Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Fish loaded with important nutrients, such as high quality protein, iodine and other vitamins and minerals. Fish is also a great source of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which are incredibly important for your body and brain. Fatty fish like mackerel, salmon, trout, sardines and tuna are higher in such fat-based nutrients. Researchers believe eating at least one serving of fish per week has been linked to a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes due to its high omega-3 fatty acid content.  However, some fish are high in mercury, which is linked to brain developmental problems. It’s better to avoid high-mercury fish, especially pregnant mothers. Prawns are a rich source of selenium, one of the most effective antioxidants at maintaining healthy cells. They also contain high levels of Zinc, which is important to develop a healthy immune system. Another benefit of eating prawns is that it helps build strong bones because they contain phosphorus, copper and magnesium. 

Here are some delicious seafood recipes to try for maintaining a healthy life.

01. Cucumber and Prawns salad recipe (4 servings)

Ingredients for the salad: 

• 40 prawns, shelled and cooked
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced 
• 1 lemon, quartered
• ½ cup celery finely diced
• 3 tablespoons red onions minced

Ingredients for the dressing:

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 ½  tablespoons fresh dill chopped, plus more for garnish
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions : When cooking prawns, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the quartered lemon into it, then add the prawns to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes or until pink. Transfer the prawns to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. After cooling, remove the shell. Drain the prawns then pat dry.

Place the prawns, cucumber,celery, red onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper, mayonnaise and dill in a bowl. Toss gently to coat. Then garnish with additional fresh dill and serve.

02. Crab Salad recipe (4 servings)

Ingredients : 

• Two cups of crab meat, cooked 
• 1 rib celery finely diced
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise 
• 1 teaspoon mustard cream 
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
•  salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Instructions:  To cook crab, bring an inch of salted water to a boil in a large pot.Put the crabs in a steamer basket. Cover and cook for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the crabs. You should cook large crabs for around 15 – 20 minutes, whilst smaller crabs will only need around 8 – 10 minutes.Once the water has started to boil reduce the heat and simmer for the required time. The crab's shell should turn a bright orange when done. Remove your crab from the pot, and rinse under cool water to   stop the cooking process, cool down the shell enough for you to handle,then remove the shell and rinse off any icky crab guts.

Cut the crab meat into pieces, then add crab and celery to a large bowl. 

Make dressing by stirring together remaining ingredients, mayonnaise, mustard cream, lemon juice, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. Next pour the  dressing over crab and celery and gently toss to coat evenly. Adjust seasoning as per your taste with salt and pepper. 

03.Super Green Mackerel Salad (2 servings)

Ingredients for the salad: 

• 150g green beans
• 150g stemmed broccoli 
• handful of spinach leaves
• 100g of Cherry tomato, halved
• 2 mackerel fillets, grilled and break into bite size pieces
• 2 tsp sunflower seed , toasted (optional)

Ingredients for the dressing : 

• 1 cup of l low-fat natural yogurt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp mustard cream 
• Pepper and salt as per your taste 
• 2 tsp dill leaves, chopped, plus extra to serve

Instructions: Boil a pan of water. Add the green beans and cook for 2 mins, then add the broccoli and cook for 4 mins more. Drain, run under cold water until cool, then drain well. Steam spinach for 2 minitues. 

For the dressing, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together the cooked veg with the steamed spinach and mackerel. 

Before eating, pour over the dressing. Scatter the sunflower seeds and add extra dill leaves to garnish. 

Instead of yogurt you can use either olive oil or mayonnaise. 

04.Tuna Beans and Egg  salad (2 servings) 

Ingredients for the salad: 

• 100g green beans
• 2  eggs
• 400g beans,boiled, drained and rinsed (red kidney beans, black eyed peas, cowpeas, etc)
• 100g  cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 200g of  tuna steak cut into large chunks.  
• ½ lime, juiced or 1 tsp of goraka paste 

For the dressing

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard cream 
• freshly ground black pepper 
• Salt as per your taste 

Instructions: First season the tuna with salt, pepper and lime or goraka paste. After seasoning, poach  the tuna. Break the tuna chunks into bite-sized pieces. Cook the green beans in a pan of boiling water for 4 minutes. Put them into ice cold water to stop the cooking process further.  Cook the eggs in a pan of boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain in a sieve under cold running water until cold. Peel and cut the eggs into quarters.

For the dressing, whisk the oil, vinegar and mustard in a large bowl until thick. Season with black pepper and salt.

Add the green beans, other beans, cherry tomatoes and spring onions to the dressing and mix. Then place the tuna pieces on top and next add the hard-boiled eggs. 

05. Cucumber and Salmon Salad (2 servings)

Ingredients: 

• 1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced 
• 200g canned salmon (canned mackerel or tuna can be used instead)
• 2 tsp of mustard, ground
• 2 tsp of vinegar 
• 2 tsp of condensed milk
• 2 tsps of pepper, freshly ground 
• 3 sprigs of parsley, chopped 
• Salt as per your taste 

Instructions:  Smashed the canned salmon in a small bowl. Mix mustard, vinegar, condensed milk, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Next add sliced cucumber into the mix, then add smashed salmon fish, mix well. Scatter parsley on top. This salad is ideal with sandwiches. 

06. Fruity Tuna Salad (2 servings)

Ingredients: 

• 1 apple 
• 100g cooked tuna, broken up
• ½ cup of grapes, halved
• ¼ cup of mayonnaise (no fat mayo is ideal)
• ½ tbsp lemon juice 
• ¼ tsp pepper, freshly ground
• ¼ salt (or as per your taste)
• Lettuce leaves (optional)

Instructions : Slice apples into half inch cubes, remove the seeds and core. Place the apples, broken up tuna, and grapes in a bowl and set aside.Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper; add to tuna mix and stir carefully to coat.Serve on  lettuce leaves. In addition to apples and grapes, fruits like mango, pineapple, strawberry, pomegranates and kiwi can be added to this salad.