February 02, 2021

How to Cook More Sustainable Using Wild-Caught Seafood

Go wild, while eating healthy, with this delicious Garlic Kale Crab Stuffed Mushrooms recipe made with certified sustainable seafood. There are many health benefits of wild-caught, certified sustainable seafood for you and for the planet. Did you know seafood is one of our last major sources of food that’s truly wild? You can help take care of your health and the oceans too with the simple action of looking for wild-caught, certified sustainable seafood when you’re shopping. It’s easy – just check for the MSC blue fish label. Here’s one delicious, nutritious, healthy recipe for Garlic Kale Crab Stuffed Mushrooms to get you inspired.

 

Get the HEALTHY OCEANS TOO virtual cookbook FREE  

 

Cooking More Sustainable: Wild-Caught Fish is a Protein with a Low Carbon Footprint

Wild-caught seafood is a protein source that has a naturally low carbon footprint – it has a lower environmental impact than other animal sources of protein. Small changes to what we put on our plates every day can have a big impact on our health, and the oceans – your actions can make a ripple effect to help our planet. Talk about delicious, nutritious, feel good seafood!

 

Is Wild-Caught Seafood Healthier?

For the oceans, the answer is clear – wild-caught fish is the healthiest option, as certified sustainable fishing practices ensure this resource is managed so it can feed the planet for generations to come. We saw how unsustainable fishing can be a problem – we all remember the collapse of the cod fisheries in 1992. Choosing wild-caught fish can help sustain this nutritious food source. As for the planet, buying certified sustainable fish is a healthy choice, as it’s low carbon footprint source of protein. It’s exciting that you can considerably reduce your carbon footprint by choosing lean, nutritious, planet- friendly proteins, like certified sustainable seafood. Last, but not least, is wild-caught seafood healthier for your body? Yes, wild-caught fish is a nutritious food choice. It is a lean protein your body can use to build and maintain muscles, and create the hormones and enzymes needed for everyday metabolism. Plus, lean protein is part of a healthy diet that promotes weight management – lean protein helps you feel full and satiated. Fish is also a great source of the important nutrient omega-3 fatty acids. Most adults do not consume sufficient amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, with scientific studies showing intake as low as 86mg/day of EPA+DHA (two important types of omega-3s for health). Omega-3s are called essential, meaning the human body can’t create these fats - in order to maintain good health, you need to consume omega-3 fats in your diet, according to Health Canada. Scientific evidence strongly advises humans consume more than 100mg of EPA and DHA per day, or 2-3 servings of fish per week. Here’s more on the benefits of consuming omega-3 fatty acids:

 

Health Benefits of Omega-3s

The following are health benefits of omega-3s as per Health Canada’s Monograph.

• Maintain good health (100 – 5000mg of EPA/DHA per day)
• Helps support cognitive health and/or brain function (100 - 5000mg EPA/DHA per day)
• Maintain and support cardiovascular health (250 – 5000mg EPA/DHA per day)
• Supports development of brain, eyes and nerves in children up to age 12 (200 - 2000mg EPA/DHA per day)
• Helps reduce serum triglycerides (1000 – 5000mg EPA/DHA per day)
• Helps to promote healthy mood balance (1500 – 5000 mg EPA/DHA per day)
• Helps reduce the pain of rheumatoid arthritis in adults in conjunction with conventional therapy (2800 – 5000 mg EPA/DHA per day).

 

Healthy Seafood Recipe to Cook More Sustainable  

The wild, nutritious, and delicious recipe below is a FINtastic fish dish. You can CATCH this recipe and more sustainable seafood recipes that are good for you and the ocean too, in the Marine Stewardship Council’s Healthy Oceans Too cookbook - it's FREE! I’ve partnered with @mscbluefish, a global, science-based non-profit dedicated to ending overfishing worldwide, because it’s a great opporTUNAty to share why seafood products that feature the MSC blue fish label are good for you and the ocean too.

 

    These Garlic Kale Crab Stuffed Mushrooms are also fun to make using large mushrooms, such as a portobello (seen here). These larger mushrooms have a meatier texture, and hold up well in the oven.

 

Recipe: Garlic Kale Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Serving Size: about 15 mushrooms

 

When it comes to making food that everyone loves, there’s nothing more fun than stuffed mushrooms filled with delicious flavours, such as garlic butter and crab. Including kale offers a fun way to get more vegetables into your loved ones.

 

Ingredients:

• 16 oz (2 packages) of fresh cremini mushrooms
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ package of MSC certified Compliments brand Crab-Flavoured Alaskan Pollock
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup kale
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
• ½ cup of cream cheese, softened
• Old Bay Spice seasoning
• 1 Thai chili pepper, finely chopped, de-seeded 

 

Directions:

Clean mushrooms by wiping gently with a damp paper towel to remove any dirt. De-stem the mushrooms. Chop the mushroom stems and use for the filling.

In a heavy sauce pan, sauté the chopped mushroom stems in olive oil and a tablespoon of butter until golden, and all of the moisture has disappeared. Add in the chopped garlic cloves. Add ½ cup of panko crumbs and ½ cup of de-stemmed, finely chopped kale, and crab. Add in finely diced bits of Thai chili peppers (no seeds). Season with Old Bay Seasoning. Sauté mixture for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat. Mix in the cream cheese and parmesan.

On a lined baking sheet, place the mushroom tops upside down, and fill the mushroom tops with the filling mixture from the sauce pan. Feel free to stuff the mushroom tops a little extra full (it looks pretty). Top the stuffed mushrooms with more parmesan. Bake in the oven at 400F for about 20-25 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the filling is golden in colour. Remove from the oven, let cool for 2 minutes, and then serve immediately.

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