Mackerel and Avocado Bowl
Ten minutes, no cooking, and roughly 30 grams of protein. The lunch to make when you have no intention of making lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 tin mackerel or sardines in olive oil, drained
- 1 ripe avocado
- Large handful of rocket or watercress
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp capers, optional
- Black pepper
- Optional: a slice of sourdough
Method
- Put the rocket or watercress in a bowl.
- Halve the avocado, scoop it out and slice it over the leaves.
- Flake the mackerel over the top in large pieces. Do not mash it.
- Dress with olive oil and lemon juice, scatter the capers, and grind over black pepper.
- Eat with sourdough if you want it more substantial.
Takes longer to read than to make.
Why it works
This exists because the alternative is a sandwich, and the gap between them is larger than it looks.
Mackerel is among the richest dietary sources of both omega-3 and vitamin D, and tinned is nutritionally comparable to fresh while costing a fraction. Small oily fish also carry considerably less mercury than larger species.
Vitamin D matters more in Britain than most people appreciate. Between October and March the sun sits too low for skin synthesis to happen at all, which leaves food and supplements as the only routes.
The avocado brings monounsaturated fat and potassium, and the fat here is doing a job rather than just adding calories. Adequate dietary fat matters for testosterone, which is synthesised from cholesterol, and very low fat diets consistently lower it.
Swap in sardines if you prefer. Eaten whole with the bones, they add a substantial amount of calcium as well.
More on the fat question: foods that support testosterone.