Chef Rocky Barnette reports from various exciting locations as he begins his seafood-savvy tour. First, he's stopped in New York.

September 4, 2008

    My first day in the city, I was fortunate enough to have lunch at restaurant WD-50, which is definitely a hot spot and a culinary destination for foodies and chefs alike.  The lunch menu had great variety of appetizers, main courses, and desserts.  I was pleased to see that there were delicious seafood choices available, including cod and scallops.  Finding out where these items were from came as a relief because the cod was from the Pacific, where cod is not overfished, and the scallops were diver-caught, which means they are collected in a way that’s much less damaging to the ecosystem.  They were sensational and I have included menu descriptions and pictures of both.
 
 Cod, smoked mashed potato, pickled mushrooms, red pepper oil

Scallops, hen o’ the wood mushrooms, cranberry, pecan, spice bread consommé

It's important to always ask where your seafood comes from. Though waiters or chefs may not be able to tell you right away, they can and should find out for you. It's good for restaurants to know that their customers are interested in the source of their seafood.

September 8, 2008

I had only been in the city for a few days and found myself on my way back to the country.  This was like no country I had ever seen: I was going to upstate New York.  I went to artist Peter Nadin’s farm in Greene County.  We were not going to see fish on this farm, but rather pigs.  I am currently designing a menu for a “Ceremonial Performance Dinner” in New Orleans on November 1st that opens the KK Projects Art installations and celebrates the New Orleans Art Biennial.  Peter is a premiere artist in the show.  Here is a little more about that:

Roots Menu will feature the highest-quality foods grown in this region, influenced by the offerings of Indian, French, African, and Spanish cuisines interpreted with delectable contemporary sensibility.

The evening is star-studded with celebrated Chef “Rocky” Barnette, former executive sous-chef at critically acclaimed restaurant The Inn at Little Washington. Artist Dawn DeDeaux, the dinner party queen of New Orleans, will be in charge of the setting, creating a magical, mystical evening through art and choreographed performances.

Barnett and DeDeaux have collaborated on a conceptual menu and presentation that deconstructs New Orleans gastronomical/historical traditions towards the creation of an indelible, highly original amalgamation of tastes synchronized with sights and sounds. 

Barnette – partner chef of the consumer advocacy organization Food & Water Watch, which promotes sustainable seafood in restaurants – will incorporate sustainable Gulf Coast fish together with indigenous grains and vegetables.  His culinary team will include the highly regarded New Orleans-based chefs, the que crawl boys, who have delighted guests for two previous KK Projects gala dinners. 

DeDeaux first utilized the dinner arena as art form in 1982 with Feasting with Panthers: The 100th Anniversary of Oscar Wilde's Visit to America, sponsored by the New Orleans Museum of Art.  Here again, she will work with local and international artists to produce a highly original theatrical experience – complete with customized dining utensils, table sculptural form, and choreographed live performances.

The dinner will feature sustainable Gulf Coast seafood and pork from Peter Nadin’s farm.  These pigs really have the life.  They live on a beautiful piece of land and, along with their normal diet, they are able to forage to their hearts’ desire.

I will also be doing a dinner in mid-October for the people attending Peter’s symposium and the first showing of his work since 1991.  We will be featuring one of his pigs and a sustainable fish that has yet to be determined.  I call it “operation porkfish.”

September 10, 2008

    I am back in the city and amazed (and disappointed) at the number of restaurants that don't know the origin of the fish they serve.  Often, they don’t even seem to care where they seafood comes from.  At the Fulton Fish Market, a chef or restaurant can buy any type of seafood, from anywhere in the world, with little thought of any ramifications for the environment or fishing communities.  It’s a big problem, and can seem overwhelming. But really, anyone who eats seafood has the power to help change this. If people start asking where their seafood comes from (and shopping accordingly), restaurants and grocery stores will have to change to meet the demand. This, in turn, will support fishermen whose practices are sustainable and good for human health and the environment, and ultimately can encourage other fishermen to transition to good practices. It’s common sense, really.

    I did have the wonderful opportunity to dine at a traditional English fish & chip shop called “A Salt & Battery.”  They had a sign posted at the register where orders are taken announcing their stand against Atlantic cod and informing diners that they are using haddock.  Hook-and-line caught haddock, in particular, is a good sustainable choice. The fish and chips were lovely and spot-on.

September 11, 2008

    I decided to find out what kind of fish people were buying when they were going to buy it themselves in a grocery store, rather than dining out.  I went to the local Whole Foods, where they “ensure that we only source farmed seafood from the world’s leaders in environmentally responsible aquaculture” and “know that we can trust our farmer partners because, like us, they’re committed to the healthiest, most environmentally friendly farmed seafood.”  I was really hoping this was not just environmental lip service.

  

On this day ALL the shrimp there were from Thailand.
 

There is no sustainable Chilean seabass.

 

Atlantic Salmon as far as the eye can see.
 

Russian Crab.

I am trying not to be overly critical of Whole Foods’ buying and selling practices, because I do realize that they often provide environmentally responsible choices for a variety of foods. Still, with all good things they do, they have the opportunity to be even better, and should be – especially with regards to seafood.

September 13, 2008

    My last day in New York, I met my best friend Rob Ramirez in Chinatown.  It was the day of the Chinese Moon festival and Rob’s wife is from Taiwan, so we decided to celebrate with a barbecue and cook some fish.  We went to Chinatown to find out what kinds of choices they had for whole fish in the market.  In Chinatown the celebration was already underway and I felt like I was swimming through an ocean of people.  We went to a few different stalls and finally decided on the one that was the cleanest and had the freshest-looking selections.  There were so many fish that I could not identify because I had never seen them before and I could not read the placards that were in Chinese.  We finally settled on a seven-pound bluefish and two three-pound Spanish mackerels. These aren’t the best choices out there, but for what was available that day, they were. (There are a number of questions you can ask a seafood provider to help lead you to the best choice available – check out our Smart Seafood Guide.)  I took the fish on a six-block tour of the city and a subway ride to Brooklyn.  There I turned one mackerel into ceviche with red onions, fresh lime juice and zest, poblano peppers, red pepper flakes, oregano from the garden, and salt, sugar, and cumin for seasoning.  The other mackerel was filleted, seared in a pan and coated with lemon juice and black soy sauce molasses.  With the big daddy bluefish I scored the skin and rubbed him down with a chunky peanut and chili oil paste and coarse salt.  We roasted him whole on a bed of Thai Basil from the garden over a charcoal fire.  The fish was a hit and there was nothing left but a mess of bones.  I realized after eating these fish that it was the first time that I had eaten or cooked either one.  People would do well to to lose their inhibitions and get out of whatever salmon/tuna/cod rut they are in and find out more about lesser-known and fish.

You want safe shrimp to eat; restaurant owners want a good product to sell; chefs want delicious ingredients from which to create a winning menu; and domestic shrimpers need our business to survive as an industry. It’s one big circle – and our choices in one area impact others. This circle was made obvious by voices raised in New Orleans at the 2008 Women Chefs and Restaurateurs National Conference.

The attending women were eager to hear from Food & Water Watch, who sent me to get out the word about the health and environmental price of cheap imported shrimp. Chefs and restaurants got tips and important information about how they can improve their shrimp purchasing practices in the panel, "There’s Something About Shrimp."

 "The only way to make sure that we are getting safe seafood and that we continue to have a domestic industry to supply us with it is to shift demand. "

A lot is at stake for shrimp, and audience members got a well-rounded perspective on the issue from our esteemed panel. Panelists included moderator Leigh Belanger from the Chef’s Collaborative, local New Orleans shrimper Ray Brandhurst, chef of Commander's Palace in New Orleans, Tory McPhail, and Brennan Group operations head Haley Bitterman.

Giant shrimp buffets and growing portion sizes are just two reasons why demand for cheap, imported shrimp has grown immensely (learn more in our report Suspicious Shrimp). The safer, sustainable domestic shrimpers have lost and gone out of business. In addition, natural disasters such as hurricanes have wreaked havoc on shrimpers' boats and the industry’s infrastructure.

Ray, an innovative entrepreneur, talked about how the direct-purchasing relationships that he established with local restaurants have kept him afloat. He’s even begun shipping his shrimp directly to restaurants throughout the country via FedEx.

The overarching message from the panel was clear – eat domestic shrimp. The only way to make sure that we are getting safe seafood and that we continue to have a domestic industry to supply us with it is to shift demand. And we all have a part to play in that – whether we’re consumers, shrimpers, or chefs. To find out more about industrially produced shrimp and why you may want to avoid it, check out our Suspicious Shrimp report.

olive oil
parsley
potatoes
a little garlic
lemon juice
pepper

These are some of the ingredients contestants are adding to showcase seafood in scrumptious sounding dishes submitted to our Get Cookin' Sustainable Seafood Recipe Contest.

We've got $250 to give away for the recipe that tickles us and our taste buds the most. All the top entries win a Food & Water Watch Chef's apron and have their recipes published in our Get Cookin' Sustainable Seafood Recipe Booklet.

Who are the lucky judges? In addition to Food & Water Watch staff, locally renowned chef Rocky Barnette will be evaluating the finalists' submissions based on the following criteria:

• Taste
• Uniqueness
• Healthiness
• Simplicity 

Bonus points are given for using sustainable/local ingredients.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the ever-growing number of choices at the grocery store.  As consumers become more aware of how what they choose to eat influences their health, the environment, and their community, supermarket shelves are increasingly crowded with products claiming to be “sustainable” or “organic.”  But when it comes to fish, these labels can be confusing and hard to interpret, since an official set of U.S. standards for quality seafood has not yet been developed.  In an effort to address this problem, Whole Foods Market recently created its own standards to promote cleaner, greener and safer seafood.
 
Food & Water Watch strongly supports this decision to help protect the environment and assist consumers in making responsible choices, but we have some suggestions as to how the Market can improve the standards to make them successful and effective.  First, net pen and flow through aquaculture should be eliminated, as these production techniques are wasteful and environmentally damaging.  A second important revision is to establish a deadline by which producers must meet at least a 1:1 fish in, fish out ratio, which describes the amount of wild fish that a farm uses to make feed relative to the amount of fish it ultimately produces.  Any farm that does not meet this ratio is depleting wild fish populations, which can cause irreversible harm to both the individual species used to make fish food and ecosystems that depend on them.  Third, the standards should favor domestic and local suppliers as well as those farms that use re-circulating aquaculture, all of which benefit the environment and consumers.  Lastly, Whole Foods must set and enforce a timeline by which the standards are to be met.  If the Market allows companies to continue operating below the standards indefinitely, it will effectively be misleading consumers about the seafood Whole Foods carries and providing producers with little incentive to change.
 
To find out more about Food & Water Watch’s recommendations and why these provisions are important, check out the letter we sent to Whole Foods Market’s CEO and regional directors.  Whole Foods is taking an important lead on improving the seafood it offers to consumers every day, and with our recommendations, you may soon be able to buy fish with confidence that you are getting a safe and environmentally responsible product.

- Darcy White
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Angelina Jolie has been receiving a lot of press, be it regarding her relationship with Brad Pitt, her newest children, or, most recently, her post-pregnancy diet. At first glance Angelina seems to have picked the perfect diet to optimize health, taste, and sustainability; it sounds delicious and includes key nutritional buzz words such as “Omega-3”, “organic”, and “fresh”.  But hold off on running to the store to copy her menu.  “Organic” seafood does not exist in the United States, and although standards have been developed in Europe, they are not what U.S. consumers expect from organic foods.

For a food to qualify as organic in the United States, it must be certified as meeting specific standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  With produce, meat, and dairy, the term signifies that the product is not genetically modified, irradiated, and has not been produced with pesticides. The spirit of organic includes production methods that are also environmentally responsible. Seafood, however, is difficult to regulate, as it is impossible to monitor and control the substances that wild fish are exposed to.  In the face of this complexity, USDA has not yet developed standards for certifying any seafood as organic.  You may find fish products boasting organic labels, but these labels are not official and have relatively little meaning.  Official USDA labels may appear soon, as the National Organic Standards Board is discussing criteria for organic seafood, but they are struggling to develop appropriate standards. 

There are organic standards in the European Union.  Is this just a case of the EU being ahead of the game?  Unfortunately, in this case, not at all.  The European organic standards are fairly vague and incomplete, failing to protect either consumer health or the environment.  They don’t prohibit open water aquaculture, neglect to regulate pollution and waste, permit the use of some chemicals and drugs, and allow wild-caught fish to be used in fish feed.  These practices are not clean, green or safe.

If we can’t trust the labels, how are we to decide what seafood to buy?  Ask important questions of your restaurants and markets:

• Where is it from? (Domestic or imported – try to choose domestic).

• Is it caught or farmed locally? (Try to choose local foods over those shipped from far away).

• Is it farmed or wild? (Try to choose wild, unless the farming system is known to be clean, green and safe)

• How is it caught? (Ask if the method has high bycatch or habitat damage).

• How is it farmed? (When available, buy seafood that has been farmed in the U.S. in indoor, recirculating facilities. Tilapia, shrimp, hybrid striped bass and arctic char are examples of fish that are or are soon to be farmed this way).

• Is it associated with any contaminants? (Mercury, PCBs, antibiotics, etc).
  

Another tip is to diversify consumption – eating a variety of fish helps to prevent overfishing of specific species.
                       
So, my advice to Angelina and anyone else concerned about making responsible food choices is as follows: don’t be fooled by marketing hype.  Ask questions and educate yourself about the products before you buy.  By choosing seafood that is clean, green, and safe, you will not only be protecting yourself and your family, you will help ensure the sustainability of our ocean resources for generations to come.

- Darcy White

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It’s almost time to pull out the lawn chairs, open the sparklers, and put on your red, white and blue.  Whether your plans for the Fourth of July are to head to the beach, attend a parade, or simply relax with friends and family, chances are food and drink will be involved.  Here are some suggestions on which products to pick and which to avoid in order to have a safe and healthy holiday.

Let’s start with the meat. According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA, summer is the prime time for foodborne illnesses.  But with proper precaution, you can keep your guests from getting sick. Always make sure to cook meats thoroughly (160° on the inside, even steak – see table below and previous entry) and double-check the expiration date on the package. Paying careful attention to the expiration date is especially important because some processors use carbon monoxide gas to keep meat looking red and fresh even if it is several days past its prime. Another thing to look out for is meat marked with the irradiation symbol . Some stores – like Wegmans – promote irradiation as a solution to prevent contamination. But in truth, irradiation does not miraculously purge the product of any and all harmful elements, transforming that steak or patty to sushi-grade meat. In fact, irradiation destroys many vital nutrients and vitamins, and consuming irradiated food may cause immune system failures, tumors and a host of other problems. In addition, the process of irradiation often creates a nasty texture, smell, and taste.

For those of you who plan to serve up seafood, there are a number of things for you to consider as well. Much of the seafood available in the United States is imported from foreign, industrial aquaculture farms.  Bacteria, viruses and parasites thrive in the unsanitary conditions that often characterize these farms, such that some imported fish have been described as “filthy” by inspectors, with Salmonella and other contaminants not uncommon.  Where chemicals and antibiotics (many of which have been outlawed in the United States) are applied in an attempt to eliminate the disease-causing agents, harmful residues can accumulate in the flesh. To protect yourself and your guests, ask your grocers where the product is from and how it was produced. Generally, the best bet is to opt for domestic, wild fish.  A particularly healthy and sustainable option is U.S. troll-caught Mahi Mahi.  If you are set on having salmon, choose U.S. wild Pacific salmon over Atlantic/farmed salmon.  Domestic halibut, whiting, and tilapia are also good choices.  If shellfish is on your menu, again stick to products from the United States.

Now undoubtedly you will need something to drink. But pass up the bottled water and instead treat your guests to tap water (if you will not be near a tap, fill up a cooler before you leave and take it with you).  Bottled water is not safer than tap water; in fact, tap water is better regulated and tested more frequently.  True, there may be impurities and the mineral content may not be to your liking, but these issues can be easily fixed with a simple filter.  Bottled water creates unnecessary garbage and pollution, plus it is expensive (it costs more per unit volume than gas).  So save your money or spend it instead on that fancy cake you’ve been eying.

So remember, when it comes to food, the bottom line is to cook meats and eggs to appropriate temperatures and choose local, sustainably-produced products.  Not only will you be supporting local producers, you will also be protecting your safety and the environment.  For resources and more information, consult the Eat Well Guide. And check out our water filtration guide to learn how to serve the best water in town, straight from your tap.
Have a good Fourth!