How the day dawns and winds down, every day, is sometimes a stumper even to the most organized people, if you ask them. For most of us, the morning ends in getting the day in order, while evening signals the nearness of the trek back home to relax and plan the next day when it starts all over again. The weekends are reserved for stuff that piles up during the week, and needs to be sorted at the first opportunity available. So weekends see paperwork being dealt with, trips to the bank or dentist, calling in the plumber or electrician, groceries being stocked up etc.
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Elaborate recipes are usually reserved for cooking on weekends |
This, Not That
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Healthy eating should be a week-long activity |
One of the important things that cannot and shouldn’t be committed to weekends is the idea of eating healthy. Your mom always told you this, your doctor reminds you about this, and ads on TV exhort you to get the oil/breakfast cereal/juice/snack that’ll change your life and health forever. While everybody appreciates good health and the quest for it, most of us look for practical solutions that don’t involve hiring a personal celebrity chef, but will deliver easy-to-achieve results. It all boils down to everyday eating and the choices you make. Of course, convenience is also an important factor in the game.
So when you look to fill up your plate with a balanced mix of carbs, colourful produce, and protein,
seafood becomes your go-to trusty choice for the latter. Nutritionists are some of the strongest proponents of seafood—they love how it is full of low-fat, quality protein and has a variety of vitamins and minerals. Light enough to be eaten every day, a beautifully plated portion of seafood is a treat to the eyes too.
Quick on the Draw
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Seafood is tasty and cooks quickly |
Seafood is delicate and gets cooked quickly, unlike most meats and poultry. So, no processes involving hours of stewing or roasting enter the picture at all. In fact, fish hates long cooking time as much as you do when you’re tired and hungry. It also doesn’t require prolonged marination, if at all needed, since the tender texture readily absorbs seasonings and flavours, with a short time on heat being enough to produce a finished dish. So delicate is fish that some cuisines rely on the acid of citrus juices to ‘cook’ it—ceviche, made with marinated raw fish, is eaten in various forms across the globe.
Seafood is versatile enough to be a worthy stand-in in quite some dishes when you want to make it a quick yet satiating meal. So, a spicy fish curry trumps (that word is everywhere at the moment) a long-simmered chicken version on school nights. A bright tom yum goong with prawns wins over a tom yum gai made with chicken. Between grilled fish and steaks, you know which one you’ll go for. Of course, the fact that your nutritionist approves of these choices only makes the decision-making easier.
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There are enough varieties of fish to win over the pickiest eaters |
“The sea hath fish for every man.”- William Camden
What you still will have to decide is what to cook—should it be shrimp tossed with garlic and butter with a squeeze of lemon and a side of mixed greens tossed with a creamy dressing? Or will it be squid rings folded into spaghetti with tomatoes and herbs tonight? With a well-stocked freezer, meals need just a little planning and imagination (and sometimes a little Googling for recipes, if you’ve had a particularly rough day and need the distraction). It’s good to have fish steaks for BBQ nights, some
seerfish and carp chunks when only curry and rice will bring comfort,
lobster meat for when you’re feeling decadent…you get the drift.
Impromptu ideas for meals take wing easily with seafood, since it’s quick to cook and tasty. The delightful variety of marine treasures that are now available readily (thanks to that stocked freezer) means you can experiment with recipes that can be adapted to win over the pickiest of eaters. Individually frozen portions of fish varieties let you put up mixed platters every day, without worrying about leftovers. So, no two meals have to be the same anymore. If you can get your stock of
seafood cleaned and delivered home, you’ve saved yourself a trip to the market/store and gained more time to chase the million goals life has to present.
Ensure, however, that you’re getting great quality catch with appropriate cold chain management. Good quality seafood delivers the most when it comes to nutrients. This is important because, as they say, you are what you eat, or in this case, cook.
Meet and Greet
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Lunch and dinner can be whipped up easily every day when you have some seafood on hand
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A long day at work shouldn’t stand in the way of a tasty, healthy dinner. Crazy morning rush hours shouldn’t be the reason why you can’t pack a tempting lunch that you can look forward to. Seafood comes to your rescue every time. Say hello to your new BFF.
About the Author
An incorrigible gastronome, Rupika V is on a perpetual quest to find the best food around, and will happily travel far to find it.