Sustainable Seafood Recipes - by Oceana/Jon Frank

With all the choices the super market has to offer it’s often difficult to tell which is the best option.  Global fisheries are on the verge of collapse and according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) three quarters of the world’s fisheries are overexploited, fully exploited, significantly depleted or recovering from over exploration.  It is up to us to start sustainable buying habits to preserve our oceans before its resources are gone forever.  But don’t fret, Oceana is here to help teach you more about making sustainable seafood choices and even share with you some of our favorite recipes.

The best way to make sure you are buying and eating sustainable seafood is by carrying a sustainable seafood card.  They will tell you which fish are relatively abundant and ok to eat compared to fish in overfished areas and that contain high levels of mercury and antibiotics posing a health risk to you and your family (especially children and pregnant women).  You can find the national card at http://na.oceana.org/sites/default/files/MBA_SeafoodWatch_NationalGuide_0.pdf or download the iphone app.  A few simple things to remember is that wild caught fish are always a good alternative along with many US farmed fish.  It’s best to avoid Asian farmed fish because they contain high levels of antibiotics and mercury as well as large fish like swordfish, mahi mahi, and large tuna.  Asian farmed fish often comes pre frozen and packaged so buy fresh fish and shop at markets where food is locally grown.

Here are some of our favorite sustainable seafood recipes.  You can also see more at http://na.oceana.org/en/living-blue/recipes.

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Barbecued Wild Salmon with Sweet Corn, Roasted Peppers and Backyard Basil

By Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff of Equinox

Serves 4
Ingredients

6 Alaskan salmon filets*, cut to 6-7 oz.

2 cups sweet corn sauce

1 cup Equinox barbecue sauce

2 cups fresh corn kernels, sautéed

1 cup roasted red peppers, cut into 1/3-inch strips

½ cup fresh basil cut into long thin strips

salt and pepper to taste
Sweet corn sauce:

4 cups fresh sweet corn kernels, or frozen corn

3 cups heavy cream

1 cups vegetable broth

1 cup shallots

To Cook

Season salmon filets with salt and pepper.  Heat grill to high temperature; grill salmon filets until medium, keep warm.  Heat corn sauce, keep warm.  Combine sautéed corn, peppers, basil and seasoning.  Preheat broiler.  Brush salmon filets with barbecue sauce and bake under broiler to glaze.

Corn Sauce

Combine all the ingredients and cook over flame for 20 minutes until thick.  Purée sauce in blender.

Presentation

Heat six large plates, spoon two ounces of corn sauce onto each plate, heap corn and pepper in center of corn sauce, top with barbecued salmon.  Drizzle additional barbecue sauce around plate if desired, serve immediately.

*With good management and fairly healthy habitat, wild Alaskan salmon remain abundant.

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DIVER SCALLOP DYNAMITE
With citrus beurre blanc

By Germain Haro of Avenue Grill

Ingredients

3 each diver scallops (wild caught)
2 ½ tablespoon Dungeness crab (trap caught)
½ teaspoon sturgeon roe (farmed)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
To taste salt and pepper
½ cup heavy cream
3.5 oz unsalted butter
¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Two each green onions (scallions)

Diver Scallops and Crab Mixture

Place your pan on the stove on high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bring the olive oil to just before smoking temperature. Add diver scallops to the pan and lightly brown on both sides for 3-4 minutes each until they show an even caramel color on both sides – the scallops should be halfway cooked.  Set aside.

In a bowl, mix the crab, mayonnaise, paprika and nutmeg.  Place the crab mixture on top of the diver scallops.  Place in the salamander until brown or, if you do not have a salamander, turn your oven to broil at 450 degrees.  Place the diver scallops in the oven (top shelf) for 2-3 minutes or until the crab mixture lightly browns.

Beure Blanc

Dice the butter and let sit until it has softened.  In a deep or sauté pan add the heavy cream and orange juice and reduce by half.  Once it has reduced, remove the pan from heat and slowly whisk in the butter by quarters until the sauce has thickened.  Add a pinch salt and pepper.  If you need to add more heat to the sauce to melt the rest of the butter, be careful because the sauce can separate.

Plating

Place the sauce on the bottom of a bowl, than add the scallops to the center of the bowl.  Place the sturgeon roe on top of each scallop and crab mixture.

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Bocadillo de Calamares Fritos con Alioli

(Squid sandwich with garlic mayonnaise)

By José Andrés
Serves 4

1 pound fresh small squid, bodies and tentacles separated

2 cups all-purpose flour
Sea salt to taste
4 tablespoons aioli
4 6-inch long sandwich rolls
Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Slice open the rolls, being careful not to cut all the way through.  Lay them open on a baking sheet and lightly toast.

With a sharp knife, cut the squid bodies into 1-inch rings.

Heat 4 cups of olive oil in a deep pot over medium heat until it reaches 325ºF on a candy thermometer. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and season with salt.  Add the squid rings and tentacles and coat with the flour.  Drop the floured squid into a mesh strainer or colander and shake gently to knock off any excess flour.  Working in batches, fry the squid in the hot oil until golden, about 45 seconds.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon and drain.  Allow the oil to return to 325ºF between each batch.

Spread ½ tablespoon of aioli on each side of the toasted rolls.  Fill each roll with fried squid and serve immediately.

José’s tips:  By toasting the rolls to a nice brown color, you’ll give these sandwiches even more crunch.

Aioli

Makes about 1 cup

4 garlic cloves, peeled
Pinch sea salt
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from about 1/4 lemon)
1½ cups Spanish extra-virgin olive oil

Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and salt together until you have a smooth paste.  Turn the mortar while you mash, scrapping down the garlic from the sides with the pestle.  Add the lemon juice, then add the olive oil, drop by drop, as you continue to crush the paste with the pestle.  Keep turning the pestle with a slow, continuous circular motion around the mortar as you drip the oil in slowly and steadily, making sure the paste absorbs the olive oil.  Keep adding the oil until the sauce has the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise.  If your aioli becomes too dense, add ½ teaspoon of water to thin it out.  This process takes time -around 20 minutes of slow, circular motions around the mortar-to create a dense, rich sauce.

José’s tips: If you’re short of time, use a hand-held electric mixer, adding the oil little by little as you blend at high speed.  Be sure to use the freshest garlic available.