Healthy + Simple Recipe to Balance Your Hormones
The body can not make hormones without fat.
Reminder – healthy fats nourish your hormones. Why? Because hormones need fat to thrive. Incorporating healthy fats into your meals will support your hormones, increase satiety (feeling full), and make your food taste good!
And oh, have I got a hormone-balancing recipe for you!
This recipe is one of my favorites. It’s full of healthy fats from salmon and avocado, including omega 3s, selenium, manganese, and potassium. It’s a balanced meal of fats, protein, and carbs with the side veggies.
Bonus – the addition of lemon helps to thin out bile and support digestion!
What I love about this recipe –
It’s refreshing
It’s flavorful
It’s colorful
It’s satisfying
It’s simple
The MVP, in my opinion, is the butter. Butter consists of various fatty acids, such as stearic acid, and is a safe oil to cook with at higher temperatures. The butter gave the salmon a rich, decadent flavor and provided juicy finish, preventing it from drying out. No one likes dry salmon, unless it’s dried salmon. Dry salmon is just a sad fish.
The avocado gremolata gave the salmon the extra flavor, texture, and zest. Plus, it’s a beautiful topping! The combo of butter, salmon, and avocado creates an appetizing meal that would encourage anyone to incorporate more fats into their diet, hands down!
This, y’all, was my birthday dinner this year. It’s a fancy meal made with minimal ingredients and can be thrown together in 30 minutes.
Winner winner, it’s fish for dinner!
Pan Seared Salmon with Avocado Gremolata
– adapted from Cotter Crunch –
Ingredients
2 Wild-caught salmon fillets with skin
1– 2 tbsp grass-fed butter (or olive oil, avocado oil, ghee)
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Avocado Gremolata
1 small avocado (ripe) or 1/2 large
4 tsp dried parsley or 1/3 cup fresh (chopped)
2 garlic cloves – minced
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
3– 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
Make the gremolata first (it takes about 2 minutes to make).
Remove from skin and chop your avocado and herbs. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and let it marinate in the fridge while the salmon cooks.
Clean the fish fillets with fresh water. Pat dry on both sides.
Heat a large cat iron skillet (or other non-toxic skillet) over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add butter (or oil) and swirl until the pan is covered.
Add the salmon fillets to the pan, flesh side down.
Pan sear the salmon flesh side down for 3 minutes, then flip to sear the skin. If your goal is a super crispy skin, use spatula to gently press down on the flesh until the fillet flattens out a little more, sealing the skin against the pan. When the flesh feels firm to the touch (3-5 minutes), the salmon is ready.
Depending on the thickness of your fillet, the searing time could take longer. Check to make sure the inside is no longer pink but opaque.
Remove pan from heat and cool the salmon in the pan for 2- 3 minutes. The salmon should continue cooking off the heat. Sprinkle the flesh side of the fillets with a little sea salt + pepper.
Top with lemon and avocado gremolata and serve!
Sides –
Pair salmon with any side of your choosing! I went with roasted veggies and brown rice (pre-soaked) to provide added nutrients and color to our plate.
Roasted Delicata squash (or sweet potatoes!) and Brussels sprouts –
Pre-heat oven to 400º and cover a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Scrub and rinse Delicata squash and slice into rings.
Toss squash in unrefined coconut oil (or ghee or butter) and season with sea salt and pepper.
Wash and slice Brussels sprouts in halves. We used shredded so you can throw right into the bowl to season.
Toss in coconut oil, ghee, or butter and season with balsamic, sea salt, and pepper.
Roast squash and Brussels sprouts 25 minutes or until fork tender.
Enjoy!