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Selecting
fish that support a healthy environment
Aside
from wanting satisfying meals, today’s customers have
little in common with those of ten or twenty years ago. And
even though restaurants with traditional, bare bones (as in
chicken and ribs) American fare are still popular, in fine
dining, they’re becoming more of a niche than the rule.
Looking
at old menus gives some idea of the revolution that’s
been taking place. Boring is out, and innovation is in. Diners
in most metropolitan areas are now more
- knowledgeable
about food and its preparation
- open
to experimentation
- interested
in bold flavors and ethnic cuisines
- conscious
of food sources
The
result is a national appetite for well-prepared, high quality,
interesting, and even politically and ecologically correct
food. And itís not surprising, with food frequently in the
news these days, not to mention the subject of an entire TV
network.
continued...
Take
fish, for example. If you’re serving endangered species
or ecologically unfriendly farmed varieties, you’ll probably
hear about it—in sales, if not in words. Overfishing
and destructive aquaculture techniques are damaging the ocean
environment. Northeast and West Coast diners are particularly
sensitive to these issues because their coastlines and fishing
industries are at stake.
Peter
Hoffman, chef/owner of Savoy Restaurant in New
York City and head of the Chefs Collaborative, gives
his view on the organization’s website: “Chefs need
practical and accurate information on which to base purchasing
decisions, so that we can both satisfy our customers and make
sure we are participating in preserving healthy fish supplies.”
To guide chefs, the Collaborative publishes “Seafood
Solutions: A Chef’s Guide to Ecologically Responsible
Seafood Procurement."
Tyler
Williams, general manager at Farallon in San Francisco,
reports that they’re very involved with and aware of
the issue of sustainable fisheries. He says that purchasing
“sustainably” isn’t a problem for their bottom
line at all, even if it somewhat limits the chef’s creativity.
As
one of the West Coast’s top seafood restaurants, Farallon
leads the way in educating diners and the public at large
by selecting and preparing only fish and shellfish on approved
lists such as those published by the Monterey Fish Market
(San Francisco, CA) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
According
to USA Today “Calif.
Eateries to Pull Chilean Bass”,
many Los Angeles restaurants have pledged to “take a
pass at Chilean sea bass” because of its endangered status.
They’re substituting other varieties such as striped
bass, halibut, or mahi mahi instead. A similar campaign is
expected to spread to the nation’s capital as well as
other major cities in the fall.
Your
purveyor should be able to make recommendations that help
preserve healthy fisheries. If not, online sources can provide
guidance:
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