Last Updated on April 15, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
I made sesame crusted salmon this week and didn’t even miss the breading!
How’s it going? Have you found it challenging to remove the grains from your diet? I want to warn you about replacing grain with sugar. It’s an easy thing to do. Eating grain causes your blood sugar level to go up, so if you’ve been eating lots of grains your body has gotten used to these swings throughout the day. When you suddenly cut out grain you might find your sweet tooth attacks with a vengeance. It’s essential to have the right foods on hand. Berries, nuts, and cheese make good quick snacks when hunger arises.
One trick I learned is to make a pot of chicken stock, pour it in glass jars and have it available throughout the week. When hunger strikes between meals I heat up some stock and throw in a 1/4 cup or so of shredded chicken or a few small veggies and have a cup of soup. It will help with the hunger pangs and also give you nourishment to get to the next meal.
To get your week going, here are some recipes for meals this week:
Cheesy Bacon and Egg Scramble
Slow-Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken
Green Beans with Browned Butter and Pepitas
Bacon and Tomato Hash
Creamy Eggplant Soup
Onion Bisque
I think you’ll enjoy this sesame-crusted salmon. Add a salad and you won’t miss the breading, I promise!
As a reminder, I’m posting additional recipes and ideas on my Facebook page (for a complete list of grains to avoid, check out my “notes” on the left hand column). So come on over and join in!
What recipes/meals have you been cooking? I’d love to hear!
Sesame Crusted Salmon
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ghee, divided
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 salmon fillets, skin-on, about 1-inch thick
Instructions
- Spread sesame seeds on a pie plate.
- Brush salmon with 2 teaspoons melted ghee. Season flesh side with salt and pepper, then press flesh side in sesame seeds, turn and press skin side in sesame seeds to coat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat until very hot, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil and swirl to coat.
- Add fillets flesh side down and cook without moving until flesh side is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Turn fillets and cook, without moving, about 3 more minutes until skin side is golden brown.
- Remove from pan.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 4
That. Looks. Amazing.
I’m wondering if I could go ahead and just face plant that, because I’m this close.
Thank you so much for bringing attention to the health hazards of grains/gluten. I’ve recently become a fan of the Primal Blueprint/Paleo lifestyle, and they’ve touted all along how much of an enemy grain is. Right next to sugar. I truly hope this fact becomes mainstream. Food manufacturers, doctors, Big Pharma, etc. have all made millions with the conventional wisdom of “whole grains is good for you…”
Anyway, I look forward to making some of your recipes and joining your Facebook page.
Cheers to you!
Hi Carrie, thank you for posting. With me not caring for salmon, is there another “not so strong flavored” fish that would work with this recipe?
Argh, not totally “no grain” days yet, but working on it. Bought my first ever brown rice pasta (spaghetti) yesterday at Earthfare to use with your chicken scampie recipe, so will be my first test without whole wheat pasta… I also did order the Wheat Belly book on Amazon and it should arrive this week. I’ll be totally off of any decent eating in a few days when I embark on a 7-day cruise… 😉 Ready to get out of here!!! However, now armed with so much knowledge, I hope to at least make some healthy choices while on the ship…
Any change is a good change! You could try cod or another light white fish.
Tilapia is also a nice option if you want a not-so-fishy fish.
L-O-V-E this dish. Sesame and salmon is such a wonderful combination!
Mmm. I love the taste of sesame seeds!
Wow, you really have so many great ideas on how to help us grain-addicts kick the habit! I’m not sure I’m up to the full challenge, but I’m definitely weening myself of the habit slowly. Thanks for the chicken stock tip. What a great idea!
I started this morning and did pretty good all day. My only cheat was a recipe from a Paleo blog that was for coconut flour cookies and they had honey. I am not totally sure if going wheat free means I have to avoid honey but I figure 1/4 cup divided by 12 cookies (i only ate 1) isnt too bad. Any idea if we can have limited sugars if you were following a Wheat Belly/Paleo type diet? I am a serious carboholic and this is going to be challnging for me..but time to lose the 15 lbs that just wont go away…
Good job! Coconut flour is a great option. I’ll be featuring a recipe with coconut flour very soon. You can have honey, just don’t overdo it. Same with the other sugars. I hope your last 15 pounds melts right off! 🙂
I made this tonight and it was delicious. Even better is that you don’t have to have much in the pantry!
Wow all those healthy fats in one meal…love it!!
Hi Carrie! So I checked out the list on FB – and read the comment regarding buckwheat & quinoa – and I’m further confused. I understand the issue with quinoa, however, is buckwheat to be avoided – or is it allowed? Buckwheat has been my “go-to” alternative since trying to cut out gluten. Making buckwehat breakfast bakes (from the lovely Ashley @ edibleperspective.com) has been my best breakfast ever. If it needs to go…picture my sad face. 🙁
Thanks for the great info!
Buckwheat is fine! It was a typo that I corrected. Sorry about the confusion! I’ll have to check out the recipe for buckwheat pancakes. Thanks!
Your caution about not replacing grains with sugar is right on for me today. There is a sugar monster sitting on my shoulder whispering sweet nothings in my ear! I ate an apple for mid-morning snack and then ate some extra protein at lunch but still the sugar monster whispers. Any idea how long this will last? Thank you!
Each person is different so I can’t say how long it will last, but there are ways to help fight the cravings. When I start craving sugar, I make sure and eat something with a good healthy fat in it (to satiate). Cheese, nuts (I’m snacking on some right now!), and beef jerky are foods I try and keep on hand. For something sweet, I like to cut open a date (dried, but nice and soft date that you can buy at the store) and fill it with a teaspoon or so of coconut oil. OMG! It’s so good! Sometimes I even cram an almond or two inside along with the coconut oil. One or two of those and I’m usually set. Keep with it! You can do this!! 🙂
This looks so wonderfully vibrant and healthy to eat. I love this challenge you are doing, so inspiring!