Better When We’re Together

There’s nothing better than the combination of real things like a warm summer night with wild salmon and a nice glass of wine. Good times happen when we’re putting them all together. Taste the enchanting rightness of it all and ahhhh… can you hear a little harmonica and Jack Johnson singing in the background? “Ummm, ummm it’s always better when we’re together?!”  There is something grand and right about this time of year when the wild salmon is being caught and grilled. We also enjoy some of the best grape harvesting and wine making in the world. How all this comes together in one beautiful Northwest experience is enough to give other locations heartache. Wine paired with salmon is delicious, do it right with a beautiful glass of pinot noir, rose’ or pinot gris, it’s downright heavenly. But like all classic combinations there is a much deeper story. Salmon’s attributes alone are well known. The American Heart Association recommends that we eat fish at least two to three times a week. The reason is that the omega three fatty acids in fish, especially cold salt water fish like salmon, are very good for our vascular system. A salmon rich diet is even known to cleanse and reverse some of the plaque build-up in our arteries.  Wine plays a very interesting role in this “better when we’re together” partnering with salmon. A very recent study out of Europe measured the omega three blood levels of its participants and also measured their “marine food intake”. The study found that the participants who drank wine (on average a glass for women, two for men per day) along with their fish had higher concentrations of omega three fatty acids in their blood. (Not so for heavy drinkers.) If we have a higher concentration of omega three in our blood it makes the endothelial cells in our artery walls function better and can also increase our nitric oxide production. Both work together to decrease those vicious free radicals that cause vascular inflammation and heartbreaking problems. Higher levels of omega three in our blood can also pump up our “good” HDL cholesterol levels, which adds to making our hearts happy. Since nearly 40% of deaths in the later part of our lives are related to heart disease, this is all well worth paying attention to.  We can wrap our arms around the amazingly beneficial combination of salmon and a beautiful glass of wine. Our chef’s at Salty’s are bringing you the best of these two this season. For a little more lovin’ on this combination check out Chef Jeremy’s recipe here, MORE Wine, NOW.  You can sing along with your salmon (and me) … if you click here! www.youtube.com