Seafood and the Paleo Diet
Short for “Paleolithic,” a period some 10,000 years ago before agriculture was developed, the Paleo diet is based on the idea that we should eat what our bodies have evolved to process best. Pre-agriculture, humans existed on what they could catch and forage, not what they could grow, and the addition of agriculture changed the common diet very quickly and dramatically. Therefore, the Paleo diet is high in seafood and grass-fed meats, fruits and vegetables, and nuts and berries. It excludes things like grain, dairy, anything refined or processed (white sugar, salt, processed oils, etc.)
Our Seafood
Crown Prince provides many canned seafood options that fit well with the Paleo diet. If you visit our website and select “Product Lines” in the upper left, you can browse through every product variation for each type of fish or seafood. Those that work best with the Paleo diet are packed in pure water and do not have any salt added. A few of our most popular examples include:
- Salmon: Alaskan Pink Salmon
- Kippers: Low Sodium Kipper Snacks
- Sardines: Brisling Sardines in Spring Water
Before you Begin
Even if you don’t go “all the way” with the Paleo diet, incorporating some of its elements into your overall, balanced nutritional plan offers numerous benefits. Emphasizing fruits and vegetables is a great way to get a variety of vitamins and nutrients. Seafood often comes with heart-healthy omega-3. And cutting back on processed foods and ingredients (such as white sugar) leaves more room for healthier items. Certainly though, any dietary change should be discussed with your doctor before you embark.
Holiday Seafood Recipes That Are Sure To Impress
The holiday season is certainly a busy time of year. Food is no small part of the time we’ll spend with loved ones in the coming weeks. Looking for some new recipes to please your eaters this holiday season? Here a few recommendations from our arsenal of original recipes. Each uses at least one seafood item to boost flavor and nutrition, but as you’ll see, the variety of flavors is as extensive as the cooking occasions that arise this time of year.
Occasion: Office Potluck
Colorful Salmon Croissants: These flavorful sandwiches take almost no time to prepare and are perfect for a potluck situation: no serving spoon required.
Occasion: Short-Notice Visitor
Peppered Herring Cheese Spread: When a friend/distant relative/old neighbor stops by with under an hour’s notice (but you have nothing to offer them while you catch up!), swing by the store for these simple yet phenomenally flavorful ingredients. Mix them together, throw some crackers on a plate and the situation is under control. No slicing, dicing, or heating required.
Occasion: Feed a Crowd
Fennel, Rotini and Tuna Casserole: Alfredo is laced with tangy capers, fragrant fennel, and savory tuna in this amazing and filling casserole. Whether it’s relatives, the neighborhood kids, or friends from work, this easy and sophisticated entree goes a long way.
Occasion: All-Out Formal Meal
Appetizers – Savory Wild Salmon-Dill Cheesecake and Mixed Olive Tapenade
Meal – Anchovy, Olive and Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Kipper and Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Smoked Salmon, Asparagus and Avocado Salad
Yes, we did say “all out.” This meal is for the serious entertainers who relish spending hours preparing an extensive gourmet meal. These are the very best of our recipes, and we believe they’re worth every bit of preparation and care. Though when it comes to dessert, you’re on your own. Seafood does have a few limitations, after all.
Happy holidays to all of our customers, from Crown Prince Seafood.
Crown Prince Global Spotlight Series Draws to a Close
We believe that knowing your food means not only reading the label, but having access to the story behind that food: where it’s from, how it was obtained, and how it was prepared before it ever reached the grocery store shelf.
That’s why just over two years ago, we began our blog series entitled the Crown Prince Global Spotlight Series. For 24 months we [virtually] traveled the globe, exploring the story behind many of the Crown Prince products you see on your grocery store shelves each week.
From the chilly waters of Alaska to the warmth of the South Korean coast and from the rich spices of Morocco (our first stop) to the stunning scenery of Thailand (our last stop), the series has been a pleasure for us each step of the way.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading and learned a thing or two, whether some world history and culture, insight into seafood harvest and preparation, or recipes you plan to use in your own home.
Thank you for joining us in the Global Spotlight Series, and please keep reading. This particular journey may be complete, but we have many stories yet to share.
Thanksgiving Recipes: Seafood Solutions
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to join family and friends, in large groups or small, to share food and appreciate the little things. While there are plenty of tried-and-true Thanksgiving staples that won’t be dethroned anytime soon (we’re looking at you, cranberry sauce), there’s also room for new twists on old classics.
Looking for good Thanksgiving recipes the whole family will love? Here are some Crown Prince originals for each part of the meal. These just may become traditions in themselves.
Appetizer: Fabulous Fish Spread with Olives
Equal parts earthy and savory, this easy appetizer is great for late fall. It’s satisfying but won’t spoil your appetite. Serve on sliced baguettes or crackers.
Soup: Tuna, Pepper and Potato Soup
Creamy and potatoey, this doesn’t fall far from the tree of Thanksgiving expectations. Yet with bell peppers and yellowfin tuna, the flavor is noticeably upped.
Salad: Smoked Salmon, Asparagus & Avocado Salad
This elegant salad is a fantastic counterpoint to the starchy standards of the holiday. The flavors are interesting, well-balanced, and healthy to boot!
Side Dish: Crab Quiche
You don’t see many egg dishes at Thanksgiving, but we can’t think of any reason not to offer up this hearty quiche as people are filling their plates. Everyone loves it!
Stuffing: Oyster Stuffing
Yes, we’ll consider “stuffing” its own course for this particular holiday. Adding boiled oysters, sausage, and a spot-on mix of spices does amazing things for turkey’s favorite sidekick.
Main Course: Four-Cheese Seafood Lasagna
Whether you’re going casual or offering a second main course, this hearty lasagna hits all the right flavor notes. It deserves a place in the tradition of generous Thanksgiving meals.
Global Spotlight Continues: Thai Tuna
In addition to clams and crab meat, Thailand is also the source of our high-quality canned tuna, available in the Crown Prince Natural line of products.
Know Your Tuna: Our Three Favorite Species
We source three different types of tuna from our close partners in Thailand: Albacore, Yellowfin, and Tongol. All three come from the warm waters off of Thailand’s coast. At temperatures ranging from 80-86°F, Thailand has some of the warmest waters in the world, making it an excellent breeding ground for a diverse range of small fish on which tuna feed.
We are currently seeking sustainable tuna certified by MSC (Marine Stewardship Council). All of our tuna is certified Dolphin-Safe by the Earth Island Institute.
Albacore tuna is probably the most popular type of tuna in the U.S. and is considered the highest quality canned tuna available. Albacore is the source of all white meat tuna. Because albacore tuna are solitary and swim in deeper waters than the others, they are line-caught from small fishing boats farther away from shore.
Yellowfin tuna derive their name from the bright yellow coloring of their fins. Yellowfin are some of the largest fish in the tuna family. They travel in schools and are typically caught via purse seine net. We also offer pole-caught yellowfin tuna from the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.
Tongol tuna is characterized by its blue back, long tail fin, and streamlined body. Of these three species, tongol is the most well-known locally in Thailand and is therefore the most popular in local cuisine. Like yellowfin, tongol are caught in the dolphin-safe purse seine net.
Tuna Preparation: On-Site
Once caught, the tuna are transported immediately to on-shore preparation facilities, where they are first sorted by size and species. The fish are gutted, and then checked for any sign of damage or imperfection. Next, they are cooked and quickly chilled to maximize flavor and texture. Finally, the tuna is cleaned of skin and bones, then packed into cans which are sterilized, labeled, and boxed up for shipping.
Tuna Preparation: In Your Kitchen!
The beauty of tuna is its versatility. This fish is low in fat, high in nutrients, and very easy to cook with across cuisines. We so love tuna that we’ve developed over twenty tuna recipes to share with our customers.
Some of our recipes put the tuna front-and-center, highlighting the excellent flavor texture of this kitchen classic:
Others add tuna where you might not think to use it, offering fantastic new flavor combinations and a healthy twist:
We also wholeheartedly approve of snacking on tuna straight out of the can!
Crown Prince Seafood Participates in the Great ShakeOut
The Great ShakeOut is an earthquake safety drill to help people practice earthquake safety and preparedness at home, work or school. This annual event started in 2008 as the Great Southern California ShakeOut and has expanded to over 20 U.S. states and countries including Canada, Italy, Japan and New Zealand.
In most areas, the ShakeOut is held on the third Thursday of October. So this year, at 10:18 a.m. on October 18th, people were asked to drop, cover and hold on as if a real earthquake occurred. Crown Prince Seafood along with 19.4 million people worldwide participated in this annual drill.
Earthquakes can strike without warning, day or night, and may cause property damage, injuries and deaths. Practice and preparation can significantly reduce injuries. Read these Emergency Preparedness Tips to learn what to do before, during and after an earthquake strikes.
Thailand Global Spotlight: Crown Prince Crab Meat
As our spotlight on Thailand continues, let’s talk about the crab. Globally, 1.65 million tons of crab are caught or farmed for humans to eat each year, making it one of the most popular crustaceans on earth. Interestingly, some of the animals we think of as crabs and may even keep as pets (such as the hermit crab) belong to different crustacean families; they are not actually crabs at all.
In the Water
Crabs have an outer shell, which in true crabs is their own exoskeleton, not a borrowed home as with hermit crabs. Their eight legs bend in such a way that allows them to squeeze into small holes for safety; this also causes them to walk sideways. Finally, crabs are characterized by a set of claws in the front. These can be used for picking up food (crabs are omnivorous), for defense, or for attracting mates.
Crown Prince crabs are harvested from the clear waters off the coast of Thailand by use of crab traps. They are transported back to shore where they are cooked. Then, the meat is picked and cleaned by hand, sorted, and cleaned again before being canned. We offer 6 different crab varieties in total, across our Crown Prince, Crown Prince Natural, and Ocean Prince lines.
In the Kitchen
Of course, for those of us who are not crab fishermen or aquatic biologists, the most exciting part about crabs is exploring the many ways of enjoying their flavor and nutrition once they reach your grocery store shelf.
Some crabs (like the soft-shell crab) are eaten whole, while with others, we consume the meat inside the large claws and legs only. Globally, crabs are eaten in a variety of ways: from spicy Asian stews to American crab cakes to classic French bisques.
We’ve created almost twenty original crab meat recipes for you to enjoy. A few good starting places:
- Low Country Crab Cakes – A flavorful version of a timeless classic.
- Crab and Shrimp Egg Rolls– An elegant appetizer
- Spicy Crab quesadillas – An easy and exciting weekday dinner
Or incorporate crab into a favorite dish of your own. Bon appetit!
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
This month, national charities and local groups are doing their part to promote awareness about breast cancer, which impacts hundreds of thousands of women (and thousands of men) in the United States each year and is one of the leading causes of cancer death among women.
What can you do?
- Get educated. Educate yourself about breast cancer risk factors, symptoms, and information, including who it affects. Mayo Clinic, the CDC, and the American Cancer Society provide some great resources.
- Get examined. From self-exams to mammograms, being aware of breast health and changes is key to early detection. The National Breast Cancer Association offers a wealth of information from healthy habits and prevention, to detection and support.
- Get involved. There are many ways to get involved including local support activities, hands-on fundraisers, walks, and direct donations. Start with this list of organizations that participate in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Crown Prince encourages all of our customers and colleagues to maintain awareness about breast cancer in their families and workplaces, this month and throughout the year.
Turning the Thai Global Spotlight on Clams
In this final leg of the Global Spotlight blog series, we’ll be featuring three different types of seafood. Today we focus on clams.
The word “clam” itself can be traced back past Middle English and Old German to its earliest roots in Scotland. You may recall that our series visited Scotland earlier this year; the Scottish isles are the source of Crown Prince Brisling Sardines.
But unlike Scotland, where the water is cool most of the year (ranging 42-64 degrees Fahrenheit near the surface), the ocean surrounding the Thai peninsula is quite warm (just this week it registered 84 degrees Fahrenheit).
Clams are most plentiful a short distance away from shore and are caught using underwater raking devices that are attached to nets. The fishing areas are monitored and certified by the Thai Fisheries Department to ensure correct ocean management and stable populations at all levels of the food chain.
Speaking of Food…
Our clams are cooked at the packing facility, and then the meat is picked from the shell. The clams are cleaned twice to ensure purity, and sorted before they are canned and shipped to the U.S. for distribution to your local grocery store.
Crown Prince Clams make a perfect addition to your favorite recipe. Some of our favorites include:
Clam Chowder: Whether cheesy or the classic New England variety, this creamy staple can’t be beat and is delicious year-round.
Cajun Clam Fritters: Crispy with just the right kick, these make great appetizers and game-day finger food.
Seafood Stuffed Squid: Feeling elegant? Pair clams and squid with this savory sauce for a delicious entrée.
Check out more recipes on our website, CrownPrince.com/seafood-recipes.htm, or send us a note on Facebook to share your own favorite clam recipes.
Trying to Eat Healthy on a Budget? Try These Tips
Healthy eating and affordable eating don’t often enough go hand in hand. When $5 buys a fast food drive through meal or “family sized” entree, going the cheap route can be tempting. It feels like a deal compared to high-end organic produce that may be healthier but is often out of reach.
But you don’t have to be wealthy to eat healthy. There are plenty of ways to make smart choices that benefit your body without breaking the bank.
1. Cook your own food.
This goes beyond eating at home vs. at a restaurant. When you eat at home, favor meals that you cook from scratch over prepared foods that are often high in salt and low in nutrients. The more processed the food is, the more extra steps it takes to get that food on the shelf, and the more you are paying for those steps.
2. Stock your pantry.
Step 1 may seem pricey when you begin, but if you build a base of non-perishables you’ll be ready to cook delicious home-cooked meals without a long grocery list each time. Buy in bulk for cheaper prices (but not more than you’ll use). Prioritize healthy staples such as dried whole grains and legumes (brown rice, barley, lentils) and shelf-stable, heart-healthy proteins such as canned tuna and salmon. With these on hand, you can buy a smaller list of higher-priced fresh produce to create a well-balanced meal.
3. Expand your spice drawer.
Add one new spice to your spice drawer each week or each paycheck. You’ll pay only a few dollars at a time, but you’ll quickly build a collection of flavors that give you flexibility in the kitchen. Keeping healthy food exciting is key to making it work, and a versatile spice drawer ensures that your home-cooked food is even tastier than what you’d eat out.
4. Be strategic.
Plan ahead of time the meals you’ll be cooking for the week. Look at the perishables you have in the fridge, and plan around those. Extra carrots? Spare spinach? Excess onions? Don’t let them go to waste – build around them to minimize waste and your grocery costs.
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