A melt-in-your-mouth dinner worthy of entertaining! Every time Christy serves this, it gets rave reviews. We love that it came from our dear, crazy-good cooking friend Ingrid. This salmon recipe contains nutrients that are excellent for your health in midlife, and so Ingrid’s Coconut Miso Salmon can help nourish our hearts and emotional well-being. Wild salmon supports cognitive health long-term, helps balance blood sugar, and can alleviate dry skin.
The amazing omega-3s from salmon (and nuts and seeds) also reduce hot flashes, lower the inflammation associated with heart disease, and even improve our gut health by serving as prebiotics. When you take our 12-week Sage Menopause Strategies program, you’ll notice that many chapters include a discussion of omega-3s, as they can help with so many aspects of menopause including bone and vaginal health.
If you are looking to fish to increase your intake of omega-3’s and other goodness, you may want to check out Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, that tracks seafood that’s fished or farmed in environmentally sustainable ways.
The miso in this dish adds an incredible flavor and contains amazing phytonutrients that can also help with hot flashes. And make sure not to skip out on the garnishes! They add taste and texture to the dish. And the turmeric rice brings a boost of color and anti-inflammatory goodness.
This recipe calls for spinach as an added veggie, but you can also add green beans for additional crunch and nutrients. Add in all the spices for flavor and for the surprising nutritional benefit of cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.
Take our Hot Flash+Longevity program! And if you want to know more about brain health, sign up for our 12-week Sage Menopause Strategies program.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 red onion sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 3 Tbsp. fresh ginger minced
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 dried red chili (whole)
- 1/4 cup white miso
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (reserve remaining for chia pudding!)
- 1 cup water (or up to 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillet cut into large, 2 inch pieces
- 5 ounces baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice plus lime wedges for serving
- 1/4 cup fresh basil for serving
- 1/4 cup cilantro for serving
- pinch sea salt
- pinch black pepper
serving options
- 2 bags cauliflower rice (for dinner)
- 2 cups white rice (for lunch)
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1 bay leaves
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 cardamom pods
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onion, ginger, red chili, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add miso and cook, stirring frequently, until miso is carmelized (about 2 minutes.)
- Add coconut milk and 1 cup water and bring to low boil over high heat. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced--about 5 minutes.
- Stir in salmon, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until just cooked through--about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add in spinach and lime juice. Remove dried chili.
- You will be serving the salmon over cauliflower rice or rice, depending on whether you are doing grain-free. For the cauliflower rice, sauté the cauliflower in olive oil, adding the spices mentioned, and cook (checking seasoning) until lightly browned (about 15 minutes.) For the rice, cook according to package instructions, bringing the water to a boil and adding the rice and all the spices, covering, and reducing heat to low. At end of either process, remove the spice pods, and serve.
- Serve salmon over a bowl of rice, and garnish with cilantro, basil, and a lime wedge.
