By now you’ve probably heard that fish is good for you—really, REALLY good for you! Besides being a lean and healthy form of protein, lower in saturated fat than poultry or beef, fish contains omega 3 fatty acids, sometimes referred to as fish oil. Although “fish oil” sounds kinda gross, it’s good for your heart, and may even contribute to healthy skin and strong immunity. Good stuff.

But how the heck do you cook it? A lot of fish is breaded or fried (or both), which sort of defeats the purpose of it being a health food (kinda like tempura. Seriously people…fried veggies?) However, one of the healthiest ways to cook fish is also one of the easiest.

Have tinfoil and an oven? You can cook fish.

Salmon is my personal favorite, but this method will work for any kind of fish you like—halibut, cod, tilapia…the list goes on. Head to your local supermarket and see what’s fresh (and affordable). Ideally the fish should be cut pretty thin so, if you have a very thick salmon steak, for example, slice that sucker in half. (This will make your roommate/boyfriend very happy, as now there is enough for two, and once they this badboy, they are gonna want some.)

Roll out a piece of tinfoil a little larger than a sheet of paper, and fold the edges up a bit. Stick your fish on one half of the tinfoil, and add any flavorings you’d like. Try squeezing a lemon on there, experiment with different herbs and spices, even hot sauce! Fold the tinfoil over the top of the fish and seal the edges, making a little pouch. Poke a few holes in the top of the pouch with a fork, and throw that sucker in the oven. Let it cook for about 10-15 minutes; you’ll know it’s done when its flakey.

That’s it! Delicious fish that is healthy and almost as easy as ordering take-out.

[Photo: “Into the fire” via Arwyn J.M. at flickr]