Happy fourth of July, everyone! This holiday is about celebrating our country’s formation, which was united upon bravery and independence. Without our forefathers, we wouldn’t have freedom of speech, or freedom of the press…

and, therefore, we wouldn’t have infinite blog posting opportunities.

Today’s dish is so simple that you can cook it for the fourth of July and serve it on the same day, within a half hour from start to finish. You only need 6 ingredients, a baking pan, and some parchment paper. What’s this impossibly easy dish, you ask?

Simple Summer Salmon.

This dish is as straightforward as it gets, and it’s also packed with nutrients. Nutrition professionals recommend the incorporation of fish into diets about 2 to 3 times per week for a number of reasons.

Firstly, fish is usually packed with protein. About 3 oz. of salmon (about the size of your palm) has about 21 grams of protein. That has more protein than one scoop of your average protein powder. But, wait, that’s not even the best part.

Many fish are filled with heart-healthy fats called omega 3’s, specifically known as EPA and DHA. These two fats are “essential” to our diets, because the body can’t make them itself. We need to eat these fats in order to survive.

The specific fats found in fish oil have been praised for their unique benefits on human health. Certain studies show that higher dosages of fish oil benefit heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol, hormonal balance, tumor growth and progression, and cognitive function.

Who wouldn’t want to eat fish after hearing all of that?

If you would like to look further into these studies, feel free to email me at thebakingtourguide@gmail.com, and I will share with you what I’ve learned.

My one recommendation when shopping for fish would be to find wild caught fish instead of its farm-raised counterparts. Some farm-raised fish are fed all sorts of interesting items, to make the fish grow faster and bigger. When the fish are wild-caught, they’re likely to be more natural fish because they live off of their usual diet. This principal also applies to grass-fed meat versus corn-fed meat. Grass-fed meat, while expensive, tends to have more nutrition than regular meat due to the differences in the diets of the cows.

Now that you know why I enjoy my fair share of seafood, please enjoy this recipe on this beautiful fourth of July weekend!

Simple Summer Salmon

• Servings: 4
• Time: 30mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients

• Four 4 oz wild-caught salmon fillets
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• pinch of salt
• 8 lemon slices + an extra wedge for juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Line one to two baking pans with parchment paper. Place the salmon fillets, skin-side down, on the parchment paper.
3. Squeeze lemon juice on top of the fillets using the extra lemon wedge. Mix the spices and salt in a separate bowl, then sprinkle them evenly on the salmon fillets. Place 2 lemon wedges on top of each fillet.
4. Place the salmon in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they have turned light pink, and you can flake them with a fork.

Cook up your favorite sides, grab a plate, eat, and celebrate! Happy summer feasting on this truly nutritious and simple salmon dish.

Simple Summer Salmon

© The Baking Tour Guide