The weekend snack time It is usually associated with those little pleasures in life that we reserve for holidays, but we can also enjoy taking care of our health a little. With many weeks of winter ahead, we must not neglect vitamin D intake, now that we are less exposed to Sun, and food plays a key role.
The pandemic brought to the fore the problem of vitamin D deficiency which seems to show a large part of the population, curiously also in Spain, and not only in the northern regions. Since in the winter months we may not receive all the sunlight that would be recommended (an exposure of 10-15 minutes a day, exposing the skin as much as possible), we propose incorporating very nutritious recipes into our snack menus that will help us prevent and combat that potential deficit.
Let us remember that the foods richest in the vitamin of the sun are the blue fish and derivatives such as liver oil, roe and caviar, smoked or preserved in oil, as well as dairy products, eggs and whole grains. Combine them with healthy fats it helps to reinforce that intake, since it is a fat-soluble vitamin, and we can always choose the best quality.
Monkfish liver mousse
Cod liver oil is the richest food in vitamin D that we can consume directly, although it is used more as a supplement, more common in the past. But fish liver such as monkfish it is also very nutritious, as well as an economical and very tasty part that we often waste. They call him the one for a reason foie from sea. This recipe is also enriched with fatty dairy products, which also add up.
We clean the liver well of webs and veins of blood, we dry it with kitchen paper. Heat a little oil in a saucepan and sauté the finely chopped onion and the garlic clove. We mark the liver of chopped monkfish until it is completely done.
Let’s pour a splash of brandy and let the alcohol evaporates. Season with salt and pepper, add the butter, stir well until it dissolves and remove. Heat the cream separately and when it starts to boil add the gelatin and stir to dissolve.
Add the cream to the pan and blend until smooth. We mount the clear to the point of snow and we unite it gently and in an enveloping way. Pour the puree into a greased mold lined with kitchen film. Refrigerate at least 6 hours.
Full recipe | Monkfish liver mousse, recipe for a party appetizer
Eggs stuffed with bonito
Deviled eggs are a very classic snack and an essential tapa in many bars and cocktail parties, and they can be a nutritional bomb. In addition to the vitamins and protein in the egg itself, here we add the properties of canned tuna and the fat of a mayonnaise that, if made with good extra virgin olive oil, enhances the absorption of vitamins and adds its own virtues.
Ingredients for 4 people. 6 eggs, 200 g canned tuna from the north, 1 canned roasted bell pepper, mayonnaise and salt.
Elaboration. Cook the eggs and peel them once cold. We open them in half and take out all the yolks being careful not to break the whites. In a separate bowl, put the yolks, reserving one, the tuna very well drained, the chopped bell pepper, three tablespoons of mayonnaise and a pinch of salt. Mix everything very well with the help of a fork, while pressing so that the ingredients dissolve a little. Fill each egg half with this mixture. Cover with a little mayonnaise and decorate with a few strips of pepper and grated yolk. Keep covered in the fridge until just ready to eat.
Full recipe | Classic deviled eggs recipe, an appetizer classic
Baked avocados stuffed with salmon and egg
Another great example of how to combine healthy fats, quality proteins and essential vitamins, and all in an exquisite and easy bite. With good quality salmon and free-range eggs, we will have a delicacy on the table.
Ingredients for 4 units. 2 ripe avocados, 50 g of smoked salmon, 4 eggs, sweet paprika, dill, salt and black pepper.
Elaboration. Cut the avocados in half, lengthwise. Separate the halves and remove the bone. Place the four halves in an ovenproof dish, separated from each other. Cut the smoked salmon into pieces of the right size to cover the holes left by the bone and put them in place. We separate the egg whites from the yolks, keeping the first ones for another elaboration. Place the yolks on the salmon and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven, preheated to 180ºC, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika, decorate with fresh dill and serve immediately.
Full recipe | Baked avocados stuffed with salmon and egg, recipe with video included
Avocado dip, or tuna and mackerel
While we wait for the high season of mackerel fresh, the canned option is an economical, practical and highly nutritious alternative. East dip or spreadable cream (or “wet”) creates magic again by combining the flavors of the sea with the creaminess of the avocado, as well as mayonnaise and the freshness of the lemon. If we accompany it with breadsticks or wholemeal bread, we will add more vitamin D and fiber.
Ingredients for 2 people. 1 can of mackerel in oil (80 g), 1 small can of tuna or bonito in oil (80 g), 1/2 lemon, 2 spring onions (or green stems of spring onion), 15 ml mayonnaise, 1/ 2 avocado, extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Elaboration. Drain the oil from the cans and crumble into a bowl. Add a little lemon zest and the juice of half, strained. Thinly slice the tender stems of one or two spring onions, reserving a little for garnish, and add. Add the mayonnaise and a dash of ground black pepper and mix evenly. Cut the half avocado in half, sprinkle one with lemon and chop the other into cubes. Add them to the bowl and mix gently. Taste and adjust salt or lemon. Serve in a clean bowl or small salad bowl adding the rest of the diced avocado and the spring onion in the center. Give another hit of ground pepper and water with a little oil or lemon juice.
Full recipe | Avocado, Bonito (or Tuna), and Mackerel Dip: Healthy Appetizer Recipe for Non-Stop Dipping, Ready in 15 Minutes
Danish herring toast or smørrebrød
This typical Danish snack, with similar variants in other Scandinavian regions -even in the north of Germany-, is very healthy and unintentionally nutritious. Perfect for enriching the muscles, bones and skin with the vitamins, fats, proteins and minerals of 100% wholemeal center bread, a touch of butter and the power of herring, very rich in vitamin D.
Ingredients for 2 people. 2 slices of rye bread, butter, 1 piece of fresh fennel, 1 spring onion, 10 capers, canned herring.
Elaboration. Chop the fennel and spring onion into very small pieces and mix them in a bowl. Meanwhile, toast the slices of rye bread in the toaster or on a griddle, butter them and cover them with a small layer of fennel and spring onion. We put three or four herring fillets and sprinkle again with more fennel and spring onion, placing some capers on top and a few hairs of the fennel leaves to decorate.
Full recipe | Danish herring toast or smørrebrød, Nordic-style appetizer recipe
Lemons stuffed with sardine salad
Another classic of the seafood laterío are the sardines or sardines, too often neglected compared to other preserves, but which provide us with a large amount of essential nutrients. In addition, also consuming their tiny spines, we will be further strengthening bone calcium.
Ingredients for 4 people. 150g canned sardines or sardines drained, 1 medium spring onion or red onion, capers, fresh dill or thyme, chives or parsley, crispy fried onion (optional), chilli or fresh chili (optional), extra virgin olive oil, pepper ground black and salt.
Elaboration. Cut the lemons into two halves, leaving the lower body larger, cutting about 2/3 of the body vertically. Draw lines if you have skill and time with a sharp lace-type knife. Extract most of the pulp from the lower body, reserving a little aside, trying not to break them. If they won’t stand up, cut off the bottom bark a bit to level them. Reserve. Finely chop the spring onion and a handful of each herb. Coarsely chop the sardines with a handful of capers and a little lemon pulp. Mix everything with the chopped chilli and add the other ingredients until you get a homogeneous mixture. Season with a splash of oil and season to taste. Fill the lemons and top with some crispy fried onion, more herbs and fine lemon zest.
Full recipe | Sardine Salad Stuffed Lemons: Refreshing Seafood Appetizer Recipe to Lighten Up a Party Menu
Scrambled eggs with homemade chips, salmon and caviar
Homemade broken eggs can be healthy, to consume occasionally, if we moderate the amount of potatoes and fry them well with good oil. To the nutrients of the egg we add the vitamins and proteins of the salmon again, adding the caviar, also very rich nutritionally. And don’t miss whole wheat bread to dip those yolks.
Ingredients for 2-4 people. 1 large potato, 4 eggs, plenty of extra virgin olive oil for frying, smoked salmon cut into strips, caviar or fish roe, salt to taste.
Elaboration. Peel the potato and cut it into very thin slices with a mandolin that will cut the slices with a homogeneous thickness and will also make them really thin. Let the potatoes soak in cold water for at least an hour, so that the starch is removed and they are loose, without sticking to each other. To fry them, we use very hot oil that will make them very crispy and some of them will twist, as happens with “bag” potatoes. Drain on absorbent paper and lightly salt them. fry the eggs, placing them on the potatoes. Top with the salmon and the caviar roe distributed between the yolk, the white and the potatoes.
Full recipe | Scrambled eggs with homemade chips, salmon and caviar
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