I love fish - don't you?? No? Well, no worries - we can fix that!
The world of seafood holds many low-fat options that bear trying, at the very least. On a strict, low-fat diet, you can get tired of chicken breasts quickly, so it's nice to mix up your proteins regularly.
Foods like scallops, shrimp and sole are not only low-fat and tasty, but they cook up super fast, making them a great option for a regular weekday meal.
If you are one such person who does not normally enjoy fish, I recommend you start with something like sole, which has less of a fishy taste to it than other varieties, like trout. Sole can act like a blank canvas, becoming infused with whatever sauce you put on it, so if it's the taste that bothers you, find a more flavorful, savory sauce to help mask the natural flavor of the sole. I think I've mentioned this before, but any time that you are met with the need to change your diet drastically, it's the time to work on getting over any food dislikes - with a highly restricted diet, you don't want to limit your options even more simply because you don't like the taste of something. Start with baby-steps and, who knows, maybe you'll find that you like a food if it's prepared a certain way.
When I had my gallstones, there were three things I always had in my freezer: a big box of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, SmartOnes Turkey Dinner frozen meals, and a big bag of sole fillets from Costco. At less than $0.40 a fillet, it was a low-cost and quick meal for me if I ever made something for the family that I couldn't eat. How quick, you ask? The package directions specified a cooking time of 6 minutes.
My preferred method for preparing sole is oddly the easiest: pour some vinaigrette overtop and bake it. However, depending on how much fat you can eat in one serving, you may be unable to find a decent fat-free vinaigrette that you enjoy for this purpose (roasted red pepper ones work great, if you can find a good fat-free one). Asian sauces are always a great flavor mask, and barbque sauces are often low-fat or fat-free and a brown sugar sauce would suit a fillet just fine.
However, if you do like fish, like I do, and you are feeling the need to flip on the barbie now that the weather is getting better, I suggest you try a method called en Papillote. En Papillote is french for "in parchment" and describes the cooking technique perfectly: you wrap the fish in parchment and then cook it! Don't let the fancy french name scare you off - it's a super-simple method. It's a very versatile method as well, and you can use any variety of vegetables, herbs and seasonings. Personally, I like to use peppers, zucchini, carrot ribbons and fennel. Cut a square (or a rectangle - it really doesn't matter) of parchment and pile your veggies in the center of it. Place your fish on top of the veggies and top with fresh herbs - I like to use parsley and the fennel fronds, but rosemary, dill and oregano are great too! Once you've got a pretty little stack of food on your parchment, fold up the sides into a little parcel shape - you can look online for tips on the best folding methods, but I just lift the sides and bunch them to make sure nothing with leak out. Before you seal the seam at the top, sprinkle in some sea salt and pepper and pour in some type of liquid: white wine, water and juice all work great. Squeeze a lemon or lime wedge overtop if you feel like it. Seal it up and set it on the barbeque for several minutes - it's done when the meat flakes.
A couple of notes: since it is such a short cook-time, make sure you slice your veggies thin! Play around with what you throw in there: beet greens, spinach, waterchestnuts, cabbage, summer squash... whatever you feel like! And remember, this method isn't just for sole - you can do it with all types of fish! And if the weather is crumby and you don't feel like grilling, this method also works great in a 400 degree oven!
Mrs. VanderLeek
