Heart-healthy seafood, from snacks to dinner
February is Heart Health Month, but the habit is worth keeping all year. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, and diet is one of the levers most within reach. Seafood is one of the easiest changes to make, because it is genuinely good to eat.
Seafood is rich in the long-chain omega-3s EPA and DHA, lean protein, and nutrients like vitamin D, B12 and selenium. The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish a week, about 3 ounces cooked each, preferably fatty fish; the FDA advises two to three servings a week. Eating fish regularly is consistently associated with lower cardiovascular risk in large population studies — an association rather than a guarantee, but a consistent one.
Here are ten ways to get there, from a five-minute snack to a dinner worth setting the table for.
Smoked Salmon Avocado Toast with Hot Honey
Top sourdough with mashed avocado, a squeeze of lemon, flaked smoked king salmon and a drizzle of hot honey. Healthy fats, fibre and omega-3s in about five minutes.
Pepperoncini Tuna Salad
Mix canned albacore tuna with chopped pepperoncini, diced red onion, lemon and a dollop of Greek yogurt. Serve on whole-grain crackers or in lettuce cups.
Crab-Stuffed Halibut
Stuff wild halibut fillets with Dungeness crab meat, cream cheese, egg, lemon zest, garlic and fresh herbs, then bake until the halibut flakes. A dinner-party dish that happens to be lean protein and omega-3s.
Blackened Fish Sandwich with Avocado Slaw
Wild fish fillets in a bold spice blend, seared and stacked with a tangy avocado slaw. The monounsaturated fat in the avocado and the omega-3s in the fish make this far better for you than it tastes.
Citrus Spot Prawn Crudo
A light, refreshing dish that shows off the sweetness of raw spot prawns — marinated in citrus, olive oil and sea salt, finished with fresh herbs and sliced habanero.
Scallorito®
Our family fell in love with this after eating it from the Alaska Weathervane Scallop food truck (if you are in the Seattle area, look them up). Easy, and a reliable crowd-pleaser. Joci swaps the mayo for Greek yogurt — both are good; the yogurt adds a little tang.
Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl
Wild coho salmon with soy, sesame oil, green onion and sesame seeds, over brown rice with cucumber, avocado and seaweed.
Quick and Easy Tuna Cakes
Canned albacore with whole-grain breadcrumbs, egg, diced onion and herbs, formed into patties and pan-seared until golden. High protein, freezer-friendly, good cold the next day.
Snow Crab Louie Salad
Toss snow crab meat with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled egg and avocado, with a Louie dressing built on Greek yogurt, lemon and a touch of Dijon.
Greek-Style Grilled Prawn Kabobs with Lemon Aioli
Prawns threaded onto skewers with olive oil, lemon, garlic and herbs, grilled until lightly charred, with rice and a lemon aioli.
More heart-healthy seafood, meal by meal
If you want to build a whole day around it rather than a single dish:
- Breakfast: Dungeness Crab & Avocado Toast — lean protein, zinc and selenium on fibre-rich whole grain.
- Lunch: Mediterranean Shrimp Bowl — wild Gulf shrimp with quinoa, olive oil, tomatoes and herbs.
- Snack: Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Cups — light, quick, and better than whatever is in the pantry.
- Starter: Scallop Ceviche — wild scallops with citrus and fresh vegetables, ready in minutes.
- Dinner: Air-Fried Halibut over Quinoa Salad — halibut with fibre-rich quinoa and roasted vegetables.
Why seafood, specifically
Seafood brings a combination that is hard to get elsewhere in one food: the long-chain omega-3s EPA and DHA, high-quality protein, and vitamins D and B12. Omega-3s are well established to lower triglycerides, and eating fish regularly is associated with lower cardiovascular mortality across large studies. What the research does not show is that taking those omega-3s as a supplement reproduces the effect — which is a decent argument for eating the fish.
Two servings a week is the target. These ten — fifteen, if you count the rest — are more than enough to get you there without eating the same thing twice. Shop our wild seafood and keep the freezer stocked.