SCALLOP SALAD WITH RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE

My days of eating fish 5-6 times per week have ended since I learned that my mercury count is too high.  I’m on a detox program to bring my mercury count down, and I’m eating less fish.  How I miss it! 

What I miss most is the salmon, my favorite fish of all.  Thinking it was good for me, I was eating it several times a week and savoring every morsel.  Then I learned that wild-caught salmon, which is what I was buying at my local Harris Teeter, is not the same as wild salmon.  Wild-caught salmon is actually spawned and grown in a fish farm, then released into the wild right before it’s caught.  That gives them the right to label it “wild-caught salmon.”  Clever, huh?  Or should I say, devious? 

Real wild salmon is available online, but it costs considerably more than the price I was paying for wild caught.  So, you might ask, what’s the big deal?  Farm-raised salmon is higher in mercury and contaminants than wild salmon, and it’s also higher in Omega 6’s instead of Omega 3’s.  So the fish that I thought was so healthful, in fact, is not.  It’s more part of the problem than the solution. 

My  fish this week was sea scallops, which are naturally low in mercury, as are shrimp, crab,  flounder and tilapia.  I simply seasoned the scallops with salt and pepper and seared them in a hot iron frying pan with just a touch of olive oil in the pan.  Chopped Romaine lettuce and escarole were topped with roasted sliced beets, shredded zucchini, sliced mushrooms, raspberries and the scallops.  The raspberry vinaigrette was drizzled over top (see top photo).  But any combo of greens and veggies will work.  In the photo below, I used Romaine lettuce, leftover cooked peas and mushrooms, radishes, olives, raspberries and toasted sliced almonds, for a non-meat, non-fish lunch. 

QUESTION:  How much fish are you eating these days?  Have you had your mercury levels checked?

Raspberry Vinaigrette Source:  Judy’s Kitchen Rating:  9 out of 10 Click for  PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS:  3 Tbsp. seedless black raspberry spreadable fruit 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves 1-1/2 tsp. raw local honey 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt dash black pepper 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salad greens and veggies of choice seafood, meat or poultry of choice fresh or frozen and thawed raspberries In small bowl, whisk together spreadable fruit, mustard, thyme, honey, salt, pepper and vinegar till smooth and well combined.  Drizzle the oil as you whisk it into the bowl, and continue to drizzle and whisk till the mixture emulsifies, about 1 minute.  Spoon or drizzle over salad.  Refrigerate leftovers.  Yield:  about 3/4 cup