Salmon Soba Noodle Soup with Roasted Lemon

This hearty noodle soup begins by roasting green beans, garlic, leeks and lemon slices on a sheet pan in the oven. You’ll nestle salmon fillets amongst the vegetables in the last 10 minutes until buttery medium-rare. A stir-together tahini sauce does double duty by basting the fish and flavoring the broth. The result is a one-bowl meal with perfectly cooked salmon, earthy soba noodles, vegetables, and tart bits of roasted lemon all swimming in a rich sesame broth.

You might already know that wild-caught salmon is considered one of the best foods for brain health. But did you know that fish eaters perform better on memory tests and experience less cognitive decline when compared to those who eat less fish? And, people who enjoy fish on a regular basis are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. High-quality fish like wild-caught salmon is powerful brain food!

One reason is that salmon provides two types of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) that are crucial to brain health. The brain relies on these fatty acids to repair and build brain cells throughout life. Salmon is a good source of other key nutrients, too, like selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B-12.

Then there’s the brain-boosting dose of astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant that also gives salmon its rosy hue. A type of carotenoid, astaxanthin is thought to work synergistically with the omega-3s to protect the brain and nervous system from inflammation while lowering harmful blood cholesterol.

Tips:

Be careful not to overcook the soba noodles. You want them to be slightly underdone when you turn off the heat.

If making the soup ahead of time, cook the soba noodles separately and add just before serving.

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Author Profile

Annie Fenn is a physician, author, culinary instructor, mom, and daughter of a person living with Alzheimer’s. Her mission is to help you take care of your brain while still eating delicious food.

Her first book—The Brain Health Kitchen: Preventing Alzheimer’sThrough Food (Artisan Books, January 2023)—is now available here and wherever books are sold. She packed all 400 pages with as much science and practical wisdom as possible, along with 100 easy, delicious recipes.

After practicing obstetrics and gynecology for more than 20 years, Dr. Fenn traded her stethoscope for a whisk and went back to school to study culinary arts in Mexico, Italy, and at the Culinary Institute of America. She founded the Brain Health Kitchen cooking school in 2015 as a way to bring people together to fight Alzheimer’s. It all started in her home kitchen with a handful of students motivated to learn how to nourish and protect their brains.