Sustainable Seafood Expert Asks Fellow Americans to Eat Farmed Shellfish
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Sustainable Seafood Expert Asks Fellow Americans to Eat Farmed Shellfish
Reposted from original article by:
Hanna Raskin, Seattle Weekly, Thursday, June 30, 2011
Author Barton Seaver, who's been on a coast-to-coast tour to promote his latest book on sustainable seafood (For Cod And Country, Sterling Epicure), believes every Fourth of July celebration should feature domestic farm-raised shellfish.
"It's our patriotic duty to eat farm-raised mussels, clams and oysters," says Seaver, citing the economic, environmental, and health benefits of shellfish. "A dozen oysters, a six-pack of beer, and a bottle of Tabasco is the most patriotic thing I can think of," he adds.
Seaver's prescription is the only sustainable seafood shorthand the D.C.-based chef feels comfortable endorsing. He rejects attempts to reduce the sustainable-seafood message to "eat lower on the food chain" or "eat local" as overly simplistic. "You and I could rent a canoe and harpoon a blue whale," Seaver says. "Just because it's local, that doesn't mean it's a good idea."
To help consumers sort through complex seafood choices, Seaver recently helped launch the "Seafood Decision Guide," released by National Geographic. Not intended to displace the Monterey Bay Aquarium's popular Seafood Watch guide, but designed to aggregate information about various underwater species' toxicity and health benefits, as well as sustainability.
"[This new guide] acknowledges we choose our seafood based on myriad issues," Seaver says. "There is no reducible theory of sustainability," Seaver says. "There is no silver bullet. The only black and white is farm-raised mussels, clams, and oysters.”
And for those who appreciate a more 'hands-on' guide, Seaver has just released a beautiful new cookbook, For Cod And Country, an essential cook’s resource for sustainable seafood. Brimming with great advice on how to shop for seafood, wine pairings, recipes and basic preparation and cooking techniques. The book also offers an invaluable list of sustainable fish substitutes, for example “Barramundi, is a great alternative for the not-always-available and usually-not-sustainable snapper because it has the same thin skin, which crisps nicely in the pan, and a similar meaty, firm texture and mild sweetness.”
