Want to eat more sustainable seafood? The key is diversification

March 25, 4:45 PMDC Sustainable Food ExaminerWill Sullivan

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Downloadable Iphone App logo  (photo courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium

I was lucky enough last weekend to run into the Food Network's Alton Brown at the Smithsonian Associates' and the National Museum of Natural History's event "A Guide to Picking Wisely From the Sea."

Brown, acting as the event's M.C. gave me one piece of advice in regards to eating responsibly from the sea: Diversification.

"I have the downloadable (Monterey Bay Seafood Watch) App on my Iphone and I just pull it up when I'm at the store," Brown said.

Diversification was a welcome sentiment from an event that presented few if any simple answers on the topic. Simple answers, however, were not among the event's goals. Asking more informed questions was.

Education is an important, if not crucial, facet of diversifying your seafood choices at the market.

Panelists, including Chef Jeff Black of the Black Restaurant Group, Chef Barton Seaver - soon to take the helm of the new Glover Park joint Blue Ridge, and Kinkead's Bob Kinkead, encouraged attendees to venture off the beaten path.

That's where the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program comes in handy for those of us perusing the local fish counter.

From a press release:

A ten-year-old program, "The Seafood Watch pocket guide lists ocean-friendly seafood choices for consumers in a green “Best Choices” column, and non-sustainable choices in a red “Avoid” column.

Those in the “Avoid” column come from sources that are overfished, or are caught or farmed in ways that harm the environment.

There is also a yellow “Good Alternatives” list; these seafood items are an acceptable option, but there is concern with how they’re caught or farmed.

Pocket guides are updated every six months to incorporate the latest available research, which is included in a
downloadable report on the website."

To download the handy pocket guide for our region, go here, and click on Southeast. If you happen to have an Iphone, you're in luck, Monterey Bay Aquarium recently made available a cool app for on-the-go Seafood Watch recommendations.

But let's get back to diversification. It's all well and good to try new things, but just because Barramundi is on the list doesn't mean you know what it is, how it tastes or how to cook it.

For those of you looking to expand your seafood repertoire, here's a quick primer of "Best Choice" seafood options that may be available in the greater D.C. area, descriptions courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Barramundi (U.S. Farmed)

A light, flaky fish with a mild flavor, Barramundi are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have beneficial health effects to humans. The way in which they are farmed in the U.S. (in a closed recirculating system) eliminates the risks of fish escapes and disease transfer, and pollution.

They take well to light sauteing or grilling with simple preparation such as lemon, garlic and herbs.

Mullet, Striped (Wild Caught)

Striped Mullet matures quickly and is relatively short-lived, which helps keep its population healthy despite heavy fishing pressure.

Amenable to a variety of cooking methods such as poaching, steaming, sauteing, frying or grilling, the striped mullet has a firm texture, full flavor, but light meat.

Look for mullet recipes from the deep south as the fish is popular and often served successfully with a variety of southern accoutrement's including grits, hush puppies and fried onions.

Wreckfish (Atlantic Wild Caught)

Wreckfish is a large, long-lived, bass-like species found in many temperate oceans around the world. They have a firm texture, are mildly sweet and take well to cooking methods such as braising, sauteing and adding to fish stew.

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Variety is the spice if life and there are more fish in the sea. Two common cliches that in the case of sustainable seafood options, provide fabulous guidance in pulling together a responsible dinner menu. So, get yourself a guide and get to the market. While even the experts agree that there are no simple answers, the ability to arm yourself with informed questions will certainly benefit you, your family, and our world's oceans.