OMG, Omega-3s! 21 Recipes That are Full of Them (2024)

A beautifully poached piece of salmon, clean tasting and light, is a terrific summer meal. The technique really has only one rule: Don't overcook. The salmon should be cooked ever so gently in barely simmering liquid until the center is just slightly translucent.

Recipe: Salmon Salad with Parsley and Capers

Use these pretty candied walnuts as a dessert garnish. Or just snack on them plain for a sweet and crunchy treat.

Recipe: Candied Walnuts

This flax seed granola parfait calls for healthful, homemade flax seed granola, but in a pinch store-bought granola will do.

Recipe: Flax Seed Granola Parfait

Elisabeth Prueitt always mixes ground flax into her pancake batter. "I've never felt great about the low nutritional value of pancakes — it's like eating cake for breakfast — but the flax adds fiber, omega-3s, and minerals," she says.

Recipe: Flax-Coconut Pancakes

Blueberry muffins with flax seeds incorporate homemade flax seed meal, gluten-free flour, and an apple purée.

Recipe: Blueberry Flax Seed Muffins

Unprocessed bran and wheat germ are rich in fiber and vitamins; flax seed has heart-healthy omega-3s. Find them at health-food stores or in the cereal aisle of many supermarkets.

Recipe: Baked Chicken Fingers

This one-pan supper combines a number of standard shelf-stable pantry staples, like sun-dried tomatoes, tinned sardines, and hearts of palm, in a delicious all-in-one meal.

Recipe: Mixed Pantry Pan Roast

Homemade flax seed meal adds dietary fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids to these made-from-scratch peanut butter, chocolate chip, and walnut cookies.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Flax

A from-scratch quick bread with flax seed meal and walnuts is a great way to use overripe bananas.

Recipe: Banana-Walnut Bread with Flax

This bright orange smoothie gets its color from frozen peaches plus carrot and orange juice. Fresh ginger packs a flavorful punch.

Recipe: "Get Your Orange" Flax Smoothie

Savory, crispy salmon pairs perfectly with a sweet and tart apple and baby kale salad.

Recipe: Crunchy Salmon with Apple and Baby Kale Salad

Chia seeds add a mild nutty flavor to this hearty dish.

Recipe: Lentils with Chia Seeds

This fresh take on a burger subs salmon for the traditional beef, making it a lighter alternative.

Recipe: Salmon Burgers with Lemon-Basil Mayo

Gluten-free carrot-flax muffins are packed with nutrients from carrots, apples, and homemade flax seed meal.

Recipe: Carrot-Flax Muffins

A substantial vegetarian dish, this pasta showcases the winning combination of goat cheese and walnuts, which provide protein and healthy omega-3s.

Recipe: Whole-Grain Shells with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Rich, delicious sardines not only contain more of the good stuff (omega-3s, calcium) and less of the bad (mercury) but are a sustainable choice. Mashed with canola mayonnaise in a sardine salad, they are the foundation of a formidable tower of nutrients, including sliced avocado, hard-boiled egg, tomato, and arugula.

Recipe: Sardine Salad Sandwich

Make an easy gourmet meal any night of the week using this simple phyllo-wrapped salmon technique.

Recipe: Phyllo-Wrapped Salmon

Walnuts are one of the most omega-3-rich foods out there, and chiles en nogada (in walnut sauce) is a classic dish from the Mexican state of Puebla. Cooks traditionally fry the chiles, but in this lighter version, chefs Joe Cassinelli and Danny Bua simply roast them. Even served without the walnut sauce, the stuffed chiles rellenos are an incredible vegetarian main course.

Recipe: Vegetable Chiles Rellenos with Walnut Sauce and Cheese

Flax seed meal and whole flax seeds add nutritional value to these gooey made-from-scratch oatmeal raisin cookies.

Recipe: Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies with Flax

Chia seeds are available at health-food stores and online. They're rich in omega-3s, fiber, and antioxidants.

Recipe: Vanilla Chia Pudding