Baked salmon with zucchini and rice: an anti-inflammatory dinner on one tray

There are days when you don't feel like cooking, and precisely those are the days when it is hardest to keep up a careful diet. This recipe from The Invisible Mosaic is designed for them: you put the salmon and zucchini on a tray, slide it in the oven and, meanwhile, the rice cooks. In 25 minutes you have a complete dinner and there is hardly anything to wash up.

Why salmon

Salmon is one of the fish richest in omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), which are part of most eating patterns associated with lower background inflammation. That is why the recipe highlights its interest in Hashimoto's, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid.

Zucchini and white rice complete the dish with ingredients that are usually well tolerated on a SIBO diet.

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 fresh salmon fillets
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 150 g white rice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh dill and salt to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (about 400 °F) and put the rice on to cook according to the package instructions.
2. Place the salmon and zucchini on a baking tray. Drizzle with the oil and add salt and dill.
3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
4. Serve with the rice.

How do you know when it's done? The salmon is ready when it flakes when pressed with a fork and the center has lost its translucent color.

If you have histamine intolerance

Fish is one of the foods in which histamine increases fastest after it is caught. That is why the recipe label says "with very fresh fish":

• Buy it the same day you are going to cook it, or frozen (fish flash-frozen on the boat usually has less histamine than the "fresh" fish that has spent days at the fish counter).
• Avoid smoked salmon, marinated fish and canned fish for this diet.
• Eat it freshly made. Fish leftovers, even in the fridge, are a bad idea if you are sensitive to histamine.

Ideas to vary it

• Swap the dill for parsley or for thin slices of lemon (in moderation if you are sensitive to histamine).
• Replace the salmon with sea bass: the book includes a baked version with lemon and herbs that is made at 190 °C for the same time.
• In the book's meal plan, this salmon appears as the midday meal on the same day that pumpkin and ginger soup is served for dinner.

More recipes like this

The Invisible Mosaic, by David Lerner, brings together about 30 recipes for people living with Hashimoto's, SIBO, histamine intolerance or gluten sensitivity, each with its own suitability label. It includes a 4-week plan, quick-reference tables by condition and a clear explanation of what the scientific evidence says about each one.

This article is for informational purposes and does not replace the advice of your doctor or a registered dietitian, especially if you have a diagnosis or are undergoing treatment.