Ellen, I always learn so much from your articles! I eat fish (different types) about three times a week. I hope that's okay. I love your photos as well!
Great info! Thanks for posting. I have been lucky enough to live by the ocean a large chunk of my life and never feel better than when I have access to seafood.
The photo of the first fish is so gorgeous that I can't quite believe it. The glaze: Oh man, going right into my recipe file! Gotta love Ellen Kornmell's Substack. Subscribe!
A thoughtful, informative article. I am confounded by the general public’s fear of fish cookery.
Another facet to selecting fish is the potential that some ‘locally’ sourced fish are flown out of the country for processing and then flown back to market.
Fyi Faroe Island is the only farmed salmon I will purchase. 🐠🐟🐠
Yes!! I hope we can make fish cookery more accessible by writing and dialoguing about how easy it can be to prepare at home. And the processing is a good point...it makes traceability difficult! love those emojis
So interesting to compare with the UK situation. I'm writing a similar piece for the UK and identifying salmon as one to avoid as we have extremely harmful farming practises.
Oh thank you, that's really interesting! I actually found a fisherman on here who gave me a couple of pointers about what to go for. Eye wateringly expensive but it seems like everything is when you bear in mind sustainability/ethics
So true! If anything, these lists prompt us to explore other varieties. I've been using hake and monkfish in stews and grilling bluefish in peak season.
Ahhh, bluefish. Love ‘em. Used to fish for blues and stripers when I lived up north, and those bluefish would practically jump in the boat. They’re really oily, so you need to know how to cook them - while they’re freshest. Small ones are the best.
In Portland, Oregon (and, increasingly in other mostly western and northern states) my partner and I have the great food fortune to purchase fish from Alaska Select Seafood twice yearly. “Our” fisherman (and the owner), Nick, fishes in Bristol Bay, AK, then ices, fillets and individually flash freezes and packages the fish.
The absolute best news is that the last of 4 hydro-electric dams on the Klamath River on the OR/CA border was removed very recently, almost immediately restoring enormous salmon runs. Land was returned to Native communities… long overdue.
Just a P.S. on what can be a costly $/# detractor. At Christmas, we purchased (at our go-to local market) an $80 piece of halibut to roast in nori and accompanied by local mussels in butter sauce. Paul and I have the shrinking appetites commonly experienced in aging. A 2# piece of fish yielded 5 meals each, the last of which was chowder. Cost per serving was $8. The process works equally well with local (and way less expensive) cod.
So agree, Linda. Long overdue attention to wild salmon protections and overfishing is finally relieving stress in the pacific region populations. I find halibut has been wildly expensive here, too. That has motivated me to experiment more with monkfish, hake, and other varieties I can easily use in recipes, particularly fish stews and paellas.
What a great article, thank you for all the info and the recipe ideas. We get local fish weekly through a fish CSA (Get Hooked Seafood, in the LA & Santa Barbara area) and grilling it is our go-to -- no lingering smells in the house, and it's just so tasty. (Although, I've noticed when we do cook it on the stove or oven, it doesn't smell fishy. Must be the freshness.) I'm looking forward to trying some of these herb combinations and "no-recipe glazes." Another tip I can share is that making your own tartar sauce is surprisingly quick/easy, and tastier than store-bought. I like Mark Bitman's recipe.
I completely agree, Julie. Find a good source and you’re set for rapid weeknight meals in your rotation. Funny you mention tartar sauce…I grew up on McDonald’s fish sandwiches my parents allowed on road trips. We make a home version now broiled with our own tartar sauce…note to self to post
Yes, me too! If we have leftovers, for my lunch the next day I put them on a bun with melted American cheese and tartar sauce -- home version of the filet-o-fish, and a bit healthier. ;-)
Hi Lisa, for folks here in the United States, my article outlines specific guidelines for serving size and frequency, especially for pregnant women and children
Ellen, I always learn so much from your articles! I eat fish (different types) about three times a week. I hope that's okay. I love your photos as well!
You are too kind. Three is within guidelines...and it's simply worth knowing a little about where your product comes from.
Great info! Thanks for posting. I have been lucky enough to live by the ocean a large chunk of my life and never feel better than when I have access to seafood.
We are lucky to be coastal, too, and we beeline for seaside restaurants when traveling
Same!
The photo of the first fish is so gorgeous that I can't quite believe it. The glaze: Oh man, going right into my recipe file! Gotta love Ellen Kornmell's Substack. Subscribe!
Keep it up, Mary! You need the good stuff to fuel all that creative output!
A thoughtful, informative article. I am confounded by the general public’s fear of fish cookery.
Another facet to selecting fish is the potential that some ‘locally’ sourced fish are flown out of the country for processing and then flown back to market.
Fyi Faroe Island is the only farmed salmon I will purchase. 🐠🐟🐠
Yes!! I hope we can make fish cookery more accessible by writing and dialoguing about how easy it can be to prepare at home. And the processing is a good point...it makes traceability difficult! love those emojis
So interesting to compare with the UK situation. I'm writing a similar piece for the UK and identifying salmon as one to avoid as we have extremely harmful farming practises.
I googled and found this" https://thefishsite.com/articles/ten-aquaculture-startups-join-bright-tides-inaugural-regenerative-farming-accelerator Perhaps they might help identify better farmed-fish alternatives which can be more consistent than some wild-caught in terms of pollutants
Oh thank you, that's really interesting! I actually found a fisherman on here who gave me a couple of pointers about what to go for. Eye wateringly expensive but it seems like everything is when you bear in mind sustainability/ethics
Wonderful article. As fish lovers, we sometimes forget about the healthy fish rankings. Thanks!
So true! If anything, these lists prompt us to explore other varieties. I've been using hake and monkfish in stews and grilling bluefish in peak season.
Ahhh, bluefish. Love ‘em. Used to fish for blues and stripers when I lived up north, and those bluefish would practically jump in the boat. They’re really oily, so you need to know how to cook them - while they’re freshest. Small ones are the best.
In Portland, Oregon (and, increasingly in other mostly western and northern states) my partner and I have the great food fortune to purchase fish from Alaska Select Seafood twice yearly. “Our” fisherman (and the owner), Nick, fishes in Bristol Bay, AK, then ices, fillets and individually flash freezes and packages the fish.
The absolute best news is that the last of 4 hydro-electric dams on the Klamath River on the OR/CA border was removed very recently, almost immediately restoring enormous salmon runs. Land was returned to Native communities… long overdue.
Just a P.S. on what can be a costly $/# detractor. At Christmas, we purchased (at our go-to local market) an $80 piece of halibut to roast in nori and accompanied by local mussels in butter sauce. Paul and I have the shrinking appetites commonly experienced in aging. A 2# piece of fish yielded 5 meals each, the last of which was chowder. Cost per serving was $8. The process works equally well with local (and way less expensive) cod.
So agree, Linda. Long overdue attention to wild salmon protections and overfishing is finally relieving stress in the pacific region populations. I find halibut has been wildly expensive here, too. That has motivated me to experiment more with monkfish, hake, and other varieties I can easily use in recipes, particularly fish stews and paellas.
What a great article, thank you for all the info and the recipe ideas. We get local fish weekly through a fish CSA (Get Hooked Seafood, in the LA & Santa Barbara area) and grilling it is our go-to -- no lingering smells in the house, and it's just so tasty. (Although, I've noticed when we do cook it on the stove or oven, it doesn't smell fishy. Must be the freshness.) I'm looking forward to trying some of these herb combinations and "no-recipe glazes." Another tip I can share is that making your own tartar sauce is surprisingly quick/easy, and tastier than store-bought. I like Mark Bitman's recipe.
I completely agree, Julie. Find a good source and you’re set for rapid weeknight meals in your rotation. Funny you mention tartar sauce…I grew up on McDonald’s fish sandwiches my parents allowed on road trips. We make a home version now broiled with our own tartar sauce…note to self to post
Yes, me too! If we have leftovers, for my lunch the next day I put them on a bun with melted American cheese and tartar sauce -- home version of the filet-o-fish, and a bit healthier. ;-)
An excellent read, I often tell patients to eat fish 5 times a week and their eyes pop.
7 days
3 meals a day
21 opportunities to choose fish.
Happy new year Ellen
Hi Lisa, for folks here in the United States, my article outlines specific guidelines for serving size and frequency, especially for pregnant women and children