POOR MANS PESCATARIAN DIET
I was looking at all the “Delish” recipes we have here on the site, and I thought, they are beautiful but I can’t make that fancy stuff. I am kinda blue-collar. I eat simple food and I don’t want to spend a lot. I’m cheap actually really cheap. Fish is expensive so how can you be a Pescatarian on the cheap? In a word… Tuna Sandwiches.
What kind of TUNA?
I get Northern Catch Canned Tuna at Aldi. It is cheap and good and when you open a can it looks like it actually came from a fish, not off-the-floor scrapings. I like the solid white and I usually mix one can of the white with two cans of the skip jack or the cheapest tuna in water. Sorry, I personally don’t buy into the mercury bit. But if you are concerned then stick with the skipjack and cheapest stuff. It is made from the small tuna. Sardines will work too, they are small fish. Small fish have virtually no mercury accumulation. I also buy the giant cans of SNOW brand clams and mix in clams to the tuna salad.
What kind of Bread?
I use Aldi 13 or 14-grain bread. Sometimes Rye, sometimes no bread at all.
MAYO?
I use it, you don’t have to. If you use it, I like Blue Plate.
Cheese?
Cheddar slices or Havarti. Most of the time I just use some TOFU slices.
TOFU?
I like tofu. I get it at ALDI, it’s cheap and good quality. And if you live in a neighbourhood with some lowlife that calls you a SoyBoy, hand him a 65-pound dumbbell and say “Curl.”
Substitutions:
In the land of cheap fish, one of the best deals is ALDI canned Pink Salmon. About 15 plus ounces and usually $3 or less. FOR SALMON! The nice part is when you open the can it actually looks like salmon fillets. The bones are edible. Canned Mackerel is even cheaper. Both really high in Omega 3.
I like Pickles on the side. Polish Dill slices.
If you want you can add celery or carrots bits in your Tuna Salad, sometimes I even use quinoa flakes as an extender.
There are other things that you can make that turn out surprisingly well that are simple and fast:
Oyster Stew?
This is simple and good; no it’s great. Get an eight-ounce can of whole-boiled oysters. You can use oyster bits too but I prefer the whole oysters. They are less than $3 usually.
Pour the contents of the Oysters and juice into a bowl and add about 6 or so ounces of Half and Half. Heat it in the micro with a lid, sprinkle some paprika on the top and add a pad of butter if you like. Salt if you must. You will be surprised because this makes great oyster stew… fit for an Irish Christmas off Dublin Bay.
I make no pretence about this. I am not a perfectionist. Butter and Half and Half are things I use. I try not to overdo it but there are some Pescatarians that don’t touch milk and dairy. There are no rules and you can ease into the diet. I always point out that even if a person only eats fish once or twice a week, they get benefits. I eat Tuna or Clam salad every day.
Breakfast is simple:
I like stone ground grits and quinoa flakes. Always whole grain. I didn’t grow up with grits and I never ate the starchy stuff that folks enjoy in the deep South. I like stone-ground whole grits with the germ.
To make them I put 1/3 of a cup in some boiling water, about a cup I am guessing. Then I add about one flat teaspoon of quinoa flakes. Then I stick it back in the microwave with a glass lid on the container heat it a few times for less than a minute and let it steep and then I do it again. Then you have grits.
Also at breakfast, I always have a few walnuts, almonds and even honey-roasted peanuts. Quantities are small, just three or four of each.
I share my breakfast with Pooki the Pescatarian smart dog. Our rules around here are simple but strict, “Doggies get some.” Pooki eats what I eat and neither of us eats kibble.
TO BE CONTINUED:
Smoke-flavored fish dip
Clam Chowder