June 26, 2019 at 08:56AM by CWC
When you’re hanging out with a bunch of people about to put a pizza order in, no one really wants to be the person who suggests anchovies as a topping. The stigma against anchovies is so great that’s even worse than requesting pineapple. It’s a shame really. According to celebrity chef and restaurateur Seamus Mullen (who overhauled his diet to help treat his rheumatoid arthritis) and Columbia University-based psychiatrist (and farmer ) Drew Ramsey, MD, anchovies are severely underrated.
At a Well+Good Cookbook event last night, hosted by Moet Hennessy, Well+Good co-founder Melisse Gelula asked the panel of luminaries (Mullen and Dr. Ramsey, included) if they were stranded on a desert island and could only have one food, what it would be. Mullen’s answer: The humble anchovy. “Not only are anchovies a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, because they’re so small, they’re lower in mercury than bigger fish,” he said.
Dr. Ramsey was totally on board with Mullen’s choice saying, “As a psychiatrist, fish is one of the big foods I recommend people eat for brain health, but many clients are worried it will be too expensive. Cans of anchovies are really inexpensive,” he says.
Considering that all fish is compliant with the Mediterranean diet—aka the old-yet-trendy eating plan everyone is into right now—it’s a little unfortunate the nutrient-rich fishy is being overshadowed by more popular players. As Mullen points out, you still get the omega-3s (the major reason why doctors and dietitians love salmon so much), but the mercury is low.
Just think of anchovies as the small fish in a big diet—that’s about to swim their way to the top.
Speaking of the Med diet, here are seven Mediterranean diet-approved recipes you can make with your Instant Pot. Plus, five more bonus recipes.
Author Emily Laurence | Well and Good
Selected by CWC
