Trout Caviar, Maple Syrup and PUFAs in Poultry

Welcome back to my weekly review in which I share three interesting things I have learned this week.

How to make Trout Caviar

I had a couple hours to go trout fishing this week and caught one keeper at a local trout stream. When I butchered it, I realized that it was a female carrying a lot of eggs. In the past, I threw these in the thrash…which I still beat myself up over. Last year, as I was getting more into eating nose-to-tail, I realized that I was throwing away extremely nutrient-rich food. If you take a look at the nutritional value of salmon roe, it is noteworthy that it is a good source of protein and fat. Furthermore, it has an extremely high amount of Omega 3 fatty acids, more than 3 grams for a 100 gram serving. It is also a good source of Vitamin D. I figured that trout eggs would have a similar nutrient profile. So, I started cooking the trout eggs on a low temperature in tallow or extra virgin olive oil. However, heat can damage the Omega 3s. That’s why this week, I decided to brine the raw eggs in salt water. I wasn’t quite sure how much salt to use, because I didn’t have the best scale handy. So, I eyeballed it. I was definitely worried about getting sick, but so far so good :P If you want to try this yourself, I suggest taking a look at the recipe by Hank Shaw to get the right amount of salt. Some of you might not want to kill a trout when it is carrying eggs. If you don’t know the difference between a male and female trout, there are some physical structures to look for. This article points out some of the major differences.

Poultry High in Linoleic Acid?

I listened to a very informative podcast episode this week by Paul Saladino, MD. He had Brad Marshall, a scientist and pig farmer, on the Fundamental Health Podcast. During this conversation they discussed the fat profile of poultry and other farm-raised animals, with an emphasis on the percentage of linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is a poly-unsaturated fat (PUFA). PUFAs are omega 6 fatty acids, which are essential, but we are eating too many of them. A lot of the PUFAs in our diet are coming from industrial seed oils, nuts and some from the fat of grain-fed animals. According to the numbers cited during Paul’s episode, there is more linoleic acid in poultry than in canola oil….WHAT? Who would have thought? (Listen at 29 min). Almost all chickens that are available at grocery stores are fed food that is supplemented with sunflower oil. Could it be that this is the reason why poultry has such a high amount of linoleic acid? I have been avoiding chicken for the most part over the last couple of years, because I am trying to keep the amount of Omega 6 down. I used to eat a ton of it though. These days, I am mostly eating beef! However, I hope to soon have enough venison and other wild game to last me a whole year.

Profile of Maple Syrup

I have also been using local maple syrup as a sugar substitute for when I feel like adding some sweetness to my home-cooked meals. If you are going to add sugar to your meals, I think it makes sense to focus on complex, natural foods over refined table sugar. The two that come into question are maple syrup and honey, which both have a long tradition. Since I have been using mostly a pure maple syrup, I decided to learn more about the sugar and nutrient profile of it. Here is what I found.