Lately, it’s been hard to go a day without hearing the word “gluten.” Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale with a purpose of helping foods keep their shape by acting as a form of natural glue. Gluten isn’t bad for you if you’re not sensitive or allergic to it, but it can make you feel heavy and stuffed. Thankfully, it can be quite easy to avoid gluten when you’re cooking with fish. Try any of these delicious gluten-free cooking methods and you’ll feel light and satisfied in no time.
Cook it in a soup or curry
From coconut fish curry to Tilapia Corn Chowder, soups and curries provide you with an array of options for lunch and dinner. Enjoy dishes that are sweet, spicy and most importantly, gluten-free. Better yet, soups and curries are great options for warm meals that’ll fill you up. There are so many unique and flavorful recipes out there to try meaning that it will be hard to run out of new things to cook up!
Toss it in a salad
With spring just around the corner and summer around the next, it’s time to eat a lot more salad. Depending on how you like your greens, you can easily add a portion of fish for a serving (or two) or protein. Add butter and herb basted Tilapia to a roasted beet, arugula and basil salad or enjoy a smoked salmon and avocado salad. There’s a ton of opportunity for mixing and matching as salads are a great way to pack nutrients into a light meal. Ingredients—from spinach to Tilapia—have many of the vitamins and minerals you should be eating daily, meaning that whipping up a salad is an easy, delicious decision.
Use gluten-free alternatives
Some classic recipes require tortilla shells, breadcrumbs and other wheat-based ingredients that gluten-free gurus want to avoid. Recipes like Lake-Grown Regal Springs blackened Tilapia tacos require tortillas, but they don’t have to be wheat-based! Instead, try a corn tortilla or, even better, a lettuce wrap. You can substitute just about anything with a gluten-free alternative, so don’t let your dietary restrictions limit your tastebuds.
Season well and serve with sides
It doesn’t matter if you’re pan-frying your fish or baking it; seasoning is key to a great final product. Bake Tilapia with spices, pan-fry it with some olive oil and lemon juice or even “cook” it with acids from citrus, like in a ceviche. You don’t need to do much to make fish enjoyable. Simply add a few ingredients, cook it up in a flash and serve it alongside some vegetables and a salad or roasted potatoes. This simple style of cooking is great for summer when heavy meals become too much to handle in the heat.
If you’re practicing a gluten-free diet, it’s easy to feel like you can’t eat much. You might be reading the labels of everything you pick up for a little while, but you’ll soon find ways to still enjoy your favorite flavors while adding a few more to your culinary repertoire. Get cooking, get creative and let your imagination lead you to tasty new gluten-free dishes.
Photo: Melissa Askew, Elli O., Jorge Zapata