The United States Department of Agriculture says twice a week, make seafood the protein on your plate. Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry.
Fridays just before a three-day weekend are the best. Sometimes the anticipation of a full 72-hour respite is arguably better than the actual respite. But I'm confident this weekend will live up to my expectations. My friend Allison from graduate school and her friend will be in town, so Lloyd and I get to entertain a little for the first time since we've been in Hawaii. We're inviting them to go kayaking at Kailua Beach Sunday and then have a cook-out here at home. Here's the menu I came up with...
Abalone is a new type of seafood for me. I tried my very first taste last night. Lloyd and I grabbed a bite to eat before a movie, and when I saw abalone gnocchi on the menu, I had to give it a try. It was chewy and mild, similar to one of my all time favorite seafoods, squid.
Abalone caught my attention because I plan to go to the Saturday Farmers' Market at Kapiolani Community College tomorrow, and had seen one of this week's specials is Big Island Abalone.
Some wild species of abalone are endangered, but Big Island raises their own abalone. According to this interesting article about the company, their 10-acre farm holds more than two million abalone in various stages of growth and produces 70 tons of abalone a year. Besides abalone, the farm also grows its own brown algae to feed the abalone. I may have to go take a tour some day.
I am a registered dietitian with the National Fisheries Institute, so fish is my nutrition forte. I earned my BA in Communication from Southwestern University, just outside of Austin, TX. During college, one of my very favorite evening outings was a leisurely trip to the grocery market. My passion for food was undeniable, so I combined both of my interests by earning my MS in Nutrition Communication from Tufts University in Boston, MA. As well as my Registered Dietitian (RD) credential through the University of Delaware.
Beyond reading scientific studies about docosahexaenoic acid and selenium, I love to entertain, travel, watch reality TV, grill outdoors, and go to spin class. I live in Kailua, HI on the island of Oahu where my husband serves as a US Marine Corps JAG.
People in Hawaii eat more fish and shellfish than average, but over 80 percent of typical Americans don't eat seafood at least twice per week. Doctors and dietitians like me say that's the goal, so BlogAboutSeafood is here to show you just what plenty of seafood looks like in an RD's real-life diet.
Photo by Marco Garcia
