Navigating the Waters of Eating Fish

I used to think fish was difficult. It was difficult to cook, difficult to select, difficult to know what was okay to eat, and most importantly, difficult in terms of price. Take a walk into Whole Foods, a fish market, pretty much anywhere. Fish is EXPENSIVE! I have found some resources, however, that help navigate the ethically murky waters of responsibly selecting fish on a budget.

Many species of fish, having come into vogue at some point in the last 15 years, are drastically over-fished, and for those species that are slow to reproduce, this can be devastating to the populations. However, there are organizations that exist to monitor these levels and let the general public what fish to avoid in order to be sustainable; if you want chilean sea bass, for example, don't, and maybe your kids will be able to know what a chilean sea bass is some day. The Environmental Defense Fund and the Monterey Bay Aquarium both keep excellent lists of which fish species to avoid and which to choose. Monterey Bay Aquarium has even come up with an app for the Iphone called "Seafood Watch," so you can use your smart phone while shopping to compare sale prices with ethics.

Anyway, I would love to introduce you to dinner last night: the Silverbrite salmon, wild caught from the good old US of A, which goes anywhere from 4.99/lb to 5.99/lb (at most) at Trader Joes. This is way less than other salmon, and a pretty darn good deal when it comes to buying fish. Sounds lovely right? Silverbrite salmon also goes by the name...chum salmon. Now, you're probably thinking, "Hungry Grad Student, this is the fish equivalent of eating stale ramen noodles in the name of a cheap meal!" Au contraire, I reply. If you click the link on chum salmon, you will see that chum salmon has the LOWEST oil content of all salmon (i.e. is lowest in fat), and for those of you who don't like fishy tastes, is the most mildly flavored as well. I'm telling you, it's delicious.

More importantly, it is a VERY responsible way to eat Salmon. Salmon is a dangerous choice most of the time. Salmon farming practices are starting to resemble CAFO's (Concentrated Animal Feed Operations), and wild populations of the "best" species, such as sockeye, are drastically overfished. Besides, take a walk into Whole Foods. Do you SEE how much they're wild caught sockeye is going for? We're talking 24-28 dollars PER POUND! That is NOT in my budget!

So go for the chum salmon. I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed. And whenever choosing fish, take a look at one of those seafood watch lists and make sure your choice is an ethical one!

Bake salmon at 350 for 25-30 minutes (flake it with a fork to check if it is done). I recommend marinating in good citrus/soy flavors. My default is to try a low sodium option from super 88. It's delicious!