Mackerel Pesto Pasta
The following recipe and photography was provided courtesy of Recipe Developer and Food Photographer, Allianna Moximchalk from Allianna’s Kitchen.
When it comes to preparing healthy meals on busy weeknights, canned fish can be your friend!
If I’m adding canned seafood to my shopping list, I almost always default to traditional tuna. It’s familiar, versatile and tasty, but there’s a whole sea of packaged seafood options in the grocery aisle that are equally delicious and more nutritious.
In fact, the Cleveland Clinic recommends king mackerel as one of the three best fish for supporting overall health. Characterized as fatty and extremely high in omega-3s, Vitamin B12 and a slew of other nutrients, mackerel is full of anti-inflammatory properties that can benefit your cardiovascular health!
These benefits alone were enough to sell me on mackerel, so I grabbed a couple cans and headed to my kitchen to whip up something mouthwatering.
I could have created a slightly new spin on classic tuna salad, but instead, I went with something a little more hearty: pasta! I love pasta, and I’ve found that with the right ingredients you can actually make it pretty healthy!
In addition to the featured fish, this recipe uses fiber and antioxidant-rich edamame pasta. Trust me, the texture and flavor is extremely comparable to your favorite conventional noodles.
I am a firm believer that you can’t eat pasta without sauce, so I blended together an easy homemade pesto for a boost of vibrant flavor and color.
Topped with grape tomatoes and red pepper flakes, canned seafood has never looked or tasted so good!
Mackerel Pesto Pasta
Servings: 2
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 2 cans King Oscar mackerel, shredded
- Liviva edamame spaghetti
- Sea salt
- 1 Tbsp. Heinen's extra virgin olive oil, to prevent the noodles from sticking
For the Pesto
- 4 cups fresh basil
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ cups Heinen's extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- Juice of 2 lemons
- ½ tsp. sea salt
Optional Toppings
- Grape tomatoes
- Red pepper flakes
- Black pepper
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Add a little sea salt to the water to prevent the noodles from clumping.
- Strain the cooked noodles and lather them in a Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.
- Place all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Toss the pasta in the pesto sauce and top with the mackerel.
- Serve with grape tomatoes, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
