seafood labels

The other night we continued our quest for less meat in our diet. Fish is exempt, for now. And I had a hankering for nitsuke fish, memories of mom’s cooking.

So the problem was where to find the “right” fish. Preferably full body, with head, tail and innards intact. But after trolling (no pun intended) through my favorite pre-veg shops, I was unable to find anything fresh enough, and affordable. No one seemed to carry whole fish. What was there looked old, defrosted, or woefully unappetizing.

Nijiya, the Japanese grocer in Japantown, was my safe house and default source for fish. I trust the freshness of their fish but though I like how they label their origins, it often falls short of my evolving expectations. Too many farmed species, too many “wrong” sources, and never any info on how the fish were caught.

Despite those anxieties, I picked up a flat of rockfish filets. Rockfish, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, is not a bad choice. And tho I hold my breath about how the rockfish were caught, at least the species label is accurate. Seafood Watch warns that whenever you see “pacific snapper”, you are probably picking up the relatively less familiar rockfish. So why is it so labeled in every one of the major grocers in California?? Safeway, you know I’m talking about you. Do I hear a cash register? There are NO snappers on the US West Coast.

So how were the rockfish caught? I dunno. Seafood Watch notes that trawl-caught methods for virtually all species should be avoided. Hook and line, and “jig” caught rockfish from California, Washington and Oregon are acceptable. But very few grocers, at least those I can afford, label catch methods. I vaguely recall Bi-rite having source and catch method labels, I think. I remember their staff being knowledgeable and didn’t flinch at the question. Everywhere else? No labels? Assume the worst.

OK. Even with labels, can they be trusted? Think again. Oceana, an international organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans recently published a fascinating and worrisome report, Bait and Switch: How Seafood Fraud Hurts Our Oceans, Our Wallets and Our Health, on the fraudulent labeling of every imaginable seafood product.

Short plug for Oceana.

They are “the largest international organization working solely to protect the world’s oceans. Oceana wins policy victories for the oceans using science-based campaigns. Since 2001, we have protected over 1.2 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and other sea creatures. More than 500,000 supporters have already joined Oceana. Global in scope, Oceana has offices in North, South and Central America and Europe.”

The report’s “name that fish” test is especially humbling, particularly for someone who prides himself on his fish-sense. From fresh filets and frozen (raw and processed) products, to restaurant menus, buyer beware. Your favorite grocer and restaurant are just as likely to be victims than perpetrators. And why? There’s that cash register ringing again.

If its not labeled correctly what does it matter whether salmon is farmed or wild-caught? Oceana refers to a Consumer Reports study that found that 56% of “wild-caught” salmon is actually farmed. Other studies have found that 77% - 90% of red snapper on the market are not the so-named species from the Gulf of Mexico, but instead another kind of snapper, a rockfish or something else! Other switches include swordfish substituted with mako shark, albacore/white tuna with tilapia or escolar, mahimahi with yellowtail, and grouper with any number of lower value species of catfish/tilapia/hake/pollack. Processed food is really scarier. Do you have any idea what fish is actually in that frozen breaded filet? Or what kind of clams or tuna are in the can?

Download the report, read it. It’s fairly short, to the point, and graphically engaging.

What to do when I’m hungry and jonesing for nitsuke?  Ach, I don't yet have a convincing explanation for my food choices, only this extended musing over the dilemma. The path to better health and a healthier planet is not getting any easier. 

Nitsuke, as my mom did it, simmers fish in a sweet soy broth. Adding daikon rounds and burdock segments took it to a level beyond her standard and much beloved fare. (Sorry mom.) Dinner was terrific. Still a ways to go before it becomes truly fabulous.