Eat More U.S. Seafood: The Gulf Coast

“In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.”
--Kahlil Gibran

As I previously Ranted, I am disturbed that the U.S. imports 91% of their seafood, up 5% from 2010. It is unbelievable that less than 10% of the seafood we consume is from our own country. We need to give much more support to our local fisheries, to savor and cherish the abundance of seafood that is available from our shores. When I was at International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS), I wanted to highlight at least a few domestic fisheries, to showcase the reasons why consumers should choose U.S. seafood.

In New England, we have some amazing seafood, but there are concerns about depleted fish stocks. Consider the recent drastic cuts to the allowable catches of cod due to severely low stocks. The rest of the country also has fish species which are unavailable in our waters. Though we need to support our New England fisheries, that doesn't mean we can't also support other U.S. fisheries. For example, rather than purchase foreign shrimp, we could purchase shrimp from the Gulf region.

At IBSS, I spent some time talking with representatives of the Gulf Coast Seafood coalition, which includes Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The Gulf of Mexico is a fertile marine region, and yields a greater number of fin fish, shrimp, and shellfish annually than the south and mid-Atlantic, Chesapeake, and New England regions combined. The Gulf produces about 82% of the U.S. total of shrimp and 59% of the total of oysters. Why shouldn't we enjoy this rich bounty?

Much of my time was spent time chatting with Chef Justin Timineri, the executive chef and culinary ambassador of the Florida Dept. of Agriculture, as well as several other Gulf representatives. Chef Timineri is also the resident chef on How To Do Florida, a television series where he primarily discusses and cooks seafood. Chef Timineri was very personable, and obviously passionate about Gulf seafood.

One of Chef Timineri's primary goals is to get people comfortable with eating and cooking seafood. He shows them how to simply prepare seafood at home, to reduce the intimidation factor so that they are more apt to eat seafood. He suggests that they start with easier seafood, such as shrimp and clams, and then work their way up to fin fish. That is good advice for people all over the country and not just in the Gulf. To get more people to enjoy seafood, they need to be led there, to have it made easier for them.

Many people complain about the higher price of seafood, and there is validity that seafood often costs more than other proteins. However, Chef Timineri rightly pointed out that such people ignore the long term price of eating cheap processed food. Though seafood might be more expensive in the short term, its great health benefits more than outweigh the long term price of processed foods. People need to consider the long term rather than the short. In addition, they need to consider portion sizes, and they don't need to buy huge pieces of fish to have a good meal.

The waters of the Gulf of Mexico are rich in nutrients, providing great flavor to the seafood. That means that the seafood can be enjoyed with only simple preparation and Chef Timineri enjoys creating recipes with light preparations. Last year, I asked a number of Gulf fisheries whether the BP oil disaster of 2010 still plagued their waters or not. In general, they all answered in the negative and this year, the answer was the same. The waters are clean and consumer confidence is high. As for any worries of mercury/PCBs, Chef Timineri advised that people diversify what they eat, similar advice to what others have said at IBSS.

With sustainability being so important, the Gulf region has been working on numerous initiatives to indicate the sustainability of their fisheries, such as 3rd party certifications. For example, the Louisiana blue crab fishery became Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified in 2012, the first such blue crab fishery to acquire that certification. The Gulf region has also recently instituted the Gulf Seafood Trace program, a way to track exactly where seafood comes from. This is a way to tell the story of the seafood, a way to help market their seafood as well as show its traceability. Approximately 56 seafood businesses, 25% of the total amount, are currently part of this program.

The seafood in the Gulf is seasonal and it is worthwhile to purchase what is in season, as it will tend to be less expensive then, as well as at its best taste. Chef Timineri wants to emphasize that Gulf seafood is very flavorful and is also some of the most highly tested seafood in the U.S. The top three seafoods in the Gulf are shrimp, oysters and then blue crab. I asked Chef Timineri his favorite Gulf seafood and he said Stone Crab Claws, followed by Pompano. Outside the Gulf, he prefers King/Snow Crab.

The Gulf contains some intriguing creatures and ways to cultivate them.

In Florida, they raise alligators for their meat. Chef Timineri states that alligator is great to cook and versatile as well as high in protein and low in fat. He likes to make gator chili or Italian dishes like piccata, treating gator like veal. He also feels that the ribs are unique and he has even been experimenting with the tongue.

Stone crabs possess a large crusher claw which contains delicious meat. It is sustainable in a more unique way. Fishermen can tear off the claw and then throw the crab back into the water, where the crab will regenerate its claw although it appears the crab can only do this three or four times during its life.

Gulf oysters are often triploids, sterile creatures that put their energy into growth rather than reproduction. They are plump, with good color and have a nice salinity, though they are less briny than oysters in New England. They are grown in cages near the top of the water so there is less waste. In addition, as the cages can be easily moved, the oysters can be tailored to meet specific demands, such as creating a larger cup in the shell.

So why aren't you enjoying more seafood from the Gulf?

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International Boston Seafood Show: Food of Interest

"Scallops are expensive, so they should be treated with some class. But then, I suppose that every creature that gives his life for our table should be treated with class."
--Jeff Smith

One of my anticipated pleasures of attending the International Boston Seafood Show is the opportunity to gorge myself on a smorgasbord of seafood, to partake of new products and old, of shellfish to sushi, fried  shrimp to smoked salmon. Exhibitors desire to entice potential purchasers to their booth so many offer samples of their foods. In addition, these exhibitors hope to ignite some positive press for their products. Most of them have been very open to me, sharing information, and I enjoy highlighting those foods which most enticed my palate.

I taste many different items at the show, enjoying the majority of them, but I only choose to mention a small number, those which especially appealed to me. I want to share with my readers the best of the best, some of the most compelling products at the show. With over 1800 exhibitors, I know I did not sample seafood from each and every booth, so I may have missed some exceptional foods. If you attended the Seafood Show, and have your own favorite samples, feel free to tell me about them in the comments.

There is a ton of salmon available for sampling at the show. Some of my favorites came from Spence & Co., Ltd., which primarily is a purveyor of smoked salmon though they currently sell over 80 products. The company was founded by a Alan Spence, a master smoker from Scotland. They produce smoked salmon in a traditional Scottish method, which gives it a more restrained smoky taste. Some of their more unique items, which I did not taste, include smoked salmon from New Zealand, which uses Manuka wood, and salmon from recipes by famed chef Charlie Trotter, such as the Darjeeling Tea & Ginger Cured Salmon.

Last month, the Japanese government placed unagi, the Japanese eel, on the Environment Ministry's Red List, listing it as Endangered. Catches have been at record lows, declining to about 5% of what were caught in the 1960s. Japan is the primary consumer of these eels, eating about 70% of the production.  percent of all eel produced worldwide. The Red List is more an advisory and does not create any legal regulation, so hopefully the government will take notice and actually do something to protect the unagi. To protect the unagi, it would be beneficial to find other sustainable fish which might closely replicate the taste of unagi.

Triad Fisheries, in Alaska, has created one such option, and I was impressed with the result. Their Alaska Sablefish Unagi Style recently won two Symphony of Seafood awards, including #1 2013 Foodservice & People's Choice Seattle. This product is wild Alaskan sablefish, with an unagi marinade, which is precooked and ready to heat and serve. First, I found this fish to be absolutely delicious. It seemed to share some of the texture of the unagi, which is important, and a bit of the taste. It may not be a perfect replication of unagi, but because it is so tasty, and has a similar texture, I think this would be a very good replacement.

Another Alaskan treat was the Aqua Cuisine Seafood Lit'l Sammies Smoked Salmon Cocktail Franks, which also won a Symphony of Seafood award for #1 2013 Smoked. These are made from 100% wild Alaskan Salmon and are all natural, with no artificial ingredients. They are low in fat, high in protein, and free of nitrite and nitrates. They had a nice texture, just a bit looser than a regular hot dog, and you definitely tasted the salmon and mild smokiness. They would make a great alternative for a cocktail party or tail gate party.

Almost hidden in the rear of the show, amidst a number of Korean booths, I stumbled upon HaeMatt Co., Ltd. which produces Korean Myeong-Ran, a roasted laver. You probably are more familiar with laver by its Japanese name, nori, which is often used to wrap sushi. In Korea, roasted lavery is associated with fertility and is often served at weddings. It may also be eaten as an appetizer or snack. This seasoned laver is made from laver, brown rice, pollock roe seasoning, perilla oil and sesame oil. Some chili pepper powder may have been added as well. I enjoyed the seasoned laver, which I found crunchy with a nice depth of seasoning though I did not find it spicy. I could see though how it might be an addictive snack. And you could always add your own hot spices.

Black Diamond Caviar, produced by Warbucks International Seafood, is produced in Louisiana and they make three different types. In general, the caviar costs about $50 for a 3.75 ounce jar. I believe that the caviar I tasted was from the bowfin, known locally as the choupique. It is a freshwater fish, more ancient than sturgeons, from Louisiana and their roe is naturally black. I liked the taste of this caviar, which had a mild brininess, no fishy aftertaste and has a silky smooth texture. A good, sustainable choice.

I love a good mussel, and the type of broth they are prepared in matters a lot. Canadian Cove produces Prince Edward Island Mussels, which are rope grown and sustainable. The mussels are good for your health too as they are low calorie, a good source of lean protein, and have plenty of Omega-3s, iron and Vitamin B12. The mussels were large and plump, cooked in a Sweet Thai broth, and really satisfied me. Fortunately, they also had slices of bread for dunking into the flavorful broth.

The British Columbia Pavilion offered samples of a number of different types of sustainable seafood. In British Colombia, they produce over 100 species of seafood, exporting about 80% and the U.S. receives about 57% of those exports. Salmon accounts for about 40% of all B.C. production. British Colombia is big on food safety, traceability and sustainability.

At the show, their chef was Nathan Fong, a food stylist, journalist, and TV personality, who was born in Vancouver. Next to Nathan, you may recognize Jacqueline Church, the Leather District Gourmet, who assisted Nathan at the show. Nathan spent lots of time preparing various dishes, showcasing the delicious seafood of British Columbia. I stopped by their booth several times to see what the next recipe might be. A luscious sablefish, caviar & scrambled eggs, uni, fried rockfish, and more. Overall, this ended up as the tastiest booth at the entire show, with an excellent variety of delicious seafood, prepared very well.

Salmon on a stick!

One of the treasures from the British Columbia booth was the Northern Divine Caviar. This is the first certified organic caviar in North America, from thirteen year old White Sturgeons. The company began producing caviar in 2011 but became a commercial entity in 2012. The sturgeon was raised in tanks on land and they produce only a few hundred kilos each year. They have been certified by Canadian Organic Aquaculture as well as Global Trust. Currently, they are sold mostly in Canada, though you can find it in the U.S. and they are seeking more distributors. It is pricey, at about $88 for 30 grams, but then caviar has never been an inexpensive luxury. The taste is exquisite, smooth, briny and buttery without any fishy aftertaste. One of the better caviars I have tasted in the last few years. And paired with even scrambled eggs, they make a great dish. Splurge and check out this caviar.

“The sea hath fish for every man.”
--William Camden

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