Tag Archives: seafood

Why Salmon is One of the Best Proteins for Healthy Aging + Easy Recipes

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Orange Cranberry Sheet Pan Salmon prepped and ready to be cooked

If there’s one protein I always try to keep stocked in my freezer, it’s salmon. As someone balancing an active lifestyle, strength training, healthy aging goals, and real-life busy schedules, salmon checks nearly every box for nutrition, convenience, versatility, and flavor.

Whether you prefer wild-caught sockeye, coho, or Atlantic salmon, this powerhouse fish delivers big benefits in a package that cooks fast and tastes amazing.

Here are 10 reasons salmon deserves a regular spot on your plate.

1. Salmon is Packed with High-Quality Protein: Protein becomes increasingly important as we age, especially for supporting muscle maintenance, recovery, strength, and satiety. Salmon delivers approximately 22g protein per 3-ounce serving. That makes it ideal for athletes, active adults, and anyone trying to stay stronger and healthier long-term.

2. Omega-3 Fats Support Healthy Aging: Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA, which are associated with heart, brain, eye, and joint health. These healthy fats are especially important for active adults and women over 50 focused on longevity and recovery.

3. Salmon Cooks FAST: Busy weeknight? Salmon is your friend. Many salmon recipes cook in just 10 to 15 minutes, making it one of the fastest whole-food proteins you can prepare.  

4. Frozen Salmon is a Total Convenience Win: You don’t even need fresh fish on hand. Keeping frozen salmon in the freezer means you always have a healthy dinner backup plan ready to go. Quick thaw. Quick cook. Minimal stress.

5. Salmon Works with Tons of Flavor Profiles: Sweet, spicy, smoky, citrusy, creamy, herby — salmon can handle it all. That versatility keeps healthy eating from becoming boring.

6. It’s Great for Meal Prep: Salmon holds up beautifully in bowls, salads, wraps, grain dishes, and cold meal-prep lunches. Cook once, eat multiple ways.

7. Salmon Fits Many Eating Styles: Lower carb? Paleo? Gluten-free? Higher protein? Mediterranean-inspired? Pescitarian? Salmon fits naturally into almost every healthy eating pattern.

8. Salmon Makes Healthy Eating Feel Fancy: A simple salmon dinner feels elevated without requiring chef-level effort. It’s one of my favorite proteins for both easy weeknight meals and casual entertaining.

9. Salmon Pairs Perfectly with Veggies: Sheet pan dinners, skillet meals, salads, bowls — salmon practically begs for colorful vegetables and nutrient-packed sides.

10. It Just Tastes Amazing: Honestly, healthy food is easier to stick with when it genuinely tastes good. Salmon delivers rich flavor, satisfying texture, and endless recipe possibilities.

Favorite Salmon Recipes from The Fit Fork

What's better than garlic butter? Garlic butter all over salmon, mushrooms and delicious veggies! This easy one-dish salmon skillet is sure to become your favorite 15-minute meal.

Garlic Butter Salmon and Mushrooms: One of my all-time favorite skillet meals — buttery garlic mushrooms plus perfectly cooked salmon in one pan.

Granola-crusted honey mustard salmon made savory with a crunchy seed-based topping. This easy air fryer or oven recipe is high-protein, omega-3 rich, and ready in about 10 minutes.

Granola Crunch Honey Mustard Salmon: Crunchy, savory, protein-packed salmon with a unique granola crust made for busy weeknights.

For a quick, easy, fish dinner or even for entertaining company, Bourbon Orange Salmon makes waves and earns waves with tons of flavor!

Bourbon Orange Salmon: A quick skillet salmon dinner with a sweet-savory bourbon citrus glaze that comes together in about 15 minutes.

Creamy Coconut Salmon Skillet

Creamy Coconut Lime Salmon Skillet: Thai-inspired flavors, creamy coconut milk, lime, ginger, and salmon cooked in one skillet.

Strawberry Chipotle Salmon and Quinoa Salad: Sweet-meets-smoky salmon served over quinoa salad with strawberries and avocado.

Cranberry Orange Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner : An easy 30-minute sheet pan dinner that looks beautiful enough for company.

Gluten Free Salmon Zucchini Quinoa Burgers

Grilled Salmon Zucchini Quinoa Burgers: A fun twist on salmon night with extra veggies and protein-packed quinoa mixed right into the patties.

Oven Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp – Under 30-minute Meal

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Oven Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp makes a comforting, delicious and arguably balanced meal-in-a-pot boasting a whole grain, vegetable and protein.

Oven Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp makes a comforting, delicious and arguably balanced meal-in-a-pot boasting a whole grain, vegetable and protein. It’s so simple and easy to make, an under 30 minute meal with little hand-on effort, many call this oven method “cheater’s risotto” – but it’s totally legit!

Plus, this butternut risotto cooks up fast and with much less hands-on prep than a traditional risotto recipe – there is no endless stirring at the stove top. Instead, the rice bakes up in the oven for 20-minutes, being stirred up with Parmesan cheese just as serving.  

Oven Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp makes a comforting, delicious and arguably balanced meal-in-a-pot boasting a whole grain, vegetable and protein. It’s so simple and easy to make, an under 30 minute meal with little hand-on effort, many call this oven method “cheater’s risotto” – but it’s totally legit!

With olive oil and simple spices, the oven-roasted shrimp only take 10 minutes to make and can be popped into the oven on a baking sheet, at the second half of the rice timer. This way, the shrimp and risotto and done at the same time!

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Risotto in the Oven
Ingredients for the butternut risotto are simple and easy!

Learning how to make oven butternut squash risotto is a game changer. Use a Dutch oven pot in the oven and just walk away until done – this method has freed me up to finish other dinner chores and/or just have more time to connect with family members who have gathered in the kitchen to investigate the inviting, comfort food aromas wafting about.

Plus, elevating oven risotto with butternut squash helps keep the dish creamy, adds an earthy, lightly sweet flavor, and increases the nourishing benefits with dietary fiber, vitamin A, and more.  To keep the oven butternut squash with shrimp recipe simple, I purchase fresh-cubed butternut squash in the produce department. However, you can also cut up your own squash and/or use a bag of thawed frozen butternut chunks.

Oven Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp makes a comforting, delicious and arguably balanced meal-in-a-pot boasting a whole grain, vegetable and protein. It’s so simple and easy to make, an under 30 minute meal with little hand-on effort, many call this oven method “cheater’s risotto” – but it’s totally legit!

If you are just learning how to make risotto in the oven or traditionally (or you’ve had a risotto fail in the past), please note that you should NOT use a long-grained rice. A short-grained rice offers the signature creamy results of a classic risotto and Arborio rice is a common variety used. Some medium-grain rice may be used, too.

Oven Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp makes a comforting, delicious and arguably balanced meal-in-a-pot boasting a whole grain, vegetable and protein. It’s so simple and easy to make, an under 30 minute meal with little hand-on effort, many call this oven method “cheater’s risotto” – but it’s totally legit!

Some people call this method “cheater’s risotto,” however I see nothing suspect about it, lol! It’s just a smart way to get a nourishing meal on the table fast! I typically pair my cheater’s butternut squash risotto with an apple kale salad for extra fall-season flair.

 If you want to keep the recipe non-dairy, you can swap a non-dairy butter alternative for the butter and use an alternative to Parmesan cheese, like Parma.

Easy Roasted Shrimp in the Oven

Making the shrimp is just as easy, toss together olive oil, garlic salt and paprika and bake alongside the risotto during the last 8 minutes.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission from products purchase, however the price to you remains the same. Proceeds are used to offset operating expenses for The Fit Fork – thank you for your support.

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Oven Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp makes a comforting, delicious and arguably balanced meal-in-a-pot boasting a whole grain, vegetable and protein. It’s so simple and easy to make, an under 30 minute meal with little hand-on effort, many call this oven method “cheater’s risotto” – but it’s totally legit!
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Oven Butternut Squash Risotto and Shrimp
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 

Oven Butternut Squash Risotto withShrimp makes a comforting, delicious and arguably balanced meal-in-a-pot boastinga whole grain, vegetable and protein. It’s so simple and easy to make, an under30 minute meal with little hand-on effort, many call this oven method “cheater’srisotto” – but it’s totally legit!

Course: dinner, dinner, entree, entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: butternut squash, rice, risotto, shrimp
Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 cup arborio rice or other short to medium grain rice
  • 1/3 cup white wine can omit
  • 3 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 10- ounce bag chopped butternut squash produce dept shelf or frozen and thawed
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 tablespoons butter or non-dairy butter alternative
  • 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese or non-dairy Parmesan alternative
  • 20 large shrimp shelled and veined (thawed if frozen)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
  2. In 3.5-quart Dutch oven with lid, heat oil over medium heat on stove top. Add garlic and rice and stir around for 2 minutes to toast rice.
  3. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, stirring around over heat, stirring until mostly evaporated. Add chicken broth and butternut squash cubes and bring to a boil for 1 minutes.
  4. Put lid on pot and place on middle rack of oven, baking for 20-mintues.
  5. Meanwhile, quickly prepare shrimp by placing on rimmed baking sheet and tossing with olive oil, salt, and paprika.
  6. In the last 6 to 8 minutes of cooking the risotto, place pan of prepared shrimp in the oven. Roast until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes.
  7. Remove rice from oven, most of the water should have been absorbed. If it still looks a little watery, let cool for 5 minutes with lid off before stirring in butter and cheese.
  8. Serve risotto with shrimp and garnish with finely chopped fresh sage and a little extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Recipe Notes

Easy Cilantro Coconut Cream Cod with Zucchini | Paleo, Gluten-free, Lower Carb

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Lean in, I’m about to let you in on one of my 30-minute dinner secrets – frozen cod filets. With a stockpile of pacific cod in the freezer, I can come up with so many mouth-watering, 30-minute meals, like my latest: Easy One-Dish Cilantro Coconut Cream Cod with Zucchini Cilantro Coconut Cream Cod with Zucchini - Paleo, Lower Carb, Gluten-free

Continue reading →

Six Veggie Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry {Paleo, Gluten-Free}

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Do you know why I stir fry? It’s fast, it’s fresh, it’s flexible (in a use up what’s in the produce bin way) and it’s is freakin’ delicious without fail.

Since most of us are back to school, falling once again into that crazy dinner rush hour, I’m sharing a quick and easy stir fry recipe my whole family loves – Six Veggie Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry. Continue reading →

Bold Blackened Shrimp Chickpea Salad with Blue Cheese

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With Austin’s temperatures already in the 90s, it’s officially salad season in my book. Also, May is National Salad Month, so there’s that!  Bold Blackened Shrimp Chickpea Salad with Blue Cheese

My Bold Blackened Shrimp Chickpea Salad with Blue Cheese is a tasty way to kick off my “Let Us Eat Lettuce” binge for the next three, four, maybe even five months! Continue reading →