Appetite For Sustainability - by The Fashion Crew

Seafood is always a great choice when deciding on a protein for that extra special dinner party or simply a casual lunch or family get-together. With the hundreds of different species of fish and endless options of ways of preparing your ocean treat, choosing the best combination can be tough. Next time you are searching through your cookbooks consider focusing your search on a sustainable recipe.

When picking out a sustainable seafood recipe you must first consider the type of fish you are cooking. Don’t worry, the people at Monterey Bay Aquarium have developed a website that helps people choose the right fish. They put fish into three categories which are titled “Best Choices”, “Good Alternatives”, and “Avoid”. You want to make sure the fish fits into the category titled “Good Choice” that are fish that are abundant and caught or farmed in friendly ways. A great resource on their website is a program that allows users to type in the species of seafood they purchased and the site rates how sustainable the fish is. This can come in handy at the fish counter especially since it is available as an application for an IPhone users or any web enabled device. Their website can be found at www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx

In order to give you a head start, we have found a great seafood recipe on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s website that is not only delicious but also sustainable!
Halibut Veracruzana

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

•1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless halibut, cut into 4 portions

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 to 3 jalapeños, stemmed and sliced into 1/4-inch disks

• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

• 1 tomato, cored and seeded, cut into strips

• 1/2 cup Spanish green olives (picholines), sliced

• 1/2 bunch fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 3/4 cup fish stock or clam juice

Directions:
Heat one very large or two medium sauté pans over medium high heat for a minute then add olive oil. When hot, add fish filets seasoned with salt and pepper and turn the heat to very high. Sear the filets until golden brown and flip to sear on the other side. Remove filets from pan and place on a rack over a plate to catch juices.

Return the pan (or pans) to the heat, add onions and cook over high heat, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño slices, lime wedges, tomatoes, oregano, and olives and sauté briskly for 1 minute more.

Add white wine and reduce liquid by half.

Add fish stock and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and return fish filets along with the juices to pan. Finish cooking, covered, about 1 to 3 minutes depending upon the thickness of filets.

Taste broth and adjust seasoning, then serve immediately in soup plates with a generous puddle of broth and garnish of vegetables.