Fish (with recipes)

            A good rule of thumb is, whenever pregnant women or children are advised to avoid something, it does not bode well for anyone! Enter the fish conundrum: so delicious, so healthy, so rich in protein and omega fatty acids, and yet, often so tainted by pollution. Excluding amalgam fillings and vaccinations, fish are a primary source of mercury exposure for humans. Mercury from industrial pollution is converted into methyl mercury in water and subsequently absorbed by the fish. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the largest source of mercury pollution stems from coal-fired power plants; following closely behind are waste-incinerator plants. This is useful information to have, as it is not only ocean-dwelling fish that are contaminated, but freshwater fish as well. Fishermen should consider carefully the lengths of the rivers and water sources that they frequent and do thorough investigation before eating their catch. Large long-lived fish have the longest time to accumulate methyl mercury and are therefore the least safe. Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, albacore tuna, and freshwater bass and pike are among the worst offenders. Much safer are trap-caught salmon, yellowfin tuna, cod, and shellfish.

            As with all food that we buy and then consume, it is important to be discerning about both the origins of the fish and the practices of the fishermen. For those of us who love to eat fish, the only option besides abstinence is to make a point of purchasing the right fish and then not to eat too much of it – a problem that is made somewhat easier by sky rocketing fish prices that reflect how many species of fish are dwindling. Chilean sea bass, for example, are rapidly disappearing. While many shellfish are best bought farmed – abalone, clams, mussels, and oysters, for example – some farm-raised fish are best avoided. Farm-raised salmon are a perfect example of a fish that should never be purchased. Fed antibiotics and additives to give their flesh the pink color we have come to expect, environmentally speaking, so far salmon farms have been a disaster. Escaped farm-raised salmon can push the local wild salmon out of their habitat. Wild salmon can also swim under the giant pens that contain the farm-raised salmon, becoming contaminated with deadly sea lice as they do so. The seabeds  beneath the fisheries become polluted with fish waste. And let’s face it, farm-raised salmon taste horrible when compared to the real thing.

            Talk to your fish vendor and ask questions. How fresh are the fish? Where are they from? How are they being caught? Are they endangered? As time passes, so the laws and regulations change. Along with the increasing diminishment and contamination of fish from our seas and freshwater sources will come new laws to protect both the fish and the consumer. Keep abreast of these changes and make informed choices whether shopping at the fish market of fishing a local waterway.

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APPLE-MARINATED SALMON FILLETS

6 (4-6 ounce) salmon fillets, 2-3 inches wide

2 cups apple juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

¼ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon dried dill or thyme, or 2 tablespoons fresh

1.      Marinate salmon fillets in the apple juice, mustard, soy, and ginger for 6-8 hours or overnight. Place salmon on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with dill or rhyme. Bake salmon at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Broil to color, 2-4 minutes.

2.      Serves six.

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CRAB CAKES

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon oil

½ cup red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

½ cup yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped

¼ cup chopped scallions

½ cup chopped parsley

1 cup fresh corn, cut from the cob

2 pounds crabmeat (pick clean of all shells)

2 tablespoons drained capers

4 tablespoons mustard

¹/₃-½ cup homemade or commercial mayonnaise

½ cup panko (these Japanese-style, coarse bread crumbs are available in

            Asian markets)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1.      Melt butter and oil and sauté peppers and scallions until soft. Add corn kernels and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from stove and cool in a bowl.

2.      Mix crabmeat with capers, mustard, mayonnaise, parsley, salt, pepper, and panko. Combine with cooled vegetables. Add more panko if needed to bind. Cover and chill mixture for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

3.      Shape cooled mixture into cakes. (If you wish, you may dip cakes in a little panko before frying). Depending on the size of the crab cakes, sauté in a combination of 4-8 tablespoons of butter and olive oil on both sides, cooking for about 10 minutes total. Drain and serve.

4.      Serves eight.

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CIOPPINO

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

½ cup sliced celery

 2 carrots, pared and sliced

5 tablespoons oil

2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded or 2 (1 pound) cans tomatoes

1 cup homemade tomato sauce (or one 8-ounce can tomato sauce)

1 tablespoons dried basil, crumbled

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 pound fish (any firm white fish)

1 dozen mussels

1 dozen clams

1 ½ -2 cups dry white wine

1 pound shelled deveined shrimp

½ pound scallops

4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1.      In large pot, sauté onion, garlic, green pepper, celery, and carrots in oil until soft. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Hear to boiling. Lower heat. Simmer 1 hour.

2.      While sauce simmers, remove skin (if any) from fish, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Scrub mussels and clams thoroughly. Stir wine into the sauce. Put mussels and clams on top. Stem for 5 or 10 minutes more until shells are fully opened. Throw out unopened clams and mussels. Add fish, shrimp, and scallops. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve in bowls. Top with parsley.

3.      Serves six to eight.

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CEVICHE

¾ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup olive oil

4 scallions, minced

2 tablespoons red onions, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and minced

4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 pound bay scallops, whole or diced depending on preference

1.      Mix together all ingredients except scallops. When well mixed, add scallops. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

2.      Drain. Serve on a chilled plate with sliced fresh tomatoes and arugula leaves. (May also be served in a hollowed-out tomato).

3.      Serves four to six.