Healthy Recipes: Roasted Fish with Christmas Salsa

Quick Pre-Chistmas Dinners

By Dana Jacobi
for the American Institute for Cancer Research

To compensate for a lean year, many of my friends are going overboard for the holidays. To do this without stressing their budgets, a lot of them are in a frenzy knitting scarves to give as gifts, assembling scrapbooks that commemorate special moments for children and grandchildren, or bottling a favorite fig chutney, spicy salad dressing, or other specialty. They are also preparing dishes for elaborate holiday menus.

I remind them that eating well from now until Christmas is as important as gift giving. To make sitting down to nice dinners easy, try these speedy dishes so simple that only the Fish with Christmas Salsa requires a recipe. And in the holiday spirit, they all feature the colors of the season.

• Strips of boneless chicken breast sautéed with red and green peppers, then hit with a splash of balsamic vinegar
• Broiled salmon served with pan-popped cherry tomatoes and spinach (Roll the tomatoes in a hot skillet with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 2 garlic cloves for 2 minutes, then stir in the spinach until wilted, 2 minutes.)
• Shrimp stir-fried with broccoli and diced red bell pepper, seasoned with dashes of soy sauce, rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil
• Whole–grain pasta tossed with marinara sauce and topped with a “snowball” of ricotta cheese, then sprinkled with chopped parsley

Roasted Fish with Christmas Salsa

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In mixing bowl, combine tomato, red onion, scallions, sweet onion, shallot and jalapeño. Add the orange and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside for 20 minutes for flavors to develop. Makes 3 cups salsa.

Season fish lightly with salt and pepper. Set medium skillet that can go into oven over medium-high heat on top of stove. When hot, add oil and immediately place filets into hot pan. Cook until fish is lightly browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Using wide spatula, turn fish. Slide pan into oven.

Cook until filet flakes easily and is white in the center at widest point, about 2 minutes for tilapia, 3 to 4 for halibut and cod, depending on the thickness of the filets. Place a piece of fish on each of 4 dinner plates. Spoon one-fourth of salsa alongside fish and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 230 calories, 8 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 11 g carbohydrate,
27 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber, 85 mg sodium.

Something Different is written by Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life.

***

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer charity that fosters research on the relationship of nutrition, physical activity and weight management to cancer risk, interprets the scientific literature and educates the public about the results. It has contributed more than $91 million for innovative research conducted at universities, hospitals and research centers across the country. AICR has published two landmark reports that interpret the accumulated research in the field, and is committed to a process of continuous review. AICR also provides a wide range of educational programs to help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. Its award-winning New American Plate program is presented in brochures, seminars and on its website, www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.

from aicr.org