Are you dieting for a New Years resolution? Lent is also approaching, and sometimes fried and steamed cod gets old. Salmon might help your endeavor/struggle. Salmon is loaded with protein, Omega-3 fatty acid and is low in fat. (Omega-3 fatty acid is great in reducing the amount of bad cholesterol in your body.) Salmon are found all over the world. Farm raised salmon in the past few years has had unsafe levels of PCB's (farm pesticides.)

The typical wild salmon is born in fresh water and travels to the ocean and lives there for two to eight years. When it reaches the ocean it is "all you can eat buffet" time. Salmon eat krill and other small shellfish and helps make its' flesh a beautiful, bright red/dark pink. The salmon eats a lot for strength and energy to make it back to its birthplace to spawn. This baffles scientists. They do not know how the salmon know where they were born. Ninety percent of the salmon that survive the strenuous trip to spawn go back to the waters in which they were born. Most of the species of American salmon are found on the west coast, Coho, King and Sockeye being the most popular.

When purchasing salmon it should be frozen (if you are land-locked like me) and dark pink. If there are ice crystals on it, do not buy it, it has been thawed and refrozen. You can buy individual portions or a whole salmon filet. I most definitely recommend that you buy a wild caught salmon.

Salmon and Pinot Noir are a wonderful food and wine pairing. I consider Pinot Noir a rich wine. Salmon is very rich as well. they play with each other quite well. Try grilling your salmon with a brushing of your favorite BBQ sauce. I was skeptical until I tried it. Twas yummy.