The Monterey Bay Aquarium has just released a list of seafood both high in omega 3 and sustainable or the super green list. The list has also been compiled with the lowest contaminant levels. The issues around mercury and contaminants in recent years has scared the public away from eating a lot of fish.
However with wise choices fish can make a wonderful part of a healthy diet, its lean, tasty and often rich in omega 3, zinc and other vital nutrients. The scientists state that eating just one serving of salmon a week contains enough omega 3 to decrease the risk of heart disease by 36%.
It is hoped that if consumers make wise choices the ocean will provide great seafood for years to come.
Many of our nations top chefs such as Alton Brown, Rick Bayless and Rick Moonen are onboard with the program and vow only to serve seafood on the green list.
A new report looking at Chiles salmon stocks has concluded that the stocks are being affected by Infectious Salmon Anemia or ISA. Chile is known to be one of the five most productive marine areas in the world with over 2600 miles of coast line.
Salmon is one of Chiles biggest exports growing eight fold in recent years, it specializes in farmed salmon . However the industry has come under fire recently by experts saying that the conditions for the fish are overcrowded and unclean leading to an increase in the cases of Infectious anemia. Also unreal amounts of antibiotics have been used to treat the problem in fact 325 tonnes in 2008.
Chiles reputation has been badly hurt and American stores such as Safeway and Walmart have decided not to purchase fish from Chile as a result.
Alaskan Harvest Seafood only supplies wild line caught salmon, free of disease and antibiotics so you can feel good about your purchase.
The following wonderful recipe comes from lu a lovely heartfelt blog full of delicious recipes: (serves 3 - 4) Ingredients:
1 large piece salmon fillet
salt and pepper to taste
4 sprigs of rosemary
4 lemon slices
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp capers drained
1/2 tsp lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F.
Place salmon on the baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper.
Place rosemary sprigs then lemon slices on top of the salmon.
Bake for 15 mins. Remove and tent with aluminum foil for another 10 mins. Fish will flake easily when done.
To prepare the sauce. Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add garlic, capers, lemon zest and juice. Cook for 2 mins. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove salmon from oven. Discard rosemary and lemon. Gently slide a spatula between the skin and the flesh of the fish to remove the skin.
Cut salmon into individual serving pieces.
Transfer to a plate and spoon butter sauce over the top. Serve.
Researchers from the UK part of the EPIC - Norfolk study with 21,984 participants aged 40-79 years followed for more than 10 years. Have found that higher fish intake was associated with significantly lower risk of diabetes.
Unfortunately folks who consumed one or more portions of shellfish per week had an increased risk of diabetes, so its best to eat these in moderation. Although the researchers state that this result requires further investigation.
In regard to fish the effect was no longer significant when obesity was factored in. Interestingly though when folks are trying to loss weight they loss more with a healthy diet containing fish.
The study reinforces the advice to eat fish regularly as part of a healthy diet.
The following recipe comes from Sankeerthanam a wonderful blog full of delicious Indian recipes
Ingredients
Fish- 2-3 Medium sized whole fish any desired fish
Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - One piece - thinly sliced
Green Chili -2 -thinly sliced
Garlic - 2 large pods(10 small pods) - thinly sliced
Onion - 1/2 medium size - sliced
Tomato - 1 small - sliced
Onion - 1 medium sliced
water - 1/4 cup(for cooking fish)
salt - according to taste
Basmati Rice or Biryani rice - 2 cups
Onion -1 medium - sliced thinly for frying
Raisins and Cashews(Optional)
Water - 4 cups
Ghee(Clarified Butter) - 2 tsp
Vegetable oil - 1 tsp
Preparation method:
Clean the Fish and apply the chili powder, turmeric powder. Coarse grind Green chili, Garlic and Ginger and add to Fish pieces. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tsp oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add onion and tomato and cook until the onion start turns pale. Add enough salt and chili and turmeric powder add the fish start cooking. Keep it covered with onion and tomato to keep the fish moist.
Wash the Basmati rice with water to remove any impurities.
In a thick bottom vessel(must have a properly fitting lid), add the oil and ghee and heat it.
Fry the onion slices over low heat till golden brown, separate from oil and keep it aside.
Fry Cashew and raisins and keep it aside.Add the basmati rice to the oil and fry for 1 minute(just warm up only, so that rice is covered with oil) Add the remaining liquid from fish to the rice
Add the enough warm water so that total liquid in rice is around 3 and 1/2 cups.(Rice cooking time and water requirements varies by variety of rice, add the remaining water if rice dries up)Add salt to taste and some gharam masala or whole spices.
Cook the rice at high heat till the water starts to boil and cover the lid and Cook at low heat till the rice absorbs all the water(This is the tricky as there are chances that rice sticks to the bottom if dries up, or the rice is not cooked properly, make sure the the water used is slightly less than the amount of rice and cook at low heat and check the rice when you see the steam coming out of the rice almost stops). When complete, rice must be soft, but it should not stick to each other
In a 12 inch baking pan add 1/2 of the rice as a layer at bottom and then add the fish pieces and spread half of the pudina and coriander leaves and the fried onions ,cashew and raisins.Spread the remaining rice and spread some Gharam masala on top of the rice and cover with aluminium foil and bake it at 300 degree F for 25 - 30 minutes.
Garnish with remaining Pudina (mint) and Coriander leaves, fried onions, cashew and raisins.
While this dish has quite a lot of steps it will not disappoint you.
Fisherman in Western Alaska feel angry at the State fishing managers claiming that the managers mismanaged struggling salmon stocks on the Yukon river. Thus in turn adversely affecting the rural Alaskan communities.
The people of the Bethel region state that villages could no longer abide by state fishery plans as they were not consulted when these plans were drawn up. The villages along the Yukon river are suffering economic hardship. Opinions were heard from both sides in a meeting Monday evening. The fisherman feel that the lower river rador used to assess the salmon run was inaccurate and muddy water could be a factor, this allowed fish to cross into Canada, in fact more fish did so this year. The US has a treaty for the number of salmon that can pass into Canada.
The state set fishing limits stating it was related to the treaty however it was argued that the treaty wasn’t followed for the last two years.
The state seems to have taken the fishermen’s concerns onboard and next year commits to better methods to assess salmon counts with sonar counters in different locations and even a moving barge along the river bank.
Fishing along the salmon runs is a much needed source of income for rural Alaskans and has been badly hit in recent times in fact fisherman took their smallest paycheck in 38 years. So it is understandable that they want the best possible assessment of salmon numbers.
On October 12th 2009, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a sustainable seafood bill into law. The bill was the brain child of Mr. Bill Monning who worked alongside the famous Monterey Aquarium. The Aquarium is well know for its seafood watch program, in fact as we mentioned on our blog, you can download a printable sustainable seafood guide, and there is even an iPhone application for it!
The law will encourage sustainable fishing practices in the state of California and help fisherman to make a good living while protecting the ocean and help secure the welfare of the waters and the industry for years to come.
Hopefully other states accross the nation will follow California and Alaska’s leading on the great laws and regulations for sustainable seafood.
This is a wonderful recipe inspired by a traditional Columbian plantain soup with the addition of fish, to add lean protein with the vegetables, it makes a complete meal.
Ingredients:
1 big plantain
1/2 red onion
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
fish stock and one cube veg stock
cumin
1 tomato
some frozen Italian beans
tomato paste
1/2 green pepper
2 fillets of any desired fish halibut would work well.
Method:
saute onions, garlic, green pepper, in olive oil, add cumin powder
then add tomato, and stock, about 1 liter and a little tomato paste.
Add uncooked pieces of fish, beans and cubed plantain, and simmer for 20 min.
remove a little of the soup with quite a bit of the plantain and blend, to thicken the soup.
Simmer for another 10 min and garnish with cilantro
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