Many clients request a weekly fish dish, I wanted to vary their choices and needed a book to help me find delicious recipes using sustainable fish. Most people are still unaware which fish are considered sustainable. But remember, even though the fish I am going to list are sustainable, large fish contain more mercury.
These fish are your best choices:
Abalone (farmed),
Barramundi (US farmed),
Catfish (US farmed),
Clams, Mussels, Oysters (farmed),
Cod: Pacific (Alaska longline),
Crab: Dungness,
Halibut: Pacific,
Lobster: Spiny (US),
Pollock (Alaska wild),
Rockfish: Black (CA, OR),
Sablefish / Black Cod (Alaska / BC),
Salmon (Alaska wild),
Sardines,
Scallops: Bay (farmed),
Shrimp: Pink (OR),
Spot Prawn (BC),
Striped Bass (farmed),
Sturgeon, Caviar (farmed),
Tilapia (US farmed),
Trout: Rainbow (farmed) and
White Seabass.
My book of choice
Rick Stein’s Complete Seafood is my book of choice when I need inspiration for how to cook a fish dish. It is filled with every kind of fish, cooking method and accompanying sauces. I am never disappointed with the dishes I create from the book. One client favorite is Stein’s Salmon Salsa Verde (a simple and impressive dinner party dish).
Salsa Verde Ingredients:
15g flatleaf parsley leaves, chopped,
5g mint leaves, chopped,
3 tbsp capers,
6 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and
1 clove garlic, crushed.
Roasted Salmon Ingredients:
4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, each cut into 8 slices,
1 2.5kg/5½lb to 2.75kg/6lb salmon, scaled and filleted OR 2 1kg/1¼lb, salmon fillets,
1 tbsp capers,
2 garlic cloves, sliced,
½ tsp dried chilli flakes,
1 large bunch fresh thyme,
3 tablespoons olive oil,
10 tablespoons water and
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
Step 2
For the salsa verde, combine the parsley and mint leaves, capers, anchovy fillets and one garlic clove. Mash together with a pestle and mortar to form a coarse paste and season to taste with a little salt.
Step 3
Line the base of a large baking tray or roasting tin with a sheet of non-stick baking-paper and then lay the tomatoes in rows of four down the centre of the paper (diagonally if necessary so that your salmon will fit in the tin).
Step 4
Scatter over a tablespoon of capers, garlic slices, half of the chilli flakes and all but one large sprig of the thyme.
Step 5
Drizzle over three tablespoons of the oil, the water, and some salt, to taste. This will prevent the salmon from sticking and produce a lovely sauce to serve with the salmon.
Step 6
Brush the skin-side of one salmon fillet with oil, season lightly with salt and place skin-side down on top of the tomatoes.
Step 7
Lightly season with salt and then cover with the salsa verde mixture.
Step 8
Lightly season the cut face of the second salmon fillet and place on top of the salsa verde covered salmon skin-side down.
Step 9
Brush the skin with olive oil and scatter with the remaining chilli flakes and the leaves from the remaining thyme sprig. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Step 10
Roast the fish for 25 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned and the flesh still slightly pink in the centre.
Step 11
Remove the salmon from the oven and leave it to rest briefly. Enjoy!!!
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