd smoked it with maple and wine.

That's one of the advantages of living in the Pacific Northwest: access to just-caught, wild fresh fish, and in particular, Chinook salmon.

In the July issue of O Magazine, which I mentioned last week because of the 10-page spread on extreme dietary choices, there is a "tip box" on the page featuring a woman who is a pescavore (eats only seafood).

The first tip in the box is "Download a Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch pocket guide for best picks, fish to avoid and good alternatives."

I've linked to that guide, and others like it, many times on this blog. And the reason I've done so is to alert readers to easily-accessible, online resources that can help them make healthy and sustainable seafood choices when grocery shopping.

Because I'm posting a meal idea making use of the wild caught Chinook salmon my friend Judi gave me, I went onto Seafood Watch's website to see what they had to say about salmon, and I saw the heading Updated West Coast Salmon Recommendations.

Seafood Watch is recommending consumers avoid wild caught salmon from California and Oregon due to the declining populations of Chinook salmon in these states.

Whereas wild caught salmon from Alaska remains the best choice and good alternatives are wild caught salmon from Washington (which is what Judi gave me) and northern Oregon.

Last summer, I took a friend's husband grocery shopping. Bruce is an introvert and he wanted some tips on navigating Whole Foods Market on a budget and without going into overwhelm. It was Bruce who introduced me to Seafood Watch's pocket guide.

I was very impressed that he made specific seafood choices for his family based on the guide and I decided if he can do it, I can too, and so can you. Read the guide online, print it out, and keep it on hand when next grocery shopping.

Herb Polenta with Pesto, Salmon & Eggs
1) To make the polenta base (which is underneath the pesto and salmon in the top pic), pour 1 cup of polenta into a pot with 2 cups water and 2 cups half and half. Gently stir off-and-on for about 30 mins over a low heat.
2) At the last minute, toss your choice of grated cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Taste test, adding salt and pepper if you wish.
3) If you have herbs growing in your garden or window box, pick a handful. I chose parsley, marjoram, and chives, chopped them coarsely, and then tossed them into the cooked polenta.
4) Now pour the polenta into an oil-lined pan or baking tray and let it set.
5) Once it has set and is cool, turn polenta onto a plate and spread it with pesto. I had some garlic scape pesto left over so I used that.

To Serve: Break into pieces about 3 ounces or more, depending on the number of people eating, of smoked salmon and spread the bits atop the herb and pesto polenta. I dotted some sliced black olives over the lot, and then garnished the plate with a couple of sliced, hard-boiled eggs.

One cup of cooked polenta made the portion in the top pic, which I cut in two, sharing it with a friend with a side salad of garden-fresh greens.

Sole with Wilted Spinach and Bacon

After yesterday's raw food, including two juice meals, I'm inclined to want a heartier meal.

Though not so heavy that the liver-cleansing effect of a raw muesli breakfast and veggie juice for lunch and dinner are completely thwarted.

Actually, for breakfast today, I made another bowl of raw muesli, adding it to hot oatmeal cooked with a pinch of cinnamon and ginger, and a dob of orange marmalade.

Once the oatmeal was soft, I stirred in the raw, grated apple and spooned the lot into a bowl, topping it with the seeds mentioned yesterday.

Lunch was a different matter.

Now quite hungry, rather than reach for something fatty or carbohydrate heavy, something that would undo the best intentions of Monday's raw meals, I made a hot lunch consisting of fish and spinach.

Heartier than a raw juice lunch, nevertheless, this is still a light meal (because it is absent saturated fat), one that I think of as a good transition meal after a day of liquid.

It's highly nutritious, easy to digest, low in fat and full of phytonutrients, and it has flavor and texture.

Obviously it's not the sort of thing you can whip up without access to a kitchen, so it's more likely to be an evening meal for most.

The fish is sole (I had a frozen pack of two fillets in my freezer). You can use flounder, cod, tilapia or check Seafood Watch for the best sustainable white-fish choice in your area.

The bag of mixed braising greens I referred to yesterday (which I buy at Whole Foods), has spinach and arugula in it too, so though this sounds laborious, I picked the spinach and arugula out of the mix to wilt for this dish.

Sole with Wilted Spinach and Bacon
1) Wash a handful of greens, i.e. spinach, arugula, kale.
2) Slice a rasher of turkey bacon (optional). I use Applegate because it carries the Certified Humane stamp, which has become increasingly important to me now that I do my best to avoid factory-farmed meats.
3) Toss a chopped green (spring) onion into an oiled pan with the bacon, saute gently; add the greens, stir.
4) Place your piece of fish over the vegetables, drizzle with the juice of a lemon, lime or even an orange. If you have fresh herbs on hand such as thyme, oregano, or sage (dried herbs would be fine too), dot the top of the fish with your choice of herbs.
5) I had some leftover cooked rice in the fridge, which I tossed into the pan too -- any cooked grain would work, if you want the meal to be more substantial.
6) Cover the pan with a lid and steam cook for about 10 mins. or until the greens have wilted and the fish is done but still moist.

To Serve: Spoon onto a plate, season to taste, and drizzle with more citrus juice if you like. Et Voila, a delicious light lunch or dinner that's easy on the digestion and highly nutritious.