HEALTHY EATING: Go fish, but don’t fry it

BY CAROLYN O’NEIL

Trying to eat more fish because it’s a lighter choice? Well, just because you’ve set your sails for a seafood dinner doesn’t mean all the menu choices will keep you shipshape.

Beware the deep-fat- fried, drowned-in-butter and smothered-in-cream sauce seafood dishes. Fat fact: If you want the fried shrimp or fried fish, each adds 240 calories and 24 grams of fat to a 6-ounce portion. Steamed or grilled shrimp are great low-fat choices enjoyed with cocktail sauce or a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime.

Choose broiled, grilled, steamed or baked fish and ask that your fish be brushed lightly with olive oil. Choose the rice pilaf and steamed veggies as side dishes. Robert Holly, executive chef at the Atlanta Fish Market, says, “Most of our guests, to be honest, order fried seafood.”

But he’s also seen a rise in the number of diners who want grilled fish.
“We’ve seen a real trend, kind of a reverse trend, away from the fancy sauces and complicated dishes back to plain grilled fish with fresh vegetables like green beans or asparagus.” A number of requests for salads with fish on the side convinced Holly to create a menu option — platters of Caesar salad or Greek salad with fish or shrimp served on top.

Go for the grilled

Adding flavor to fish doesn’t have to mean reaching for tartar sauce or melted butter. At C&S Seafood and Oyster Bar, executive chef Jon Schwenk tops grilled tuna steak with a bold puttanesca sauce (made with tomatoes, black olives, capers and anchovies) served with garlic lemon spinach.

But, Schwenk cautions, “If you’re trying to avoid fried fish, don’t automatically order everything grilled. Some more delicate fish like halibut really should be steamed. It’s a textural thing.” A delightfully light dish, Schwenk’s steamed halibut is served with artichokes, mushrooms and garlic lemon jus.

In the seafood soup category, cioppino or bouillabaisse are good choices, since they are often chock-full of fish and veggies in a tomato-based broth. Seafood bisques or chowders, made with cream, are much higher in fat and calories. Get the cup, not a bowl, if you really crave the lobster bisque.

Carolyn O’Neil is a registered dietitian and co-author of “The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!” E-mail her at carolyn@carolynoneil.com.