How To Buy High-Quality, Sustainable Seafood Without Getting Fooled
There is a drawback (or two) to living in the heartland of America, one of which is the difficulty in finding truly fresh seafood. I’m not talking about fish sticks here, I’m always on the hunt for some super-fresh, tender, succulent, deliciously flakey catch of the day.
Sourcing fish caught in the deep waters off the coast of Chile, the frigid Norwegian Sea, or a tropical island involves expensive air freight for fresh fish. Seafood from the Atlantic or the Pacific coasts near the United States is closer, but the logistics are similar if you want high-quality fresh fish.
More often than not, I have to settle for fish that have been frozen. That, however, is no excuse for failing to understand where that fish came from, how it was caught, and how it was cared for after the catch. These are all important considerations when eating fish. You must read the label and do a bit of research. I’ll leave the discussion of food safety for another time, but I will provide this link to the US Food and Drug Administration’s website on Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Fish Safely. HERE. Before we get started, however, this video from Business Insider is well worth watching: 7 of The Most Faked Seafoods In The World. This is a major issue. Almost half of the seafood we consume in America is mislabeled – some intentionally and fraudulently, making your seafood purchase a daunting task. We are, after all, in search of ‘the real thing’. I’ll warn you right now that this is a 30-minute video, so it falls well outside of my daily 3-minute timeframe. Still, I was sufficiently impressed with the quality of the information within the video that I wanted to give you the option.
The research part of buying fish, however, we will discuss. It is easier than you might think, thanks in large part to the excellent work done by the folks at Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Following this link to their home page, you will have an immediate opportunity to search for the fish contained within the package you are holding in your hand.
Enter the name of the fish you wish to research in the box and check any, or all, of the Refine by categories.
Clicking on the SEARCH button will bring up a wealth of information on your fish.
Right up front it advises you which fish to BUY and which to AVOID.
The recommendations are quite specific, and you are given the additional opportunity to explore the species in greater detail – including what fishing method was used to catch your fish.
I’ve included a link to provide you with an all-important understanding of the impact that each specific method of catching fish has on the safety and sustainability of the fish. The explanations are straightforward and include short informational videos.
The photo below is an example of what you will see once you click on the SEARCH button.
Don’t hesitate to ask your fishmonger or salesperson about the origin of your fish. These professionals can be a vast source of information regarding the fish resting on that bed of ice in front of you, including recipes and food preparation tips.
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