As I was leaving, Virginia handed me back my bag and exclaimed, "That's a lot of fish!" She is trying to eat fish more often, and was intrigued by the sheer weight of my shopping bag. From there we had a really nice conversation about seafood: sources, equitable fishery practices, and preparation. And, Virginia telling me I should write a blog! So here we are; I'll try to capture some highlights of our talk:
- If I ever meet anyone who wants to eat more fish, I highly recommend they read Four Fish by Paul Greenberg. This book covers the dwindling varieties of fish available to the general population in North America, sustainable fishing, and the importance of eating 'ocean-wise' whenever possible. It's available in audio form at the Toronto Public Library, and in paperback at my fishmonger of choice, Hooked.
- Shopping at Hooked is an educational experience in and of itself. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable, and they offer fun classes like called 'Shuck U' - one of my most fantastic solo evenings. The flagship is in Leslieville and a newer location in Kensington.
- Pearl Diver (formerly Starfish) has a great happy hour - called Zinc n Drink - if you love oysters.
- Diana's (in Scarborough) has huge boxes of oysters for amazing value - if you love oysters and can shuck 'em. Their motto is "Eat fish, live longer. Eat oysters, love longer." Love it.
- Yes, tilapia is a delicate fish. But my mother literally grew up on a beach, with sand in her hair and fish for breakfast each morning. She taught me the importance of playing nice with delicate fish. The base sauce is created first, boiled vigorously, and then just before serving, the filets are laid every so gently in the sauce, thicker pieces first. Enough water is added so it's skimming the top of the fish, and the lid is put on tight, so you're pretty much steaming the filets. Guests do not serve themselves. The cook herself places the fish on a piping hot bed of rice or greens.
- And the salmon? Hawaiian brown salt, or turbinado, sprinkled with a splash of ponzu, broiled in the oven. The citrusy-salty-sweet is perfect with a gorgeous slab of Irish organic. I doubt it's wild - you only get wild BC sockeye salmon once a year, it's prohibitively expensive, and the fat content is so low that the kids don't like it anyway.
Ah, if we could only get our foods fresh, local, organic, wild, equitable and sustainable - and at a good price point, of course. But something tells me we'd still argue about flavour. Sigh.
