Olive Oil Substitute???

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sunny1

Assistant Cook
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Hello,

This is a friend's recipe for a paste that is basically herbs that are blended with olive oil and then used to marinate salmon for 1 to 12 hours prior to barbequeing it.

My friend has to eat fat free and wants to eliminate the olive oil and subsitute white wine in its place.

I told her I thought that the wine would not create the same effect/result in the recipe and that the flavors would not meld together the same way.

Does anyone know what, if anything, could be substituted for the oil that would produce a similar effect/result?



For the herb paste:

1/4 cup tightly packed parsley
1/4 cup tightly packed cilantro
1-1/2 teaspoons chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon Mrs Dash Table Blend
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground Mediterranean oregano
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Thank you,


 
There is a BIG difference between lowering your fat intake and a 0-fat diet (a 0% fat diet causes other health problems). If your friend is eating Salmon - they are NOT on a fat free diet! About 35-40% of the calories in salmon are from FAT!

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil really isn't that much for the quantity of "other stuff" in the recipe.

Sure you can use wine instead of the olive oil - but it's not going to penetrate to the same depth .... and I would cut the marinating time down to about 1-hour to keep the acid in the wine from "cooking" the salmon (denaturing the proteins - which after a prolonged marinating time could cause the salmon to get a mushy texture).
 
Michael in FtW said:
There is a BIG difference between lowering your fat intake and a 0-fat diet (a 0% fat diet causes other health problems). If your friend is eating Salmon - they are NOT on a fat free diet! About 35-40% of the calories in salmon are from FAT!

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil really isn't that much for the quantity of "other stuff" in the recipe.

I agree Michael. I thought the same thing but you said it much better than I could. Also, our bodies need some fat.
 
Here is another vote for agreeing with Michael :)

There are good fats and bad fats. Everyone NEEDS fat in their diet. Some people do need to greatly limit their fat intake, but the still need some. Olive Oil is a very good fat, and like Michael said, 3 tablespoons is really not that much. Especially when you consider some of that will actually never make it into your mouth since it will stick to the bag or container you are marinating the fish in.

If your friend is dead set against using it though then perhaps she might want to use the ingredients as a dry rub instead of a marinade. I would just grind everything (leaving out the olive oil of course) in a food processor or blender and then rub into the fish and let sit in the fridge for a few hours.
 
The amount of fat you ingest from a recipe like this is close to negligable. You don't say WHY your freind cannot have fat ... is there a real medical reason for it, or is it just a fad diet? Many, many high-paid scientists have been put to this question over the years and the simple fact is that there is no viable substitute for fat. You WILL lose in flavor or texture (no "or" about it, both!). Olive Oil is one of, if not THE, healthiest of fats. Subbing it with an acid (wine, vinegar) may turn out delicious, but it will be totally different.
 
It does seem a bit odd to me that your friend will eat salmon but not olive oil. Salmon contains fat, more than many other fishes, the very good omega fats that you need in your diet, just like the olive oil. As Michael has said, lemon juice or white wine will break down the fibres in the fish and not produce the same result. If it's weight loss, I can attest that you need healthy fats in your diet. I still eat olive oil, and have lost 42 pounds so far.
 
Sticking to just the 'cooking' aspects of your question, the salmon (or anything else) is going to need some kind of oil for grilling; otherwise it's all going to stick to the grill.

And - 3 tablespoons of olive oil is certainly not an enormous amount.

I'd suggest you and your friend read up on the 'Mediterranean diet', and the actual health benefits of olive oil
 
Michael in FtW said:
There is a BIG difference between lowering your fat intake and a 0-fat diet (a 0% fat diet causes other health problems). If your friend is eating Salmon - they are NOT on a fat free diet! About 35-40% of the calories in salmon are from FAT!

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil really isn't that much for the quantity of "other stuff" in the recipe.

Sure you can use wine instead of the olive oil - but it's not going to penetrate to the same depth .... and I would cut the marinating time down to about 1-hour to keep the acid in the wine from "cooking" the salmon (denaturing the proteins - which after a prolonged marinating time could cause the salmon to get a mushy texture).


My knee-jerk, reactionary, "witty" rejoinder to this thead would be --

"There is no substitute for olive oil."

But as Michael above notes, your friend is not on a fatless diet if she's eating salmon.

Salmon contains Omega 3 fatty acids -- good stuff for you body. Lowers the "bad" cholesterol and keeps your nervous system functioning.

Olive oil is another "good fat" -- a great fat actually. It's one you should add to a healthy diet.

I just read a book on diets for weight training / body building. The author notes: "There's a difference between eating fat and wearing it."

Americans are generally fat -- it's the next huge epidemic and promises to overtake smoking as a health issue. But all the "fad diets" -- low carb, low fat, Atkins (Atkins just filed for bankruptcy.), grapefruit, South Beach, etc . . .

It's all BUNK!

You eat a balanced diet. Whole, unprocessed foods. And you eat fewer calories than you burn. A good way to increase your caloric metabolism is to get fit. Once you're fit you have a muscle mass that burns calories -- and muscle mass that enables you to move, stay active, fit.

Then, when you're fit, you can eat like a horse. Have you seen what the cyclists in the Tour de France eat every day for fuel ??? Steak, pasta, veggies, etc. and tons and tons of it.
 
LOL Serria.
I guess I'm pretty healthy..right!
Dove

:angel: Sorry....it's my day for dumb comments I guess..
 
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