Ocean Trout with Porno Salad

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived a life of balanced eating.  No nutrition books or scientifically proven theories, just an innate knowing of what their bodies needed to stay nourished. So far removed from this seemingly simple concept today, we may find it hard to practice balanced eating. Common to all traditional diets is the 1:1 ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Over the course of human evolution, the balance that once was has been lost, and in Australia it is estimated that the general population is eating roughly 25 times more omega-6 than omega-3 as part of the average diet. Comparing this to the diet on which human beings evolved and our genetic patterns were established, it becomes apparent that this imbalance could present risk to a multitude of health complications.

Omega -6 is pro-inflammatory, while omega -3 is anti-inflammatory. Being that inflammation is at the root of almost all known chronic health conditions, it is important that we attempt to realign balance between the two. Please don’t take from this that omega-6 is ‘bad’, each perform distinct biological functions and offer their own unique health benefits, we need both types in our diets. I cannot emphasise enough how crucial balance is to a healthy diet, but also that there is no one size fits all approach.

You may be one of the health consciousness individuals who strays from processed foods and eating out; and incorporates plenty of quality omega -3 rich foods into your diet- fish, flax, chia, walnuts, in which case it would probably be beneficial to incorporate more quality omega-6 essential fatty acids. Hemp seeds contain gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), the active omega-6 form, while sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and raw nuts also contain omega-6, but in the inactive, linoleic acid (LA), form. To convert this to the anti-inflammatory GLA, you'll need a sufficient amount of Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, zinc and magnesium.

However, with omega-6 found abundantly in corn, soy, canola, sunflower, safflower and other commercially used cooking oils, as well as corn and soy being fed to commercial meat, as a population we are generally consuming an excess of omega-6 every time we eat out or anything packaged. Avoiding gluten, sugar, and dairy when buying from the supermarket or eating out is very achievable these days. Avoiding vegetable oil? Lurking in the shadows of almost every food label, proves to be much more difficult. 

So the point of all this rambling… most of us should be consuming more omega-3 and less omega-6 essential fatty acids! Omega-3 is found in flaxseeds and walnuts, but humans have trouble converting the fats from these plant sources into the longer chain derivates, EPA and DHA. Since EPA and DHA (especially DHA) are responsible for the benefits omega-3 fats provide, and since EPA and DHA are only available in significant amounts in seafood, it follows that we should be consuming seafood on a regular basis.

When trying to incorporate more fish into your diet, avoid consuming fish that are known to have high mercury levels. The toxic effect of mercury far outweighs the benefits associated with omega-3 fatty acids. Examples of high mercury-containing fish include both raw and cooked varieties of shark, swordfish and tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico. When possible, please choose wild-caught fish instead of farm-raised fish, especially if you believe food carries an energetic imprint.

One of my favourite fish dishes and something I make regularly is Ocean Trout served with ‘Porno Salad’. I’m not sure why it’s called that, but that’s what my Mumma called her salad, which was the platform for this one, so that’s what I call mine!

I find this fresh and zingy salad the perfect accompaniment to the oily fish. Start by making the dressing - so that the peas can bathe in it and soak up all the flavours while you prepare the rest of the meal. Combine about ¼ cup of olive oil with a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon sugar and 1 bunch chopped mint. Warm through a packet of frozen peas in boiling water, strain, and stir into the dressing. The longer the peas are left to steep, the more pronounced the flavours become. Don’t stress if you think this looks like too much oil, as what the peas don’t absorb will be used to dress the salad leaves.

Ask your fishmonger to de-bone the trout fillets if you can, otherwise just use tweezers and patience to carefully remove the bones. Rub the fish skin with salt and place skin side down onto a moderately hot grill. I like my trout just turned from raw, so I wait until I see the colour change creep up the side of the fillet then turn over.

My favourite way to serve this is to arrange a mix of salad leaves on a large platter, topped with the minty peas, slices of avocado, snow pea sprouts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Serve with the ocean trout or any other omega-3 rich fish of your choice, quinoa and Greek yogurt. The perfect balance of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids!