Brain Food #1 | Fish

Ok let’s talk about …..ummm what was it again??...... oh right BRAIN FOOD!

Isn’t it annoying when you just can‘t seem to remember certain things such as a person’s name, if you fed your dog, took your vitamin or even showered??

Maybe we can help by giving the brain a boost!

For my daily morning mental exercise I enjoy working the crossword puzzle and yes blogging…but here we will talk about the ways to nourish the mind with food.

Today’s food:

Fish

Protein, an important component in the making of neurotransmitters, is essential to improve mental performance. Aside from being an excellent source of high quality protein, fish are packed with essential oils, such as Omega-3, which protect the brain and supports its development and functioning. Deep sea fish have the highest amounts of fatty acids, and they include salmon, sea bass, halibut, mackerel, and sardines - Dr. Maoshing Ni                       You can find more on his website: http://www.taoofwellness.com/

Who doesn’t like fatty food especially when it’s good for you.
Let’s get brainy! Here I have cooked a Sea Bass which is packed with tons of fatty acids.
I prefer having fish whole, that way you do not lose the wonderful flavor.
At my favorite seafood market, picked out the freshest fish.

How to tell if the fish is FRESH or NOT, by checking 3 things.

1. Body should be firm to touch NOT soft and soggy
2. Eyes – clear NOT cloudy
3. Check under the gills – should be reddish NOT brown ( you can have them show you)

The fishmonger will de-scaled and clean out the inners of the fish. At home I did the final steps of cleaning by snipping the fins and rinsing the fish inside and out with cold water. Pat Dry.

**If you find some scales on the skin, take a small knife and just run it on an angle against the scales and it would pop right out.**

Will post pictures of the steps soon.

Simple Chinese Steamed Whole Sea Bass

• Sea Bass
• Scallion & Cilantro – cut into slivers ( handful)
• Ginger – slice in sticks
• Oil
• Toasted Sesame Oil
• Light Soy Sauce
• Rice Wine
• salt

1. Season the fish inside and out with salt. Fill cavity with some scallion and ginger. Place fish on a dish.
*Make sure the dish fit into your steamer; here I used a bamboo steamer.
**You can also use a pot or a wok; you will need a steaming rack or a tuna can opened both sides to hold the dish, make sure water does not touch the dish.

                                  

2. Fill Wok or Pot with water, bring to a boil. Place dish in the center and cover and steam over gentle heat medium – high. Do not steam over HIGH heat that will dry out the fish.

For this small fish I steamed it for 5 minutes. To check if the fish is done, a trick I learned from Mama Ng. use a chop stick and poke the center of the body near the head. If it goes thru smoothly it’s done! Or you can just use a fork by lifting the fillet off the bone …if you don’t mind ruining your presentation.

Remove from steamer. Tool : Plate Grabber / Tongs/Oven Mitt * Be Careful*

Drain all liquid away. Drizzle some soy sauce on the fish

3. In a small pan , heat oil and sesame oil until you start to see the oil smoke. Add the scallion/ ginger/ soy sauce and a dash of wine into the pan. Sauce is ready when the scallion starts to wilt and brown. Pour directly over fish and sprinkle a handful of cilantro. Done!

When you get the hang of it, it’s quite simple. As you can see I enjoyed my simple dinner with nice bowl of hot Bitter Melon Soup * Click For Previous Post/Recipe* this one added dried oysters and tomatoes.

Will be back with more Brain Food.

*Isn’t it funny that how we never forget to eat!*
Cheers to our Mental Health!