Paleo Tuna Salad – I want cheese, but even without it, it's such good comfort food.
OK friends, we've got a lot of exciting things coming your way! Stories, recipes, funny photos on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (Holley finally convinced me to install the Twitter app on my phone and almost has me convinced to try Instagram as well…). Lots has been happening the last couple weeks.
Last week I went to watch the sockeye salmon run near Adams Lake. I'd never seen this in person before, but have wanted to check it out for years. You see, the life-cycle of sockeye salmon is pretty incredible. They are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean within their first 1-2 years of life, and after 2-3 years in saltwater then return to the freshwaters where they were born. The upstream trip back to the river to spawn is an incredible battle where the salmons' bodies are battered by rocks and many don't survive the migration:
These fish also change color from bluey silver to a red body with green head. The males develop a hump in their back and hooked nose (you can see the difference between females and males in the video – a female swims by at about the 20-second mark). The whole thing is really incredible, and the number of sockeye that make this journey swells every 4 years (this was one of those years).
I had meant to bring my waterproof camera but totally forgot. Thankfully my phone (Samsung Galaxy 5s) is waterproof!! There were loads of other people along the river watching the fish and taking photos, and everyone stopped to watch my phone's screen as I recorded the following videos (wish I had a photo of this scene!). Pretty awesome. Have you seen anything like this?
You can see all the sockeye videos that I uploaded on our Youtube channel. Make sure you watch part 3: you can really see the differences between the genders.
Unfortunately, I didn't have any salmon recipes in the chamber, but here's another fish recipe (which you can always swap salmon into). My mom used to make tuna melts for me as a child, accompanied by her homemade dill pickles. I was recently at a friend's place watching some movies on a cool cloudy day and was craving some comfort food and decided I needed to make a paleo tuna salad/melt (and lacto-paleo) version.
Tell me about some of the foods you had growing up in the comments.
Paleo Tuna Salad on Lettuce
- Yield: 2-3 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cans tuna (drained)
- 1.5 Tbsp dill
- 2 green onions (finely sliced)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2–3 Tbsp seed style mustard and/or dijon mustard (I used a mix of both)
- 3–6 large leafy greens for each person (red lettuce pictured)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, flake tuna with a fork.
- Add remaining ingredients (except greens) and mix.
- Place a bed of greens on plate(s) and top with tuna mixture.
Notes
Serve with my Momma's Dill Pickles.
If you're lacto-paleo, top this with grated cheese (it's awesome with aged cheddar) and then melt. Or don't. You're call 😉
Loved your underwater video from your phone! Did you get the salmon recipe I sent on the weekend?
Yes,
Thank you! I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, but I will!
Awesome video Raj! The Adams River run is on my Bucket List. Didn’t work out for this year, I will have to catch the next swell in 2018.
Thanks Laureen!
Was it Thug Kitchen who won the Canadian Bucket List book? I’ll have to get them to add it to their list too (though Robin Esrock may have already included it in the book).
What a neat video! I will be sure to check out your youtube channel. I am a hard core I phone fan but it can not do that! I love salmon. I have smoked it, canned it with the pressure cooker and have a nice blackened recipe. I ate well growing up, both my parents enjoyed cooking and we enjoyed many different foods. Though the dishes close to my heart are the ones prepare by my grandmothers. One I make often is Borscht – Beet Soup. Fully of veggies from the garden it is definitely a flavor of my childhood.
Thanks!
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not an Apple fan. No iPhone for me. iTunes is the number one reason they irk me, but I’m gonna stop right there, haha.
Are any of those salmon recipes on your blog? And are they paleo-friendly?
Borscht! That’s something I should try making some time! Good call! I think I’ve only ever had it maybe 2-3 times. Thanks for sharing Redawna!
Whew, what a week. Yes, the recipes are on my blog. To be honest I had to Google what exactly paleo is. I have seen the term everywhere but really did not know what it all entails. The Blackened Salmon would be considered paleo friendly but the smoked salmon recipe does have sugar in the brine. I am very intrigued by the paleo way of eating. I have been wanting to make some changes in the way I eat. This may be just the change I need. And yes, you must make Borscht! So good! Thanks Raj.
Ooh! Glad to hear it Redawna. Cool that we could help motivate you. Keep an eye out: we’re working on something big for the end of the year that should make that transition easier!
I look forward to it very much!