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       Volume I - September 10, 2010

Fish! So, Is It Safe To Eat?
by Patty Liston

With all of the information being transmitted across our television sets regarding the Gulf oil spill, many people are wondering if purchasing fish is a good idea anymore. I know when I go shopping I am usually the only one hanging around the frozen and/or fresh fish section. Part of my confidence stems from information on the Environmental Defense Funds seafood selection chart, which lists which fish are Eco Best options.

So — the short answer is yes, some fish are safe to eat. Below is some information on catfish, halibut and shrimp, along with great recipes for each.

CATFISH: EcoBest choice when it is from the US

Catfish Sloppy Joe’s
Recipe from Fish Without a Doubt, Houghton Mifflin 2008.
Serves 8


For the sloppy Joes:
1/2 pound catfish fillet, cut into 1/3 inch dice
coarse salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
Barbecue sauce for fish (recipe below)

For barbecue sauce:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup minced onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
coarse salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup clam juice
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground white pepper

For serving:
8 hamburger buns
Softened butter
Potato chips

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, onion, garlic, thyme, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, swirling the sugar in the skillet, until the sugar dissolves and the caramel is dark amber. Add the vinegar and clam juice and boil until the caramel has dissolved.

3. Add the caramel and clam juice mixture to the onion, along with the ketchup. tabasco, Worcestershire, and white pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes. Let cool. It will keep days in the refrigerator.

For the Sloppy Joe's
1. Season the catfish with salt. Let sit on the counter. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pan's hot, add the oil, onion, and bell pepper. Saute, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the paprika and saute, stirring, for 1 minute. Add hte catfish and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the barbecue sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes, until thick.

2. Meanwhile, heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Butter the buns and toast them on the griddle.

3. Fill the buns with the catfish mixture and pile some potato chips on top for crunch. Serve these Joes while they're hot.         
  Download this recipe.


HALIBUT: When I was younger, halibut was the only fish I would eat. Silly me. According to Eco Best, Pacific halibut is better than Atlantic halibut. This is primarily due to the fact that Atlantic halibut is in peril of being over-fished.

Oil Poached Halibut Gribiche and Poached Egg
Recipe from Fish Without a Doubt, Houghton Mifflin 2008.
Serves 4

Gribiche: A sauce for meat or fish; like a vinaigrette
Cornichons: Dictionary.com says it’s “a tiny tart gherkin cucumber pickle, a traditional accompaniment to pâté.” It means “little horn” in French as well. Or gherkin, if you prefer. Cornichons are usually crunchy-salty-savory, rather than crunchy-sweet.

For the gribiche:
1/2 cup diced tomato
3 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced cornichons
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 scallion

For the fish:
1 (6- to- 7-ounce) pieces of halibut fillet
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
Olive oil for poaching
Zest of 1 lemon (remove it with a vegetable peeler)

To finish:
2/3 cup minced onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound baby spinach
Coarse salt
4 large eggs, poached

Gribiche Preparation
1.Stir the tomato, shallots, cornichons, capers, olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Leave it at room temperature for 2 hours. (Or better, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Fish Preparation:
1. Forty-five minutes to 1 hour before cooking, season the halibut on both sides with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
2. Heat the oven to 175 degrees.
3. Put the fish in an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold it without crowding. Pour in enough olive oil to cover the fish, then take the fish out and set aside on a plate. Add the lemon zest to the oil and heat it to about 125 degrees (warm enough to feel hot but not burn when you stick your finger in it; or just use a thermometer). Return the fish to the skillet, cover, and slide the pan into the oven. Poach the fish for 25 minutes.
4. Just before serving, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon in 2 tablespoons of the oil from the fish and add the onion. Saute, stirring often, until the onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the spinach and saute, stirring constantly, until the spinach wilts. Season it with salt and scrape it into a strainer to drain.
5. Stir the tarragon, parsley, and scallion into the gribiche.
6. Make a bed of spinach on each of four dinner plates. Remove the fish from the oil with a fish spatula and blot it dry with paper towels. Set it on the spinach and place a poached egg on top of each piece. Spoon some gribiche onto each egg and around the plates. Serve it now.         
  Download this recipe.


SHRIMP: The best is shrimp farmed in the US, pink shrimp from Oregon and Spot prawn from Canada. Avoid imported shrimp and prawns.

Greek Lasagna Toss with Tomatoes, Shrimp and Feta Cheese
Serves 4

1 package (16 ounces) lasagna noodles
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes in juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined, with tail part of shell left on if you like
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup), plus additional for sprinkling on top

1. Heat large covered saucepot of water to boiling over high heat. Add pasta and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes longer than label directs.
2. Meanwhile, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, crushed red pepper, and oregano; heat to boiling over high heat, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Reduce heat to medium and cook 7 minutes to thicken slightly. Stir in shrimp, and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque throughout. Remove skillet from heat; stir in chopped parsley and 1/2 cup crumbled feta.
3. Drain pasta; return to saucepot. Add shrimp mixture to pasta in saucepot and toss to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into large serving bowl; sprinkle with additional feta if you like.         

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