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Source like a Chef – December 2011

Monday, December 5th, 2011

In light of the well-documented, seemingly rampant issue of seafood mislabeling, the team at Seafood for the Future reached out to our partner chefs to help concerned consumers source like a pro. In this monthly series, Seafood for the Future partner chefs will share with you their tips for sourcing seasonal, responsibly harvested seafood.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…for sardine lovers that is! December marks the beginning of Pacific sardine harvesting season and a great opportunity swap those not-so-great tasting Omega-3 pills for these tasty and responsibly harvested fish. Pacific sardines, or “petite bass” (as partner Chef Andrew Gruel of SlapFish likes to call them) are found from Baja California to southeastern Alaska and harvested December-February. This fishery is well-managed by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan and has a high biomass that is not overfished and with no overfishing occurring. Choosing these little guys at your local fish market (may we suggest some of our partners Catalina Offshore or Santa Monica Seafood) helps to diversify seafood consumption and relieve pressure off of some of the more popular stocks (salmon and tuna for example). It’s also a great way to support your local fishermen who are abiding by strict regulations to bring you high quality, fresh fish without the heavy toll on the environment.

Eating Pacific sardines is not only good for the health of our oceans— it’s also good for your health! A new study shows that eating fish once a week can decrease your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease, largely in part due to the Omega-3’s. These little guys are packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and are an excellent source of protein as well as essential nutrients like vitamins B12, E, and D, selenium, phosphorous, and antioxidants that promote healthy heart and brain function and even improve your skin. The question is, how do you choose the best quality sardines? And most importantly, how do you prepare them?

To answer these questions, we paid a visit to our friend and partner, Chef Chad White, executive chef and co-owner of Sea Rocket Bistro in San Diego. Chef Chad White is dedicated to utilizing local, responsibly harvested seafood and works so closely with local fishermen that Sea Rocket Bistro was tapped to host the Meet your Fishermen Mixer & Dinner in November. The event celebrated two days of meetings with fishermen and groups from around the country learning from one another the best ways to promote local seafood. The North Park bistro provides a hip and environmentally conscious dining experience where patrons go to enjoy local, responsibly sourced, and creatively prepared seafood. At the end of the video, you’ll see the school of fish made from recycled packaging that proudly hangs from the ceiling at Sea Rocket Bistro Sea Rocket Bistro applies local, environmental stewardship throughout the restaurant, serving grass-fed California meats, Southern California produce, San Diego craft beers, California wine and even have this awesome school of fish hanging from the ceiling, all made from recycled packaging. Take a look at this video to learn how Chef Chad White chooses his sardines and how you can prepare a simple and nutritious, yet tasty sardine entrée at home.


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Recent Developments

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Hello fellow sustainable seafood advocates!

Seafood for the Future has undergone a great deal of changes in the last few months! Los Angeles Magazine recently named our program the best “Earth Changer” in L.A. for our efforts in helping Southern California businesses become more environmentally sound. We’ve participated in events like the Aquarium’s Urban Ocean Festival and Top Fish Long Beach, have been called upon by one of the largest distributors in America to help them build a sustainable seafood program, and have been fostering relationships between our communities’ fishermen and Southern California end-users to encourage transparency and traceability in our local market.

Our continual goal is to provide you with the most up to date information on seafood recommendations, providing a new level of transparency that highlights our partnership with FishWatch, and continually adding new partners where you can enjoy well-managed seafood or pick up some fresh seafood to use with one of our new recipes.

Now for the news:

Andrew Gruel, former Program Manager of Seafood for the Future, has gone on to open his own sustainable seafood restaurant concept SlapFish. You may have seen his food truck making waves across Southern California and we are very proud to count SlapFish among our partner restaurants where you can chow down guilt- and worry-free. Even with his new responsibilities, Andrew is committed to remaining active within the Seafood for the Future program. Learn more about Andrew’s new venture here: SlapfishSoCal.com

I, Melissa Carrasquillo (just call me Mel), have been bestowed the honor of taking up Andrew Gruel’s post here at Seafood for the Future. You can learn more about my experience advocating for the use of responsibly sourced seafood in our Team Profile section of the website. In short, I’m a lover of factual information, sustainable fishing communities, and delicious, well-managed food, just like you! I am so excited to have this incredible opportunity to converse with all of you who take the time to consider where your seafood comes from and the impact the choices you make have on our world’s oceans.

Andrew Gruel & Dave Anderson have built an incredible foundation for us to build upon here at Seafood for the Future! Here are some of the improvements you can find on the site today:

More seafood species have been added to our recommendations page. In light of recent data, fisheries like the Pacific Common Thresher Shark have rebounded in terms of their biomass (the amount of fish in the fishery) and are now being harvested at sustainable levels.

We’ve also added management details to each of our recommendations, where relevant, to highlight our partnership with FishWatch and the great strides effective fishery management can make in rebounding fisheries and keeping them sustainable! Simply click on the picture of the fish or the species name and you will be redirected to the corresponding FishWatch profile of that fishery.

We’ve added over 20 new partners to the Seafood for the Future program! Check out our newest restaurants like Royal Hawaiian, Scott’s Restaurant, and K’ya Bistro, partner distributors like Santa Monica Seafood, and brand partners like PureFish! In the month of July alone, over 3,400 guests experienced the Aquarium of the Pacific for FREE just by visiting one of our partner restaurants and ordering a sustainable seafood dish!

We’ve updated our recipes to include our newest recommendations! Try Chef David Keller of Kavikas’ dangerously irresistible Thresher Shark Skewers.

We’re also working on a number of new initiatives and will be sure to update the blog often as they progress. Most of all, we know it isn’t easy being green, so send us your questions and we’ll answer them here. My email is MCarrasquillo@lbaop.org (sorry I know it’s terribly long!). I look forward to hearing from you, learning from you, and helping Southern California become more environmentally conscious of their choices with respect to our oceans with your help!

All my best,

Mel

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Four must have kitchen utensils for cooking fish

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

This is not a late night infomercial, we are not selling a device that sautes fish while steaming your carpet. This is your seafood taste tip, so put down the skepticism and pick up a note pad (a notepad isn’t one of the items). Here are four seafood kitchen essentials for under $20.

1. Micro plane

Pairing citrus with seafood is the ultimate match-up. Primarily used for zesting the outside of citrus, the microplane is a must-have tool for the kitchen. Unfortunately the lemon wheel-over-fish adornment is a bit cheap diner-like and often goes unused. Adding the zest of any citrus fruit, however, into or directly over a fish dish, can make a flavor jump from bland to memorable with a few swipes of the microplane.

A further list of the many uses of a Microplane

Kitchen Test:
On 1 piece of bread, drizzle a touch of olive oil and lemon juice and on another, a touch of olive oil and lemon zest from a microplane (the olive oil mimics the richness of the fish). Notice the depth of flavor in the lemon zest garnished piece.

2. Non-Stick Cooking Pan

There are hundreds of options for cookware. The list can get confusing, especially with each pan promising to bring out the Rachel Ray deep inside all of us. The one benefit of a solid non-stick cooking pan that outweighs ALL the rest is the fact that your fish won’t stick–easy, end of story. Some critics of non-stick pans will suggest that you will get a better sear in a more traditional stainless steel pan. However, our test kitchen has noticed that as long as the pan is hot enough (and the oil is barely smoking), the non-stick sear will rein supreme.

3. Coffee Grinder

Pre-ground packaged spices and herbs do not taste anything like their freshly ground counterparts. Since it is important to keep a fish dish as simple as possible, it is vital that the few ingredients used (in most cases spices and herbs) are of perfect quality. Like a bad mussel spoiling a batch, one stale ingredient can ruin a dish. Try grinding peppercorns, fennel seed, coriander seed, or chilis for maximum flavor.

Kitchen Test:
On a slice apple or bread, season one piece with freshly ground pepper and the other with pre-ground pepper. Taste the difference.

4. Hammer

A hammer doesn’t just round out a carpenter’s tool-belt, this trusty mallet plays a vital role in the kitchen as well. One of the essential ingredients to any fish dish is texture and crunch. In most cases this means crushing items with a discernible toast. Items could include croutons, pretzels, potato chips, whole spices (that you want to leave cracked and not finely ground), or ice for oyster dishes. In addition, a hammer can thin out an uneven fish filet, or even a chicken cutlet if you dare venture into terrestrial protein.

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Eat More Fish – Win the Lottery

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Eager to eat your resolutions for 2011- to consume only simple and healthy food? Why not start now with a side of blackjack (minus the card counting)? For thousands of years people have been following the tradition that fish is a lucky New Year’s food. Fish are believed to be symbolic of moving forward and of good fortune in the future. In Denmark they eat boiled fish, in Sweden fish salad, in Poland preserved fish and in Japan they eat Herring for fertility, shrimp for long life and sardine for good harvest.

Don’t quit your job just yet, but if you are a glutton for superstition, head to your local fish market ASAP. Bring in the New Year with a bite of luck that also tastes good and promotes sustainability. Put some of that champagne to better use than a hangover with this simple and lucky New Year’s dish.


Gently Cooked Pacific Cod with a Champagne Cream Sauce
Serves 4
Prep Time 30 minutes

4 each 6-8 oz Pacific cod filet
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

For the cream sauce:
1 cup champagne
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
3 sprigs of thyme
¼ cup water
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Directions:

1. Add the champagne, shallot, garlic and thyme to a pot and reduce over high heat for about 10 minutes (or until 50% reduced).

2. While the champagne is reducing, place the cod on a sheet pan, rub with the oil, salt and pepper and place directly in a 350 F oven for 20 minutes.

3. When the champagne is reduced and the fish is cooking, add the cream and reduce over a low heat for about 5 minutes. To thicken the sauce, mix the cornstarch and water in a separate dish and drizzle into the cream sauce while it is simmering. Whisk and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the chives and set aside.

4. To finish, place the fish in a bowl with any accompaniments and pour the sauce over the fish.

This dish is great served over freshly sliced tomatoes, roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach.

Seafood for the Future note:

Pacific cod is a well-managed species whose population is abundant and not under threat of being overfished. Pacific cod management relies on limited entry, quotas, seasonal and area closures, mandatory observers, reporting requirements and gear restrictions. Pacific cod is very similar to Atlantic cod in taste and texture with a mild taste, soft and delicate texture.

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The Gift of Fish

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Probably the most decadent thing about the holidays is the seemingly endless undercurrent of gluttony. Indulging in luxuries that would seem to be nothing more than temptations any other time of the year is unavoidable. Naturally, after a couple weeks of sugar, beef pan drippings, new electronics and eggnog showers, New Year’s resolutions are a refreshing theme as gym memberships skyrocket and fad diets become front-page news. But what about seafood? Is it possible to indulge and still feel healthy? Is it possible to have your cake and eat it too? FYI, this isn’t a post about crab cakes.

Fortunately, the resounding answer is yes: eating lots of the right types of seafood over the holidays will make you healthier and quite possibly a culinary inspiration for someone looking to escape from the terribly unoriginal world of shrimp cocktails and roasted salmon.

Mmmm, what is this fish?

Ready to be a hero this holiday season? Take it upon yourself to impress your guests with refreshing menu ideas while teaching them about a new species of healthy fish they might have otherwise never tried.

Watch our video on “fish pantry basics” to prepare simple and delicious fish dishes.

Smoked Trout with Rye, Capers and Lime
Prep Time- 20 minutes
Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:

For the trout Mix
1 8 oz. package of smoked trout—flaked or gently chopped
1 Tablespoon capers—roughly chopped
1 Lime zested and juiced
1 Tablespoon Italian flat leaf parsley—roughly chopped
1 Roma Tomato—diced
1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 Pinch Paprika

4 Each pieces of dark rye bread cut into quarters

Making it happen:

1. Place the toast points on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 oven until crispy but not burned, about 12 minutes.

2. Combine all the ingredients for the trout mix in a bowl.

3. Serve with a spoon from the bowl for a group dish or line a dollop on each toast point for a more elegant, passed appetizer.

Seafood for the Future Note: Smoked trout combines the healthfulness of salmon with the mildness of a white fish. This is a very sustainable species farmed in the United States. Smoked trout can be found at any seafood counter.

For more information on trout, check out the United States Trout Farmer’s Association.

Stay tuned for more recipes on lesser known seafood species, eggnog, and candy cane soda.

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