Archive for June, 2010

Junk Science- An Inquiry into the Truth Regarding Salmon

Friday, June 25th, 2010

The debate over farmed salmon is now decades old, but wrapped up in the relationship between salmon farms and our marine eco-system are millions of consumers who just want to be able to enjoy that incredibly nutritious and succulent salmon meat with a clear conscience. As a sustainable seafood advisory organization, we are consistently fielding questions about farmed salmon. The majority of these questions mimic the rhetoric that is seen in the media regarding three main topics: mercury content, fish feed and sea lice. While there are many wonderful articles that address these first two issues, including our own assessment of fish feed and the conversation ratio, it is the study of the relationship between sea lice, salmon farms and wild salmon that has motivated this post.

On June 17th, Terence Corcoran of the Canadian Newspaper The Financial Post wrote an interesting article examining the science behind the assertion that salmon farms are killing wild salmon. Read the article below and be sure to leave a comment:

There’s a national science battle underway over salmon. It is a battle over the fate of one part of the salmon industry, salmon farms, and the work of activists who claim to have scientific evidence that fish farms are killing wild salmon and are a threat to the very existence of wild salmon, ocean fisheries and ecosystems.

The science conflict, steeped in politics and green activism, has been raging for the better part of a decade. It has many facets, but it reached a climax of sorts in December, 2007, when researchers at the Centre for Mathematical Biology (CMB) at the University of Alberta published a paper that claimed sea lice from fish farms in British Columbia were contaminating wild pink salmon. In a sensational press release at the time, the University of Alberta’s public relations crew declared the coming collapse of wild salmon: “Fish Farms Drive Wild Salmon Populations Toward Extinction.” The release claimed the study — headed by fisheries ecologist Martin Krkosek and including eco-activist Alexandra Morton — proved that pink salmon populations have been rapidly declining for four years.

“The scientists expect a 99% collapse in another four years or two salmon generations, if the infestations continue.”

Read the entire article

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The Lido Deck Restaurant and Wine Bar

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

New Seafood for the Future Partner : The Lido Deck Restaurant and Wine Bar – On a cruise ship, outdoor pools and the surrounding facilities are referred to as the lido deck, but off the deck of The Lido Deck Restaurant and Wine Bar in Newport Beach expect a view of multi-million dollar yachts or the reflection of a multitude of bay establishments across still water. The scene from any table at The Lido Deck could be taken from a seafood advertisement for al-fresco waterfront dining. This small intimate restaurant opens up directly over the Newport Marina. But beyond this elegant view is the ultimate reason to visit The Lido Deck: perfectly cooked sustainable food.

Don Shoenburg, chef-owner of The Lido Deck, certainly knows his fish. Upon first meeting him, our conversations regarding sustainability were held with ease and almost felt as if we were each preaching to the choir given Don’s extensive knowledge of marine conservation and the fact that I work with one of the best aquariums in the world (mind you though, I do work in a cubicle). Don is an avid diver and fisherman who knows the waters off the coast of California well. His menu certainly reflects his knowledge of the marine eco-system with a frequently changing array of seasonal seafood species. The benefit for the diner is the fact that chef Don is the one who is in the restaurant, every single day, cooking the food. He sources all of his fish personally and ensures it comes from the right sources. This culinary perfection is a rarity these days, as many chefs work to open multiple restaurants or fish for their 3 minutes of fame on television.

One of the main reasons that we are excited to have The Lido Deck in our portfolio of dedicated restaurant partners is because the restaurant encourages its guests to enjoy and examine every single aspect of their meal, from start to finish. As we always say here at Seafood for the Future, our goal is to encourage people to reflect on the food they eat, even outside the realm of seafood, to ponder the choices made related to our misguided food system. At The Lido Deck, a dining tryst travels far beyond the main entree. Chef Christi Carter is responsible for an amazing dessert selection, so don’t expect a tired dessert menu bloated with the same choices. In addition to the food, the wine and beer menu is tailored to answer the food-beverage riddle for your palette as every menu item can be paired with precision to each of the chef’s offerings. Don’t feel pressured into a 15 course meal, however, just a seat on the deck with a glass of wine and a bite of some healthy delicious seafood should be enough to renew your passion for ocean-friendly cuisine.

It’s not just one entree or even the specific species of seafood on a menu, but the entire experience as a whole that makes a restaurant complete. The Lido Deck is about dining and real food; it’s about food that is seasonal, local, and sustainable. Too many times we run through a meal, not thinking about what goes into our bodies, not considering the experience of good food, consequently treating our natural resources with disrespect and indifference. Coming across a restaurant that puts so much personal passion into preparing inspired food in a great setting, devoted to sourcing only the most sustainable seafood, is a luxury. When dining at The Lido Deck, tell chef Don and chef Christi you are ready for the best, and leave yourself a surplus of time to enjoy everything they offer. And don’t forget to pick up your Aquarium of the Pacific ticket when you order that delectable eco-friendly seafood dish.

A few of Chef Don’s seafood dishes:

Wahoo alla Bequia
Oven roasted wahoo filet, haricot vert, corn, red onion, green peppers, tomato, coconut milk, sweet corn cake

Seafood Nage
Grilled calamari, garlic, Kalamata olives, capers, tomatoes, head on prawns, PEI mussels, Manila clams, fish of the day, leeks, vanilla nage

Barramundi
Sautéed barramundi, Meyer lemon risotto, with fennel, field cress salad

Pan Roasted Trout
Pan roasted rainbow trout, haricot vert, onions, capers, tomatoes, parsley, carrots, white wine sauce

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Don’t Clam Up For Clams

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

How many times have you actually yearned for a bowl of clams? Probably not too many. Clams seem to play dress up with the garnish in a market’s seafood case, appearing as nothing more than an ornamental. Who actually buys those things? Unfortunately these hard shelled delicacies are not on the shopping list of too many diners here in the US. Is it because of the shells? Is it their seemingly complex nature? Nevertheless, Seafood for the Future has decided it is time to start selling the clam.

Before digging into the clam, we wanted to get into the minds of the shopper to see why a lifetime supply of clams might not be on their wish list. After asking 30 people what they consider when buying seafood, 27 of the 30 answered freshness (let’s just assume they didn’t know sustainability was an option). This is an understandable response considering it can be very deceiving buying seafood in the market, especially given all the trickery associated with storage, labeling, and the use of preservatives. It is, however, universally accepted that live seafood is always freshest. So here is a fact that could perk the palettes of even the most-cynical shopper: Clams are always sold alive, in essence making them the freshest seafood in the market.

How about sustainability? It is important to note that most of the clams sold in the market are farmed, and all of them are sustainable (so think twice about saying farmed seafood is bad). Farmed hard shell clams do not need to be fed; clams grow organically by filtering plants and micro-organisms from the water, essentially cleaning the water in the process. Clams are a heart-healthy choice, as they are low in fat and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. In addition the protein level of clam is much higher than that of red meat with very few calories.

But in the end, a true gourmand would genuinely assert that clams reign supreme because they are delicious and simple to prepare.

There are three steps to be taken into consideration when cooking clams:

1. Rinse the clams and make sure they are devoid of excess dirt.

2. Add whatever delicious ingredients you want right into the pot to make clams in a broth, or just walk straight to the grill and throw them right on there.

3. Get your hands dirty and dig in.

Here are a few simple ideas and tips:

Note-always assume about 1/2 pound of clams per person
Drink suggestions: Riesling, Chardonnay, Beer (Pale Ale)

Grilled clams with BBQ Sauce
After the clams are clean, place them directly on the grill and cook until the shells are open. With a small brush slather the meat with your favorite BBQ or steak sauce and eat right off the grill.

Steamed Clams with Zucchini, Tomato and Chickpeas
In a pot add your steams clams, one can of garbanzo beans, sliced zucchini, a dash of wine, water and some fresh herbs. Cook until the clams are fully opened. Soak up the juices with a large crusty baguette.

Sauteed Clams with Garlic Butter
In a hot pan with olive oil add two cloves of chopped garlic, clams with the shell on and some fresh parsley. Saute until the clams are open. Pour the butter into a bowl over the clams when finished.

Are you hungry yet?

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Frozen Seafood

Saturday, June 12th, 2010


I recently wrote a post for the Goodeater Collaborative. Goodeater.org is a mulit-author blog hosting dialogue and debate on how to truely eat “good food”. My post titled How Fresh Is That Fish You Are Eating explores the truth behind consumer perception of what makes seafood fresh, as wells as offers tips on how to buy the “freshest” seafood. The post has received a bounty of wonderful comments and stories so it would be a shame for this go unnoticed. In the interest of keeping our readers as informed as possible, I figured I would link to one great fresh versus frozen story here.

I recently wrote a post for the
Helen Rennie, who has offered many great comments on the site, runs a wonderful website called Beyond Salmon. The subtitle “everything you ever wanted to know about fish and other musings on all things yummy” does a very accurate job of summing up her website as the stories are both mouthwatering and informative. In one of her posts she freezes and thaws various market bought fish species in order to determine how well they hold up post-freezing. Below is an exercpt from the article (click here to read the entire article):

“There is nothing I hate more than being wrong. That’s why I research things to death to make sure that I am not wrong too often. When it does happen though, it’s a great learning experience, like the one I just got on freezing fin fish.

I kept procrastinating posting my frozen fish findings, but a question that Matthew Amster-Burton, a columnist on Culinate.com has just posted on my How to store fish story has inspired me to finally get off my lazy butt and write up my frozen fish experiments.

I used to be of the conviction that frozen fish was ALWAYS worse than fresh. I know, I know — Whole Foods and many fish cookbooks like to tell you that previously frozen fish can be even fresher than not previously frozen fish because it was frozen at the peak of freshness. Just so that I don’t have to use the “not previously frozen” terminology (that just takes too long to type), I’ll use the word “fresh” to refer to fish that did not undergo the freezing process. The question I’ll try to answer is whether previously frozen fish can taste as good as fresh, not whether it’s as safe to eat.”

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Featured Partner-Sorrento Grille

Friday, June 11th, 2010

When we approach a prospective restaurant, it is always a mystery as to how the chef is going to respond to having a couple strangers in his/her kitchen asking about seafood. Second to the health inspector donning a clipboard, sani-wipes and a snarl, “sustainable seafood guys” might not be the most inviting guests (especially when we wear our wetsuits). Meeting Chef Ryan Adams, however, at Sorrento Grille in Laguna Beach certainly added immediate ease to our dialogue about their seafood policies. Upon introduction, the Chef was wiling to dive into the details regarding his seafood purchasing direction, reflecting a knowledge-level that might even daunt the most seasoned seafood sales representative. Fishing methods, stock assessments, habitat damage, and the basics of sustainability were fluently covered and within minutes we knew we had come across a benchmark restaurant.

Sorrento Grille’s creative new American cuisine is inspired by a farm to fork culinary philosophy. The menu features an offering of small plates, wood grilled flatbreads, a “virtual” shellfish raw bar, seafood specialties, and grilled steaks and chops. Chef Adam’s knowledge about seafood isn’t confined to marine conservation, but also yields the best plate of food possible. When a chef is extremely aware and cognizant about their seafood, that same care and attention is going to go into each and every dish served. His menu is simple and refined at the same time. The use of wood fired cooking (over fruitwoods, oak and grape vine cut) lends a refreshing contrast to the overly worked seafood dished being served at too many restaurants in Southern California.

Chef Adams has provided below a recipe for his Ahi Poke appetizer. While many species of tuna are overfished and are to be avoided, this particular dish sources pole caught yellowfin tuna from the Pacific. The tuna arrives in his restaurant within days. Pacific Yellowfin tuna populations are currently high.

Pole Caught Tuna

Ahi Poke Appetizer

Ingredients:

3 oz. Ahi #1, diced 1/8”
3 ea. Sesame Crackers
1 Tb. Green Onion, sliced 1/8”
8 ea. Cucumber Slices 1/8”
¼ cup Japanese Red Seaweed, rinsed
3 Tb. Poke Sauce, prepared
½ tsp. Chives, finely sliced
1/8 oz. Onion Sprouts

Procedure:

In a medium metal mixing bowl, combine ahi, green onion and 2 Tb. Poke Sauce. Mix to combine evenly with a spoon. Next arrange the cucumber slices in a circle on an appetizer plate. Next, pile the red seaweed in the center of the cucumber slices. Then place a 2 ¼”diameter by 2”tall ring mold atop the seaweed and gently spoon the ahi mixture into it, packing it down lightly. Remove the ring when complete. With remaining poke sauce in a squeeze bottle, drizzle it around the outside of the ahi. Sprinkle the chives around, top ahi with the sesame crackers, and top the crackers with onion sprouts.

Poke Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup Soy Sauce
¼ cup Toasted White Sesame Seed
1 Tb. Black Sesame Seed
2 Tb. Sesame Oil
½ cup Soy Bean Oil
1/8 tsp. Black Pepper, ground fine
1/8 tsp. White Pepper, ground fine
1 Tb. Siracha Sauce
½ Tb. Garlic Mince, fine
½ tsp. Dark Brown Sugar

Preparation:

Combine all of the above ingredients in a metal mixing bowl and mix together until fully incorporated. When complete, transfer to a plastic container, cover, label, and store in walk-in cooler.

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