What to look for in seafood terms?

bstamps12

I'll be at the beach next week so obviously eating at seafood restaurants. I know at normal restaurants to steer clear of dishes that have "battered," "fried," etc. in the description. I honestly don't know a lot about how seafood is cooked so the terminology is all new to me (I'm not much of a cook at home either). What should I look for to find healthy choices and what should I stay away from? Sometimes new foods sound healthy but if you know what one term in the description means, it changes everything. Thanks!

slp2112

Eating out at restaurants is tricky, isn't it? I'm going to try and draw on some "eating at restaurants" advice my registered dietician gave me and use my Boston seafood knowledge at the same time ... Whenever I eat seafood, I tend to go for "steamed," "baked" (as long as it's not breaded and baked), "grilled" and "broiled." Shrimp, for instance, is INSANELY low in calories and high in protein. So even steamed shrimp by itself, with cocktail sauce (which tends to be low cal as long as you eat it in moderation) as well as in a good portion of pasta (e.g. 1 cup) is a good way to go. I also tend to really like white fish or tuna steak that has been grilled, baked or broiled in a little bit of oil. Get a portion of vegetables and some kind of carb (rice? potato?) and you've got a perfectly well-rounded meal.

You can always ask that a restaurant prepare something light on the oil. And then another thing my RD suggests is that since going out to eat is a sort of special event, then get yourself a "treat" (for me, this is Diet Coke. I try not to drink a lot of it, but wow is it delicious). If your treat is a 0 calorie soda, then you can sip on that instead of munching on the bread or whatever else is in the middle of the table.

Hope this helps

marnieinMB

Living here in Myrtle and being in the biz eating seafood can be tricky. Obviously you want nothing fried or sauteed (OIL!). Go for broiled or grilled and ask for it to be cooked with no oil, most places have non stick spray in the kitchen.

cydonian

Seafood is great for you and generally low calorie. Look for words like 'grilled' and 'baked' versus fried or battered. If you need to, ask what ingredients are in any sauces that they bake/grill the fish in (a lot of times it can be oily and remember that 1 tsp. of olive oil is 120 calories!). I would go for scallops or shrimp, as they often taste good without much doctoring. Salmon is another good option as it doesn't need much to be flavorful! Enjoy

FabCheeky

Blackened usually means loaded with spices. Ask your server to make sure that your food is not cooked with anything that you don't want to eat, and consider getting the steamed veggies. Almost everything (even steamed veggies) tastes great with a little olive oil, a sprinkle of lemon juice and pepper. ;P Have fun!

FabCheeky

Oh, and olive oil is my BFF. BUT I'm on a high (good) fat, low carb paleo style plan.