Sweet & Sour Red Snapper

4 Servings of Sweet and Sour Red Snapper

220 Kcal per serving

1 Wild caught red snapper), 600g

1 orange, 350g

3 slices of ginger

2 cloves of garlic

2 scallion

1 red chili peppers

1 Tbsp cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp rice wine

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp sea salt

Eating fish is a must for Chinese New Year, not only because of its lucky symbolism but also for its great health benefits. There is a famous Chines saying” Eating fish can make you smarter”.  Now we know that fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA, the two fatty acids that clinically proved to help reduce risk factors for heart disease, can also improve memory.  In addition to omega-3 fatty acids, red snapper is a great source of high quality protein, and vitamin B6, B12, and selenium.  Selenium is cofactors for glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that protects us from oxidative damage.   Furthermore, zero-glycemic indexed red-snapper is an excellent food choice for diabetes and those who have metabolic syndrome.

Soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans, and has multiple layers of flavor to please your palate.  Shoyu-polysaccharides and shoyu-flavones from soy sauce can help the growth of gut probiotics and boost immune function.  However, too much soy sauce consumption is not recommended because most soy sauce on the market also contain high sodium content. 

To generate a well-layered flavor profile of this dish, vinegar and honey are added to balance spiciness brought by red chili peppers, garlic, and green scallions.  Balsamic vinegar contains polyphenols that can help stabilizing blood glucose and inhibiting LDL oxidation.  Honey, although is sweet, has anti-cancer agent in it.  Red chili peppers not only contain vitamins A, C, E, but also has capsaicin that can increase metabolism.  Chinese cuisine aromatics consists of ginger, garlic, scallions, not only for their aroma but also for their health benefits.  Ginger can promote digestion and stimulate metabolism.  The sulfur-containing allicin in garlic has ability to inhibit cholesterol synthesis, and has anti-microbial activities.  Green scallions garnish, contains thiosufinates to protect us from microbial infection and prevent colon cancer.