Have you heard of “blue foods?” This term (that I’ll hope you be hearing a lot more!) covers foods from water farmers and fishers such as seaweeds, kelps, wild fish, and sustainably farmed fish.
Over 3 billion people on the planet rely on blue foods as their only source of food, and 1 billion people rely on our oceans for their economic wellbeing.
Supporting these fishers and farmers through the foods you support with your dollars not only gives your body much-needed nutrients and fills your dishes with that beautiful umami taste of the sea, but also contributes to returning our oceans to abundance.
So let’s get in the habit of making delicious BLUE FOODS BOWLS.
The building blocks to a blue food bowl are fairly simple:
1️⃣ Healthy protein from the water
2️⃣ Veggies and/or sea greens
3️⃣ Whole grains like rice, quinoa, farro
4️⃣ Yummy dressing like a kelp pesto or kelp puree
For example, I love making yummy crab cakes and pairing them with brown rice, kale, whole kelp, and a drizzle of a kelp puree—a staple in the Sea Pantry. It’s the perfect blue foods power bowl for lunch or dinner and is surprisingly simple to make!
Serves 4
Makes 8 crab cakes
- 2 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup celery, from one stalk, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 pound lump crab meat (see note below)
- ½ cup panko
- Vegetable or canola oil, for cooking
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 cups whole kelp and/or kale, chopped
- Kelp puree (I used Blue Evolution’s puree)
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl, and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 cakes (each about ½ cup) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps them set.
Preheat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and coat with oil. When the oil is hot, place the crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter.
To serve: In four bowls, divide the brown rice and whole kelp/kale. Top with the crab cakes and drizzle with the kelp puree.
Want to make another Blue Foods bowl, but with Tuna Cakes? Try this recipe!