Fish, salmon, sockeye, raw

Sockeye salmon has a deep red-orange flesh and a firmer, leaner texture than farmed Atlantic salmon, with a pronounced flavor that holds up well to grilling, broiling, pan-searing, or curing for gravlax. It's most often sold as fillets or steaks, seasoned simply with lemon, dill, or a soy-ginger glaze, and it cooks quickly given its lower fat content relative to other salmon varieties. Because the flesh is so lean, it's easy to overcook, so many cooks pull it from the heat as soon as it flakes at the thickest point rather than waiting for it to firm up completely. It also holds together well when flaked into a salad, folded into rice bowls, or formed into salmon cakes, since the firmer texture doesn't fall apart the way a fattier salmon can.

Look for firm, moist flesh and a clean ocean smell when buying it raw; store it on ice in the coldest part of the fridge and cook it within a day or two, or freeze it if you're not using it right away. At 131 calories per 100 g with 22.2 g of protein and protein at 44% DV, it's a lean way to build a meal around a fish entree, especially paired with a starch and vegetables since it carries no carbohydrate or fiber of its own. Because sockeye runs leaner than other salmon, it also works well cured, smoked, or seared quickly over high heat, methods that suit its firmer flesh better than slow, gentle cooking.