Sesame Salmon and Cucumber Salad

Last week, we talked about inspiring people in our lives. This week? It's all about Nat.

She has many identities (N the N, Nat-burger, Chicken Little, Natty Ice), but most people know her as bouncy, talkative, and excited.

Something she doesn't advertise, though, is that she has type 1 diabetes. 

She tried coming up with a whole post about vulnerability, her experience, and how food has helped, but the truth is, it's hard to write about. Over the past 15.5 years since she was diagnosed, type 1 diabetes has steeped her life with too much to extract a short story for our blog.

The one kernel that stuck with me, though, is how much she cares about food. 

Of course, we love to cook and spend time with family and friends around the table. We're interested in where our food comes from, and who helps along the way. For me, it's a hobby.

For Nat, it's more. She's exploring food so passionately for the power it returns to her life.

She will most likely have type 1 diabetes for the rest of her life. That's heavy. That means she constantly has this question on the back burner: how do my current choices affect my future health?

Of course, there are new types of insulin, pumps, needles and devices to help manage blood sugar. For Nat, food is another way to be proactive about health.

This idea is universal. We all know that our current choices affect our future health. Nat, however, is quite simply the only person I know who consciously thinks about it all the time. She doesn't let go of that ideal: to live as healthy as possible. Food is one tool that helps us do just that.

Sesame Salmon and Cucumber Salad

Serves 2

I don't know what it's like to have high blood sugar, but Nat describes it like this: a bad hangover. No thanks. 

Eating a low carbe dinner is one trick she's learned to avoid going to sleep uncertain about her blood sugar. Plus, with a simple salad and quick-cooking fish, it doesn't take long to prepare.

Ingredients

Fish

• 2/3 lbs Wild salmon, cut into two pieces
• 1/2 tsp of each - black and white sesame seeds (1 tsp total)
• 1-2 tsp ghee (or coconut oil)
• Sea salt

Salad

• 2 cups spinach
• 3 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, cut in half, then sliced
• 2 sprigs dill, chopped

Dressing

• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Zest of half a lemon
• Pinch of sea salt

Process

• Remove the salmon from the fridge. Sprinkle sea salt on both sides, then let rest, skin side down.
• Combine sesame seeds in a bowl. Sprinkle over the flesh side of salmon.
• In a large bowl, add the spinach, radish, dill, and cucumber.
• In a jar, combine the dressing ingredients. Shake well to combine.
• Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ghee, and let it heat for 1 minute, or until oil shimmers.
• Add the fish, flesh side down.* 
• Cook for 4 minutes. Flip to skin side down.
• Cook for 3 minutes. Then cover, and turn heat to medium-low.
• Continue cooking until the interior reaches 140ºF.**
• Serve salmon on a plate with salad.
• Dress to taste.

*When adding the fish, we place the side closest to us first, in the direction of the back of the pan. This avoids any splatter in our direction

**The time depends on the thickness of the fish. We usually cook covered for at least 3 more minutes, but up to 6-7 more minutes if it's a real honker