Seed oil free dinners cover just as much ground as any other kind, from stir-fries to roasted chicken to pasta, since olive oil, avocado oil, butter, and tallow can replace canola or vegetable oil in nearly any savory dish. Here are six dinner recipes spanning different cuisines that skip seed oils without cutting corners on flavor.
Which Fat for Which Dinner Method?
A quick guide to matching the fat to the cooking method before you start.
| Cooking Method | Best Fat | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Stir-frying | Avocado oil | High smoke point handles very high heat |
| Searing fish | Butter | Browns fast, adds flavor at moderate heat |
| Roasting chicken | Tallow | Crisps skin, stable at oven temperatures |
| Browning ground meat | Tallow | Adds flavor early, prevents sticking |
| Finishing pasta sauce | Butter and olive oil | Rounds out flavor without overpowering |
| Roasting vegetables | Olive oil | Handles moderate heat, adds flavor |
Weeknight Beef and Vegetable Stir-Fry in Avocado Oil
Stir-frying needs a fat that can handle very high heat without smoking, which makes avocado oil a better choice than the peanut or soybean oil most stir-fry recipes default to.
Ingredients: 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced, 2 tablespoons avocado oil, 1 bell pepper, sliced, 1 cup broccoli florets, 1 carrot, sliced thin, 3 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 2 cloves garlic, minced.
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until it shimmers.
- Add the beef in a single layer and sear 1 to 2 minutes per side, then remove.
- Add the remaining oil, then the broccoli and carrot, and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the bell pepper, garlic, and ginger, cooking 1 more minute.
- Return the beef to the pan, add soy sauce and rice vinegar, and toss for 1 minute until glossy and hot.
Pan-Seared Salmon With Brown Butter
Butter browns quickly and adds a nutty flavor that pairs naturally with salmon's richness.
Ingredients: 2 salmon fillets, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 clove garlic, smashed, 1 sprig thyme, salt, pepper, lemon wedge.
- Pat the salmon dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon butter until it starts to foam.
- Sear the salmon skin-side down for 4 minutes without moving it.