After having salmon stew once, I knew it would be the first time of many! For me, it’s reminiscent of a lobster stew that I had on a trip to Maine once that was so yummy, I couldn’t get it out of my head! In fact, I was so excited about discovering it that I wanted to create a salmon stew recipe that would be appropriate for my followers.
For many, this meant a recipe that was low salt or kidney-friendly (low sodium, potassium and phosphorus) diet. Of course, as always, my goal was to create a recipe that anyone would love, whether or not they followed a special diet. I really think I succeeded!
What’s So Special About Our Simple Salmon Stew Recipe?
There are so many awesome things about our Simple Salmon Stew recipe:
It’s quick and easy to make!
From start to finish, our Simple Salmon Stew recipe only has 4 easy steps and can be whipped up in about 30 minutes! How’s that for a quick meal?
It’s inexpensive
Surprisingly, even with salmon as a main ingredient, this recipe can be made for around $2.70/serving, or ~ $16.00 for the whole recipe. These calculations are using mostly store-brand ingredients.
It contains omega-3 Fatty acids
The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon are associated with many health benefits. According to WebMD, omega-3 fatty acids play or may play a role in the following:
- Prevention of heart disease
- Improving symptoms of depression
- Facilitating brain development of babies in the womb
- Lowering the risk of asthma in children
- Improving symptoms of ADHD
- Prevention of cognitive decline or dementia associated with aging.
Our Simple Salmon Stew recipe is low sodium!
Our recipe contains only 182 mg of sodium per serving, which can easily fit into the guidelines for sodium intake endorsed by the American Heart Association of 1500-2300 mg daily. The National Kidney Foundation also recommends a limit of 2300 mg for the general population, but a limit of 1500 mg sodium for those with high blood pressure or kidney disease.
Our Simple Salmon Stew recipe is also kidney-friendly!
Many who need to follow a kidney-friendly diet not only need to limit sodium, but also phosphorus and potassium and well. We've already established that our Simple Salmon Stew recipe is low in sodium.
Although individual needs vary, when I have worked with people needing to limit phosphorus and potassium in their diets, a common recommendation from their doctor was to limit their daily phosphorus intake to 800-1000 mg and their potassium intake to 2000 mg or less.
One serving of our stew contains 385 mg of potassium and 169 mg of phosphorus. Salmon is naturally higher in potassium than many other sources of protein, but the amount in one serving can be worked into a kidney-friendly diet. (Note: Please check with your doctor or registered dietitian for your individual needs).
It has a limited number of common ingredients
Like most recipes by The Everyday Kidney Cook, our Simple Salmon Stew recipe doesn’t use a ton of ingredients. And the ingredients it does use can easily be found at any grocery store.
It’s low in carbohydrates
At only 6.6g of carbohydrates per serving, those who have diabetes or need to watch their carbohydrate intake should have no problem fitting our Simple Salmon Stew into their meal plan!
What Ingredients Does Our Simple Salmon Stew Recipe Use?
Our recipe contains 6 main ingredients, plus some spices. Here they are:
1. Mirepoix
Don’t let the name intimidate you! This is simply a mixture of ~ 2 parts diced onion and 1 part each of diced carrots and celery.
To make the recipe extra easy, I chose to use the pre-chopped mix found in the produce section of the grocery store. However, of course you can choose to chop each individual ingredient yourself!
As a bonus, the ready-made mirepoix usually comes in 10 oz containers (weight-wise), which comes out to ~ 2 cups in volume. Which is the exact amount you need for this recipe! Super easy!
2. Unsalted butter
The first step of our Simple Salmon Stew recipe involves sauteing the vegetables in butter until the onion is caramelized and the vegetables are partially soft. If preferred, you can use your favorite “healthy” oil such as avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil in the same amount in place of the butter.
Caramelizing the onions gives the stew a richer, deeper flavor. To learn more about other cooking methods, ingredients and techniques to add flavor to a low sodium diet, check out our article: 10 Tips for a Tasty 2 Gram Sodium Diet (From a Dietitian)
3. Unsalted chicken broth
This comprises the bulk of the liquid in the stew and gives flavor without unwanted salt. Try this recipe for Low Sodium Macaroni & Cheese (Dump & Bake), which uses unsalted chicken broth to add extra flavor.
4. Half and half
This makes up about ⅓ of the liquid and gives the stew a nice creaminess without being too heavy.
Tip: If you need to watch phosphorus in your diet, make sure to check the ingredient list for phosphate additives. The ingredient list should be very simple—milk and cream. If you see “phos” within another word anywhere on the ingredient list, it has phosphate additives!
Of course, feel free to use cow’s milk or a plant-based milk such as almond or oat milk if you prefer! Just like with half and half, if you are using a plant-based milk, be sure to check the ingredient list for phosphate additives if you need to watch phosphorus in your diet.
If you prefer a richer stew, you can use heavy cream instead of half and half, or increase the ratio of half and half to broth.
5. Salmon
This recipe uses 12 oz of fresh salmon with the bones and skin removed. I used Atlantic salmon. You can also use canned salmon with bones and skin removed, if desired.
However, if you opt to use canned salmon and are on a low sodium diet, be sure to choose a canned salmon without salt added. Here is one of my favorites. (Note: if purchasing straight from the company, you may be required to purchase several cans at a time. However, individual cans are available at many grocers.)
Also, those on a low phosphorus diet need to be aware that some brands of canned salmon contain phosphate additives.
But to be honest, the fresh salmon was super easy to use and, in my opinion, has a much superior flavor. And a good quality canned salmon in the amount you would use in this recipe (about 2-3 small cans) could even cost more than fresh!
6. Worcestershire sauce
This ingredient gives the stew extra flavor with just a little sodium.
7. Spices
We use 3 common spices in this recipe: black pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
Variations of Our Simple Salmon Stew Recipe
We already touched on a few variations in the ingredients above such as using milk, plant-based milk or heavy cream instead of half and half and using your favorite oil instead of butter. Below are a few additional variations:
Seafood Stew
Any seafood could be used in place of the salmon such as fish, lobster, shrimp or scallops.
For a heartier salmon stew recipe: Add more veggies!
Make it a heartier stew by adding frozen or no salt added canned corn or another vegetable of your choice. Or, if you don’t need to limit potassium, add a can of no salt added diced potatoes (or fresh potatoes, cubed and cooked).
Spice it up!
Experiment with different spices. Suggestions include: dill, smoked paprika, thyme, parsley, bay leaf or red pepper flakes. If you are not following a sodium-restricted diet, feel free to add salt to taste to the stew.
Thicken it up!
If you prefer a thicker stew, add about 2 Tablespoons of flour to the butter/veggies mixture (step # 1 in the recipe) before the broth is added.
Time To Make Your Simple Salmon Stew!
We’ve talked about all the great things about our Simple Salmon Stew Recipe, reviewed the ingredients and talked about variations of the stew. There’s only one thing left to do—get cooking! I hope you enjoy this salmon stew recipe as much as we have!
Simple Salmon Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces raw salmon cut into 1 inch pieces (about 3 or 4 fillets, depending on the size)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 10 ounce container mirepoix mix or ~ 2 cups in volume. Note: you can also chop your own—use 1 cup diced onion and ½ cup each of diced carrots and celery.
- 2 ⅔ cup of unsalted chicken broth
- 1 ⅓ cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and sauté until the onion is caramelized and the vegetables are partially soft, about 8 minutes.
- Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce and spices. (Note: Do not add the half and half yet. This is added at the end so that it doesn’t curdle). Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. (I like mine a little soft, but not mushy).
- Add the salmon and simmer for about 3 minutes until done. Salmon is cooked when it flakes apart easily and reaches a temperature of 145° F.
- Remove from heat and allow the stew to cool slightly. Add the half and half and stir. (Note: if the half and half is added when it is too hot, it may curdle).
- Enjoy!
Naomi
This was really good! And so easy to make!
Beverly Garden
Thank you, Naomi! It's one of my new favorites too!