Reading Without the Blinders On

Recently the Washington Post released an article raising concerns about the health benefits versus the risks that come with eating seafood.  While I liked the article, there were some ideas in there that I thought might be misleading for many readers.  That being said, I want to use this post as sort of a looking glass to review the article and point out some important facts that might have been lost on some readers.

The title of the article, "Eating Fish is wise, but it's good to know where your seafood comes from", is a mission statement of mine and I can not agree more.  I consider the integrity of purveyors and their ability to trace the origin of every product for each seafood purchase I make for the Black Restaurant Group.  Knowing about each product allows us to educate our customers and assist them on making the right seafood choices for their families.  This is a very important part of buying seafood and will become more so as the veil is lifted from the once secretive commercial seafood business.

The health risks that are associated with aquaculture do have merit.  Some farms, especially from the countries that are highlighted in the article, do have issues and questionable practices of high-density stocking, antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxins.  Most of the United States farmed product is imported, and I believe this to be the reason for concern, since these products in question decorate grocery stores and restaurants throughout the country.  Does this mean I should, as a consumer, not buy imported farmed product?  No.  Does this mean that all farmed product comes with a series of health risks?  No.  I want to emphasize that there are imported farm raised products that do not fall under the category of at-risk seafood.  Such farmed products include Skuna Bay Salmon from B.C., Blue Tilapia from South America, Bronzini from Spain, Char from Iceland, and Head-on prawns from Madagascar. These are just a few items.  They do not make up the majority of imported products, but I wanted to make sure that readers understood that they were out there, available as choices that were not under the suspicious umbrella of at-risk farmed seafood.  It is very important to know where your seafood comes from and trust the people that sell it.

I also want to point out that the article did not do justice in highlighting the growth of our domestic aquaculture industry.  There are many sustainably minded farms cropping up all over, and many of them are very close to the district.  Pompano, Cobia, and Black Bass are being raised in Virginia.  Barramundi are being raised in Massachusetts.  Bronzini and Dorade are being raised in New York.  Shrimp are being raised in Maryland.  Oysters are being farmed with great success throughout the Bay area.  For all the doom and gloom, there are some really terrific and healthy seafood options being grown all around us.  The plus is that all of these farms I mentioned are producing seafood not only with a bottom line in mind; the environment's well-being is just as important during the process as is producing quality product.

Farming seafood is not an at-risk operation, it can't afford to be.  With a growing human population and growing appetite, wild stocks will not be able to keep up.  Aquaculture is a solution to this problem, when done in a responsible manner.  Any doctor will tell you that the nutrition benefits you receive when eating responsibly farmed fish far outweigh benefits from eating any of the other farmed proteins like beef, pork, or chicken.  There are some countries and some farms not doing the right thing and producing product that is inferior, but that is not necessarily the rule.  There is much to be hopeful for because with the facts in hand, consumers have many healthy choices available to them in today's seafood market.  Eating fish and seafood is definitely wise.  Knowing where it comes from and trusting the people who sell it is even wiser.  Farmed does not equal inferior, just as wild does not necessarily equal superior.  Identifying your seafood, as well as understanding your options, is the best recipe for healthy and educated dining.

What's Your Favorite?

Working in the industry for over 10 years with thousands of different seafood items and hundreds of thousands of different customers, I have been approached with a simple question numerous times over that has not always been easy to answer; What's your favorite seafood?  I love seafood.  It is a passion of mine.  From protecting it to enjoying it on a plate, I have to say in general that my last meal would definitely be seafood focused.  When I get this question though, my first reaction is always; 'well it depends on what's fresh, what's in season.'  I say this because I really do enjoy it all.  If pressed though, and it happens in most cases, my answer would have to be fresh, never frozen, red king crab legs.

Most people never get to enjoy red king crab legs fresh out of Alaska.  The majority of crab gets frozen right away and packed, then shipped all over the world.  The season is very short, being based on quotas, and usually ends abruptly after only a few weeks.  The work is treacherous.  This can easily be discerned by the title of the show The Deadliest Catch, which depicts brave fishermen braving devastating waves and frigid temperatures in order to eek out a living providing alot of crab in a short period of time.

My first taste came in 2008 when the wholesaler I was working for brought in a 50lb case of the fresh never frozen crabs for a high-end customer.  In reality only the higher-end restaurants can afford these rare legs, at the time we were reselling to restaurants for over $30/lb.  It was close to Thanksgiving at the time and I took it upon myself to snag a couple of legs, you know for all the hard holiday work I was doing.  I knew they were rare and I knew that I might not ever get another chance to enjoy them.  What I experienced was seafood heaven.  I am sure most of us have enjoyed a previously frozen crab leg, and for the most part, they are great.  It just does not compare when and if you get to taste one of the few never frozen king crab legs.  The flavor was succulent, ocean sweet.  The richness of butter and salt turned over in my mouth, the meaty texture giving way to an umami unequaled and unrivaled, even when compared to the endangered blue fin tuna toro.  I ended up purchasing 3lbs of the legs, that was all I could afford or I would have gladly taken more.  I have not been able to get my hands on fresh king crab legs since, until now.

With the season coming to a close, I am happy to say that BlackSalt Market has a limited quantity of Fresh Red King Crab Legs flying in tonight straight from Dutch Harbor, Alaska.  It's been four years since I have been able to experience the mouth changing deliciousness of fresh king crab.  There have been many contenders in that time, but when being honest with myself, nothing has been able to replace that flavor that I have been dreaming of ever since.  It's a rare treat.  I know and understand that the price tag is very high.  I also realize that these men who fish for the crab risk their lives to sustainably harvest them and that getting them here fresh is more complicated than one might expect.  I do not expect them to be for everyone, the price is just too high.  But I do know that everyone who tastes them will have a lingering nostalgia that just won't go away, a delightful itch that might never be scratched again.  And possibly a regret that they didn't get more of it.

Nantucket Bay Scallops

Here's a reminder for all you seafood heads out there clamoring for great product with short windows of availability, Nantucket Bay Scallop season has begun!!!  Nantucket Bay scallops are thought to be the tastiest, sweetest scallops there are and now they are available at BlackSalt Market.  The season begins November 1st and lasts until March 31st or until the temperature drops below freezing.  Usually the latter halts production sometime in December or even earlier.  

To say that quantities are limited and demand is high is an understatement.  Nantucket's are usually one of the most expensive items to be found in the market, especially if they are fresh.  Don't be too discouraged though, they are rich in flavor and usually you do not need a ton to get your fill; a little under a pound usually does the trick for entrees and a quarter of a pound for apps.  Beware though, when you get a taste of these candies you could very easily become addicted.  In my years of running a market and selling seafood I have seen fist fights break out over Nantucket Bays more than once, usually ending with the victor savoring their spoils and flaunting their trophy with a newly forming shiner.  You have to taste them to understand.

Our Nantucket Bay scallops at BlackSalt are coming directly from Mr. Steve Bender, a seasoned fisherman on Nantucket who has been producing scallops and oysters longer than some seafood companies have been in existence.  He harvests, shucks, and ships, ensuring that BlackSalt has the freshest scallops in D.C.  When you are paying a premium for a hot product, isn't it better to get the best? We think so.  Most people like to saute the scallops lightly in butter and salt for no more than 30 seconds, though I highly recommend eating them raw.  Enjoying them 'in the nude' allows you to savor their natural sweetness, a delicate flavor than only nature can produce.  We will have the 'nannys' available every week, as long as temperatures hold out.  My recommendation is enjoying them while they last, you never know which delivery will be the last of the season.

The Exception(al) Farmed Shrimp

I know, I know, we have gone over this before.  Beware of farmed shrimp.  Avoid the chemicals and cesspools that come with farmed shrimp and just buy wild shrimp.  I have written about this topic and sent high praise to BlackSalt's wild shrimp selection, while expounding vehemently on the disgusting conditions and product that most shrimp farming nations stock American grocery store shelves with.  But, and there is always a but, in the seafood industry there are always exceptions to the rule.  Not all wild fish populations are in trouble.  Not all fish farms are bad.  Cod in Iceland is in different standing than cod in Canada.  And, yes, not all shrimp are farmed equal.  If only buying seafood was as simple as a stoplight; red is stop, yellow is slow down, and green is go.  Unfortunately it is not.  I am here to help, though, and offer some light on a farmed shrimp that you can get behind and feel comfortable enjoying.  Meet the Madagascar prawn.

Now available at Blacks Bar and Kitchen and BlackSalt Fish Market is the farm raised Madagascar prawn.  It is big, tasty, and quite possibly one of the best eating shrimp available.  The prawns are grown in a sustainable manner in an area spread out over 700 hectares.  The Unima group, which produces the prawn (also known as gambas), are in collaboration with the WWF ensuring that the neighboring mangroves and habitat are preserved and that the shrimp farming operations work in harmony with the surrounding environment.  The shrimp are stocked 5 to 10 shrimp per square meter, which is a very low density comparatively, and are never fed meal that has medicinal or genetically modified additives.  Most of the shrimp's diet is provided by the natural environment, thus the shrimp are slower growing, developing naturally.  This difference is exalted in their exquisite flavor and superb texture.

Due to their uniform quality, superior flavor, and delightful texture,  Madagascar gambas have received France's Label Rouge, the only shrimp farm to do so.  The 'stress free' farming creates a natural tasting shrimp.  Unima's strict specifications are observed throughout the entire process, from broodstock, hatchery, to growth, harvest, and eventually shipping, the production is controlled with attention to detail and commitment to quality.  I mostly advocate buying only wild shrimp.  Madagascar prawns are the exception.  Their exceptional taste and quality is the exception to the rule and the reason why we are excited to get them in our kitchens and on your plate.  

The Face Only a Chef Could Love

Pucker Up!

Here's a brief introduction to a annual fall character that shows up in markets decked out in it's very own Halloween face, a mask that would make most gory costume designers very jealous.  Meet the beautifully ugly tautog, otherwise known as blackfish.  Tautog is what the Native Americans of Narraganset deemed to call this tasty fish and I can only imagine that the translation into English has something to do with disfigurement and deliciousness.

Tautog are found from Nova Scotia to South Carolina, but most of the commercial production that we see is from Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  Tautogs are cousins to the Hog Snapper, and join them as founding members of the ugly club, otherwise known as the wrasse family.  They tend to have protruding lips that when gaped reveal jagged, overgrown, monstrous teeth, giving the fish a Hitchcock-ian death grin.  The skin is black (it is also known commonly as blackfish) and they usually average around 2 to 4 pounds.  Though some 20 pounders have been caught, the 'tog' is slow growing, usually maturing around 3 to 4 years with the oldest recorded fish being around 35 years of age.  They do not really migrate and usually are found in inter-coastal waters less than 60 feet deep.  Tautog usually feed during the daylight hours and take cover at night, usually wedging themselves between rocks where they will lie as quiet as a mummy until morning.

Happy Halloween!

Other names for tautog include blackfish, white chin, and poor man's lobster.  This last moniker is given due to the sweet tasting flesh of the fish.  Tautogs feed mostly on mussels, it is their food of choice.  Really who can blame them, I love the bi-valves for their sweet flavor.  It is this distinctive sweet flavor that in turn gives tautog it's great tasting meat.  The texture of tautog is firm, dense, and has a great meatiness to it.


Tautog might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you are shopping for dinner, but it should start to enter your weekly rotation of proteins.  It is simple to cook, usually pan saute works best, and it is really great in stews and chowders during the cold weather months.  Don't be turned off by the gruesome looks, tautog is as tasty as it is ugly.  Picking up tautog at the market could be as exciting as picking out your Halloween costume; both look like Wes Craven designs, while one looks great on you,  the other looks great on your dinner plate.

Curing Salmon Quandaries

Any good, native New Yorker will be able to tell you the difference between lox, gravlax, nova, and smoked salmon.  But for those of us outside the big city, determining which is which can be a little confusing.  Most of the time we just get frustrated and use one term to embody them all.  While this is an easy way out, it just isn't correct, and can lead you to purchasing something saltier than what you had in mind, or a product milder than what you crave.  If you are like some people I know, the inability to decipher the difference between the varieties by nomenclature on menus can lead to skipping the dish altogether.  That is the true tragedy, because there really is no breakfast food that can compare to some excellently cured salmon placed on a toasted bagel with rich, homemade cream cheese.  I discovered this treat during my stay in N.Y. City and even mentioning it now conjures up memories my saliva glands are sulking over.  To avoid this dire fate, lets define and differentiate between what you might come across at the market and restaurant.  Keep these terms in mind while shopping and dining and you are sure to get exactly what you were craving.

Cured Salmon from BlackSalt Fish Market

The term lox derives from the German and Scandinavian term for salmon, laks.  The process of making lox was popularized during the early 19th century and was used mostly with wild fish, as they were abundant during that time.  Unfortunately, wild salmon are not as price accessible now as they were then, so a farmed substitute is not only acceptable, it is the norm.  The lox technique involves curing the salmon in a heavy brine mixture.  There is no smoke used at all in the process.  Some people add citrus notes to the salt mixture and the average curing time can vary from 2 to 5 days, depending on how 'cured' you like your fish.  The resulting flavor is usually saltier and stronger than most of the other options.  Most people use lox nowadays as a general term for all cured fish, but real lox are never smoked.
Gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word meaning 'from the grave'.  This is not due to the fact that the dish was only served during a burial, but because once cured the salmon would be buried in the ground near the ocean where the high tide reaches the shore.   Today the salmon is not buried in the ground, I just don't think the FDA would support this, but rather buried in the fridge in a traditional Scandinavian mixture that usually includes dill, sugar, salt, and chopped herbs.  Here's where it gets a little confusing; today most of the commercially sold gravlax gets a light smoke after curing.  Traditionally the light smoke is not used and the salmon is prepared with only the herb/salt mixture.  Either way, gravlax is usually distinguished by the presence of some remaining herbs in the package, though during the typical process the fish is rinsed after curing.

Nova or nova lox gets it name from the wild Nova Scotia salmon that used to inhabit the waters in the Canadian maritimes.  Now farmed salmon is used to make nova lox, but the process is still the same.  When making nova lox a wet brine mixture is used and the fish is usually cured for up to 5 days.  After curing, the fish is rinsed and then cold smoked for 10-15 hours.  The flavor is milder than lox, less salty, and lightly smoky.

Smoked salmon can be either cold or hot smoked.  Usually cold smoked salmon is sliced thin and used as a breakfast food.  This is the product that you will find packaged in most markets labeled smoked salmon.  Hot smoked salmon is much denser and less moist and is usually accompanied with a creamy sauce.  Hot smoked salmon is also the typical product used to make cakes, dips, and salads.  Either way, smoked salmon is never cured.  The resulting flavors are smoky and reminiscent of whatever wood is used, usually cherry, hickory, or oak.

Ok, so there you go, you are now ready to hit the markets and restaurants armed with the knowledge that will ensure that you are purchasing exactly the item you are looking for.  Whether it be Katz's deli or your local fish market, you can have confidence when you ask for lox, nova, gravlax, or smoked salmon that you know what you are going to get.  Also, this information can also make you look like a true connoisseur of the finer things at your next cocktail event.

October; Ghouls, Ghosts, and Fish

It's October now and one of my favorite holidays looms in the near future.  Well, not really a holiday, more like a widely supported day of mischief and good candy.  However you celebrate Halloween, the 31st always seems to deliver some sort of intrigue and electricity that just isn't found during any of the other calendar months.  Personally I love the feeling that's in the air.  Fall is officially here, leaves are changing, and soon the streets will be filled with the laughter of wayward princesses and little ghoulish phantasms racing down the street on sugar highs, an energy only matched by the spooky feeling of the days slowly belonging more to the night.  October is also an important month in the fish industry.  It's the U.S. National Seafood Month!!  That's right, save your candy day for the 31st and spend the first 30 days of October feeding on delicious healthy seafood.  Maybe your penance of nutritious seafood will off-set the imbalance of junk food you will consume in the one day of devilish feasting.  Either way, eating seafood is a habit that could serve your skeleton well every month, not just in October.

Speaking of Jack O' Lanterns, Lantern Bay Scallops are back in production.  The true bay scallops (at least from my perspective ) the Nantucket Bays, will not be in production until November.  Right now though, Peru is producing a deliciously sweet bay scallop that is both sustainable and affordable.  (They are usually half the price of Nantucket Bay Scallops)  Peru has adopted the Japanese lantern style of harvesting bay scallops.  The scallops are suspended off of the ocean floor by lantern style cages and filter feed until they are at harvestable size.  The waters in Samanco Bay are plankton rich, creating bay scallops with a sweetness that is best suited for sushi and ceviche, though no one will think twice if you through them in the frying pan.  There is no damage done to the ocean floor, no anti-foulants used, and no by-catch.  These scallops are totally sustainable and totally kid friendly.  So this October when the majority of your children's delight comes wrapped in chocolate and causes cavities, these bite sized candies can be a beneficial alternative that provide healthy vitamins and protein.  Who says you have to tell them?  Oh, and yes, this is one candy treat that you can have for dinner!