Do you like organ meat? If you didn’t grow up eating it and growing a taste for it – like southern Americans or Europeans like me – you probably are trying to eat it because you heard of organ meats’ many nutritional benefits. 

Nutritional benefits of liver : Nature’s multivitamin 

Superfood for fertility

Liver is “nature’s multivitamin”. It is packed in essential vitamins and trace minerals and qualifies as super food for fertility. A great way to get your daily value of essential nutrients.  More on top fertility foods, check this article. 

Liver Is the richest food in highly absorbable iron, zinc (excellent for skin health, hormone balance and the immune system), vitamin B, folate (detox), vitamin A (Retinol), choline, copper, vitamin K2 (bone and heart health.) and vitamin E (eye and skin health). Most of these nutrients are involved to some degree in fertility (1) Note that Retinol is also vitamin A1, which does not need conversion by your body. It is a different kind of vitamin A than the one in vegetable sources like pro-vitamin A, which is converted into vitamin A by your body. Both retinol and vitamin E are good for eye health. 

Of course it is very high in protein.

Here are a few numbers to get you an idea:

• Beef liver: 23 g /3 oz or 110G
• Calf liver: for 4 oz (113 g), 18 grams protein.
• Venison liver: 21.57 per 100g
• Pork Protein: 24 grams/ for 113g or 4 oz
• Lamb Protein: 23 grams/ 113 g or 4oz
• Chicken Protein: 19 grams / 4 Oz or 113g
• Source:(2) and (3)

Iron in liver: Choose chicken over beef!

• Beef liver contains 6.2 milligrams of iron per 100g
• Chicken liver contains 12 milligrams of iron per 100 grams

Of course, much of the contents depends also on the sourcing of your meat, and how they are fed. These numbers are just an indicator of how much more iron is in each type of liver.

A Keto Liver Recipe

Liver is also a fantastic protein source for keto recipes. it’s very fast to cook, and pairs up with many vegetables, a bit of salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil.

You can also find many different types of liver, all with similar nutritional benefits: poultry liver ( I love chicken liver), calf liver, beef liver, venison or deer liver,  They don’t all have the same size and texture, but all taste similar. For a more steaky type, try beef or calf liver. Chicken liver is smaller and softer, a texture that not everyone enjoys. But it tastes great in paté for example.

Sourcing your meat: You are what you eat

For better health benefits, chose your source carefully, depending on your budget. At best chose pasture raised animals, at worse conventionally raised animals. Why? Because as they say, “you are what you eat”. If you eat inflammatory foods and don’t have much time to breathe outside, your health takes a toll. As an animal, your meat is more inflammatory. It does not mean it has no health benefits, but may have less health benefits than a happy animal fed well.

Using the right cooking method to lower toxicity

If you don’t have the budget for pasture raised or organic, I recommend using a cooking method that helps getting rid of inflammatory compounds in your meats, like inflammatory fats building on the animal’s body. If the animal is exposed to pollutants and/ or GMO foods or hormone disrupters, it may help to give your meat a steam bath and get the fat soluble toxins sweat out. In short, the best way to cook liver, especially from more conventional sources, is steam cooking, because it gives it a steam bath and the meat has a chance to sweat out existing toxins, while preserving precious nutrients. To learn more about steam cooking or steaming meat, consult these articles: 

About the recipe: Simple but delicious

It’s all in the ingredients: The ketogenic diet or paleo diet are not grain compatible, but they are veggies and healthy fats compatible, since they remain low carb and high in fiber. And in a nutshell, that is what this recipe contains. About a pound (500 grams) liver for 3 people, herbs, salt and pepper garlic, bell pepper and onions, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a bay leaf. Optionally, you can you can add mushrooms, steam them 3 minutes and finish in the pan with 2 cloves garlic, salt and olive oil. This is a nutrient-packed meal, full of flavors, colors and texture! 

If you use chicken liver, I prefer having a bit for for three, because chicken liver secretes more waste in the steamer than the more steaky kinds of livers like beef, calf and venison. In this case, get 600g of 3 persons ( about 1.5 lb, according to how much each person typically eats.)

It is also an onions recipe ! 

Onions are delicious and add a lot of flair and fibers to any recipe. I love them ! You’ll find them in most of my savory recipes. They pair very well with red meat, including liver.  Since it includes it, this recipe has low carb content, but is high in dietary fiber ( from the bell pepper and onion) and vitamin C (from the bell pepper) which helps iron absorption. 

Equipment Needed

• An efficient food steamer. Check my ranking here.
• A large skillet, preferably cast iron or stainless steel
• An electric kettle, it speeds up the cooking process.

Cooking Process

The process is pretty straightforward, even with a food steamer! 

With a food steamer

1) Put your food steamer on the stove ( or plug it), add water into the tank. For the Vitaliseur steam cooker, add about 1-2 quarts. If you are using an electric kettle, add boiling water into the tank. 

2) Prepare the ingredients: slice the onion and peppers , mushrooms if applicable. Salt the liver, let it sit five to 10 minutes. Salt helps the meat sweat out toxines.

3) When vapor comes out of the food steamer abundantly upon opening the bell-shaped lid, the steamer is ready to cook your foods. 

4) Optional step, with mushrooms: After slicing mushrooms, place them into the steam basket before onions and peppers. Steam them 3 minutes. Place on a cloth to soak some of the water off. Finish in the pan with 2 cloves garlic, salt and extra virgin olive oil on medium-low heat.

5) Place vegetables into the steamer basket. Close the lid and steam 5 minutes. 

6) Place the skillet on the stove. Turn on the stove on medium-low heat while the veggies are steaming. After a few minutes, add some olive oil, quarter of a cup water, sea salt, one bay leaf, cloves of minced garlic or garlic powder, thyme. Transfer the vegetables to the skillet, mix with oil and herbs, add oil to taste, lower the heat to low. Keeping the heat to high would destroy more nutrients.

7) Place the liver in the steamer for 2 minutes, covered. Then lift the lid and turn the meat over and cook two additional minutes. 

8) Transfer liver to the skillet, place the liver in the middle of the vegetables.Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Mix. Sit for one minute and turn over one more minute.

Enjoy hot!

Without a steamer

If you don’t own a steamer, you won’t be able to retain as much nutrients and detox your foods, but it will still be a nutrient dense and delicious meal! 

1) Turn on the stove on medium-low heat

Cook the vegetables together in olive oil and garlic, add pepper, salt and a bay leaf. If you cook mushrooms, cook them first. 

2) After 10 minutes, vegetables should be soft enough. Make space, and place the liver in the middle of the skillet on one side. After two minutes, turn over. It should be cooked medium rare. Cook one-two extra minutes to medium, and two more to well done. Add the balsamic a minute or two before the end.

Note: Remember than poultry liver would need less cooking to get to well done, because of it’s smaller size and texture. 1 minutes on each side is rare, 2 minutes on each side is medium, and 3 minutes on each side is well done.

Bon appétit! 

Seeking another liver recipe? Try my recipe for liver pate made with chicken liver and breast.