Healthy

Seafood Items You’ll Want to Add to Your Grocery List This Year

Seafood is healthy, delicious, and sustainable–it’s not surprising that it’s popular. But did you know that seafood also plays an important role in the culture of many people around the world? Whether you’re trying seafood for the first time or you’re looking to try new seafood, these five seafood items you’ll want to add to your grocery list this year are great options–you can enjoy them all year long:

1. Wild Alaska King Salmon

Why You’ll Love it: A true wild catch, the King Salmon is the largest salmon species on Earth, with a maximum weight of up to 100 pounds. This is a sustainable choice because like most wild fish, when it’s caught, it’s killed immediately and then processed humanely.

2. Wild Alaska Sockeye Salmon

Why You’ll Love It: This is a type of salmon known for its rich color and deliciously red flesh. It has a firm texture, and it’s well suited to pan-frying or baking because it holds its shape well. Sockeye salmon is best cooked rare to medium-rare, otherwise the flesh becomes dry.

3. Ivory King Salmon

Why You’ll Love It: Most salmon available in the United States comes from farm-raised salmon, which are often bred to have their pink coloring. This is a type of salmon that does not have pink coloring, and it’s a sustainable choice because unlike farmed fish, the wild salmon caught in Alaska are not feed.

4. Wild Alaska Halibut

Why You’ll Love It: Halibut is a type of fish that is native to Alaska and other parts of the Pacific. It has dense white meat, which was once mistakenly believed to be inedible by Native Americans (this myth was quickly corrected). There are two main types of halibut: The silver or Atlantic variety and the Glacier-caught pink variety. This is a sustainable choice because it’s caught in its natural habitat.

5. Wild Chilean Sea Bass

Why You’ll Love It: This fish is a sustainable choice because it’s caught in its natural habitat. The meat is white and mild, with a flaky texture. Chilean sea bass can be baked, grilled, or fried and served on top of rice with vegetables to make an entrée or a delicious light meal.

6. Wild Sea Scallops

Why You’ll Love It: This is a sustainable choice because it’s caught in its natural habitat–and the scallops are filter-feeders that help keep the sea water clean. Sea scallops are usually gray on top, with a white side; varieties include Bay Scallops, which are smaller and more tender, and Rock Scallops, which have a milder flavor.

7. Maine Lobster Tails

Why You’ll Love Them: These are a sustainable choice because the lobsters are caught using traps. Once caught, they are killed quickly and humanely. This type of lobster is boiled live; it’s a good idea to order them one day in advance, especially if you want the tails whole and not cut up.

Seafood is one of the most sustainable and affordable ways to get a wide variety of nutrients into your diet. This year, consider adding one or more of these five seafood items to your grocery list.