You can tell a food trend is catching on in cities and countries that draw foodies, but what’s hot in France is destined to be a trend leader. The trend of the day: small, sustainable fish like sardines.

After 11 years of experience at some of the best Parisian tables, including L’Arc Paris and Atelier Robuchon, Chef Antony Germani has decided return to his hometown, the port city of Marseille, to highlight a small yet hugely sustainable protein powerhouse: the sardine. Sard’In, which opened in June, is the first sardine bar in the world.

After over a decade in the capital, Marseille’s prodigal son knew he missed the south, but he also knew that he could only return with a specific project in mind, a project, he said, that needed to be able to be fleshed out quickly and inexpensively. The idea of a sardine bar, serving a variety of high-end canned sardines in simple recipes, came easily.

At first, canned sardines might seem like anything but the trendy star of a new restaurant, but Germani was determined to change their reputation. “I like canned sardines, because they’re often associated with malbouffe (junk food) or products of mediocre quality, but when you add a really fresh product, the can takes care of the rest,” he says of the star of his menu. “It keeps it for years — all the flavors and finesse of the products, and it even gets better with time, like a good wine.”

Germani’s interest in sardines comes in the wake of many chefs becoming interested in smaller fish, fish that have been ignored by big-name chefs for years. Just recently, 20 all-star chefs united to highlight ways to serve the “perfect protein” in their restaurants, mainly due to the ecological impact of such a decision, an impact that isn’t lost on Germani.

“The ecological impact is enormous,” he says. “Canned sardines allow us to respect different fishing seasons. We have to consume less fish and meat, that’s obvious nowadays. The omega 3, phosphorous and vitamin B3 content in a can of sardines is extraordinary, especially compared to other fish. Eating two cans of sardines a week can allow us to consume less fresh fish and, above all, to leave other more sensitive varieties (in the water).”

The choice of sardine did not come out of nowhere for this Marseille native. Sardines have long been at home in this port city, though, as Germani learned, this is no longer truly the case. Because of overfishing, sardines became smaller and smaller, and in Marseille, it was decided to stop canning them to allow them to regenerate in the Mediterranean waters.

“The actual canned sardines we’re consuming, called ‘Marseillais sardines,’ are actually Atlantic sardines,” he says. “But we appreciated the frankness of the fishermen and the different canning facilities that take responsibility and are aware of the dangers towards Mediterranean sardines,” Germani says, saying that it will be five years before true Mediterranean sardines can be fished and canned again.

“They’re a strong species, and they regenerate fairly quickly as compared to others,” he says.

This is one of the many reasons that Germani does not sell only French sardines in his bar, which will offer all sorts of high-end canned sardines, a combination of high-end gourmet boutique and restaurant. Simplicity and flavor are on the menu here, but so is the entirety off the Mediterranean.

“I got informed. I traveled. I went to Spain, to Portugal, to Tunisia and in France and met with conserveries who still respect the fishing methods, and I met passionate people who are, above all, lovers of sardines, like me,” he says.

And that’s his key clientele as well: people who love sardines enough to see them — and even, occasionally, their cans — on their plates.

“Canned sardines allow me to have 0% waste in the products that I sell and cook with, and that’s what interested me,” he says. “I hate throwing anything away or wasting anything.”

Chef Germani is currently working with Foodraising, a French food-based crowdfunding platform. If he raises his goal of 5,000 euros, he will be able to expand his current shop and possibly open other locations in Paris, Lyon, and, qui sait, further afield.

Related on EcoSalon

Marine Life Disappearing Thanks to Overfishing and Climate Change [Study]

Endangered Species Like Bluefin Tuna Could Find Protection in the Growing ‘Faux Fish’ Market

The Nordic Diet: Eating Like a Viking is Good for All of Us

The post Sard-In: The New ‘It’ Food in France is a Tiny, Sustainable Fish appeared first on EcoSalon.

Bad news for scampi lovers: meeting the world’s demand for shrimp is doing some serious damage to the ocean (and our health). Here are five little-known reasons to take shrimp recipes out of the dinner rotation.

In his new book, “The Perfect Protein”, Andy Sharpless makes some very compelling arguments for why we should all rethink our favorite shrimp recipes. Sharpless is CEO of Oceana, the world’s largest ocean conservation group, so he knows a thing or two about what our insatiable appetite for seafood is doing to the planet.

Americans eat more shrimp than any other type of seafood by weight. According to Sharpless, being very careful about how we source shrimp can go a long way toward protecting the oceans. The sad reality is neither fishing nor farming is a truly sustainable way to produce shrimp. Read on for some more compelling reasons to wean yourself off shrimp.

5 Reasons To Kick Your Shrimp Recipes To The Curb

1. Most shrimp consumed in the United States comes from farms in Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Thailand. These operations grow shrimp in shallow pools that form the perfect haven for bacteria and viruses. Even scarier? Only two percent of all imported seafood is tested by the Food and Drug Administration.

2. To combat the pathogens that see shrimp pools as breeding grounds, shrimp farmers often dump high levels of antibiotics and pesticides into the water–some of which are banned for use in the U.S. and other countries. You demand organic produce, but how often do you search for organic seafood? Kind of defeats the purpose, right?

3. In order to make room for shrimp operations, farmers often rip out mangrove forests, which is terrible for the environment. “Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have found that mangrove forests absorb and trap more climate-changing carbon dioxide than any other ecosystem on the planet, including rainforests. Mangroves also serve as nursery areas for other ocean creatures, and they help keep coasts secure by reducing flooding during storms,” reports Prevention.com.

4. Tearing up precious mangrove forests is bad enough, but that’s not the worst part: When shrimp farming pools become too old or contaminated for use, farmers just move on to a new area and repeat the process. The former mangrove forest is now a polluted wasteland, leaching dangerous chemicals into the water supply.

5. I know what you’re thinking. “I only every buy wild-caught seafood, so my shrimp recipes are safe.” Think again. Wild shrimp are caught with fine-meshed trawl nets pulled through the water behind a boat. The only problem is that they nets catch a lot of other stuff besides shrimp. “Most fish are damaged from being in the net, and many are discarded—dead or dying—overboard,” Sharpless points out. “Nets routinely pull up 9,000 endangered or threatened sea turtles annually, in addition to sharks, red snappers, and other animals.”

Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Shrimp

Giving up shrimp won’t be easy, but there are some more responsible seafood choices that can help. According to Sharpless, sardines and anchovies, mussels, Alaskan salmon, domestic clams, and farmed oysters are more sustainable selections that are also safer for your health.

Related on Ecosalon:

Back Away From The Tuna, Shrimp, and Salmon

Make The Right Fish Pick With Seafood Watch App

Sorry Charlie: Loving Tuna To Death

Image: wwarby

The post 5 Reasons To Kick Your Shrimp Recipes To The Curb appeared first on EcoSalon.

Mackerel swims to the lead when it comes to being the “right” fish to eat and we’ve got a recipe to back up the claim.

Lately, I haven’t cooked or eaten fish. There is no good excuse for this other than I have been confused about which fish is “correct” and safe to eat. Many of you probably already know that we should be careful which salmon, shrimps and tuna we choose to eat, that we should really start to cook and eat other fish that are more sustainable and healthy. But that is not an easy task, as which fish to eat varies from country to country (and it can vary even in the same country).

I’m happy that one of my favorite fishes, mackerel, seems to be a safe choice, both in Sweden and the U.S. According to EcoSalon food clolumnist Vanessa Barrington, Mackerel doesn’t have high levels of mercury (except for the king mackerel which has) and the fishing method used doesn’t damage the bottom of the sea. Mackerel has a rich flavor and you don’t really need to add much to enjoy this fish. It’s great in soups, filleted or cooked whole (see below) and can be roasted, baked or poached. You can also smoke or cure it.

Mackerel makes me long for summer, especially Swedish summers when the sun doesn’t go down until around 11pm. When I was a little girl we often went to the west coast to rent a boat and fish all day. Mostly we caught Cod and Mackerel but sometimes we also got Garfish. In the evening when we all were hungry and tired we would get back on land or find some tiny unsettled rocky island, collect firewood and broil mackerel over an open fire. The whole fish was stuck on a wooden stick (cleaned and gutted) and just simply seasoned with salt and lemon.

Now this is not easily done every day but there are definitely ways to enjoy fish at home all year around. My latest recipe was created after I got inspired by Melissa Clark’s recent article on whole roasted fish. The article was such a great reminder that it’s about time to start cooking whole fish again.

Roasted Mackerel with Buttered Shallots
For two

One or two whole mackerel (about 1-1 ½ lb)
One lemon
Freshly ground pepper
A splash of olive oil
One shallot
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
About 2 oz butter

Clean and gut the mackerel. Take a paper towel to pat the fish dry. Rub inside and outside of the fish with one or two slices of lemon. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the fish. Slice the rest of the lemon thinly and chop the shallots finely. Fill the stomach of the mackerel with some of the slices and leave about half for later when serving the fish. Place ½ of the shallot into the cavity together with a few sprigs of thyme. Place the fish in a greased baking pan. You can also bake on top of foil on a baking tray. Sprinkle some olive oil over and roast the fish at 400°F for about 20-30 minutes. The fish is done when the meat is white and the meat easily loosens from the bones.

While the fish roasts, melt about half of the butter and saute the rest of the shallots on a really low heat until soft. At the end add more butter and plenty of thyme.

Serve the fish with buttered shallots and a squeeze of lemon together with roasted vegetables such as parsnips and carrots. The mackerel is also great with a simple salad made of roasted red pepper, feta, watercress and toasted sunflower seeds.

Here is some more good stuff about fish…

The Good Fish of the Pacific Coast
Seafood Watch Check out their apps for Android and iPhone
WWFs fisk guide (Sweden)

Illustrations by Johanna Kindvall

The post Mackerel: The Ethically Correct Fish appeared first on EcoSalon.

One year after an explosion that triggered the worst oil spill in history, EcoSalon examines the continuing impact.

“Nine months have passed since the blowout and the rest of the nation has returned to business as usual, but I can assure you that many in the Gulf have not,” wrote Frances Beinecke in January about her experience serving on the National Oil Spill Commission. It is clear much of the ineptness she witnessed on the part of those in the position to steer a new, safer ship, persists across the board  one year after the nightmarish BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

You have to wonder if the continued protests go unnoticed, the worst disaster of its kind smoothed over as old history. Maybe the conventional media news cycle has abandoned New Orleans and the story, but we need updates as Transocean, the firm that ran the Deepwater rig, pats its executives on the back and awards them millions in bonuses after what it calls “the best year in safety performance in our company’s history.”

According to a regulatory filing, the operator boasts that despite the tragic loss of life in the Gulf, its new recorded incident rate and total potential severity rate is “a reflection on our commitment to achieving an incident free environment, all the time, everywhere.” Except we all know accidents happen, right?

Let’s see where we are in the aftermath.

Back to the Grind

As the sun sets on the disaster, it is expected new public outraged will be fueled by BP plans to restart deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico this summer after getting a firm nod from US regulators. Work will be resumed as early as July on 10 wells halted by a moratorium on drilling after the explosion. This is less than 15 months after the disaster.

Wildlife Toll

A surge in deaths among baby dolphins is now being linked to the spill, some 29 oil-covered newborn calves washing up on the northern shore of the Gulf, a higher toll than ever. And it’s not just the dolphins. Five times as many sea turtles, 10 times as many birds and 200 times more marine mammals were injured or killed than what official tallies tell us. This, according to the Centre for Biological Diversity.

Government Gridlock

Congress is sitting on its hands with regard to lasting legislative reforms recommended by President Obama’s National Oil Spill Commission. It had called for an independent safety agency within the Interior Department to overhaul the bureaucratic approach to monitoring the industry. This includes hiking the oil spill liability limit and more spending on regulation paid by fees on industry. They say prospects of passing a remaining Markey bill enacting the recommendations appear dim at the moment.

BP’s Deep Pockets

To the surprise of skeptics, DP has coughed up tens of billions of dollars in fines, cleanup efforts and payments to families of rig workers, and came out smelling like a rose – not just still in business but boasting more cash than before the spill. Thriving means a newly negotiated energy deal in India and Russia and plans to resume that drilling in the Gulf. Dollars spent: $3.6 billion in awards to injured individuals and businesses; $10.7 billion on cleanup (deploying skimming boars, airplanes, floating oil booms and crews tackling oily residue at beaches and swamps. Another $500 million pledged to academic research of the Gulf environs and support for fishing and tourism industries.

Seafood Testing Still a Must

Fish from the contaminated waters will need to be tested for consumption for decades to come, according to scientists studying the maritime disaster effects on commercial and recreational fishing yield – accounting for 5% of products eaten in the U.S. We are told by University of Florida researchers that the human nose is still the best detector of seafood that has been tainted by harmful oil chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, cancer causing if ingested in high concentrations.

Clean Up White Glove Test a Failure

From a bird’s eye view, the report card isn’t pretty for BP, with descriptions like sloppy and half-ass being bandied about. Research scientists, such as Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia, say about 50% of the oil is still floating around, as depicted in images of an oil-drenched pelican in the Guardian. From her own submarine scaling the Mississippi Canyon, she can attest that it is far from back to normal on the Gulf when the ocean floor is coated in thick dark brown muck and ropes of slime. Crabs and other creatures remaining are listless, unlike the old days when her sub had them scurrying for safety.

More Signs of New Orleans Abandonment

If it’s not bad enough Congress is cutting off termite controls in the French Quarter’s homes and businesses, a pest problem aggravated by Katrina, many other public health problems persist, especially along the coast due to the oil spill. Alliance Institute Executive Director Stephen Bradbury finds there is no access to good health care for respiratory, dermatological and digestive health ailments. Apparently, patients must drive 45 minutes to an hour to find a treatment center.

Spilling over into Consumer Dining Behavior

A study by Technomic finds the  spill and nasty toxic images of wildlife has seafood consumption down at restaurants with 19 percent of consumers eating less fish as much as four months later as a direct result of the disaster. Meantime, thousands of fishermen who have joined the ranks of the unemployed are partnering with agencies and regional commissions to try to resume fishing when possible or find alternative work.

Halliburton Still Unscathed From Fallout

One thing that remains clear in all the muck is that Halliburton continues to slither under the radar, despite acknowledging it skipped doing a critical test on the formulation of its cement used to seal the BP oil well. While earlier tests apparently showed the mix was stable, they never conducted a final safety test and used the mix anyway. Still, Halliburton points to BP well design and operations as the cause of the blowout, even though the cement failed to prevent oil and gas from entering the wells. And what of the cement design? Experts say it was poor since a foam slurry was created by injecting nitrogen into the cement to secure the bottom of the well. Oops. Still, government contract favoritism has its privileges.

A Way of Life Crushed?

In a nutshell, or perhaps clam shell, observers argue a way of life has been crushed due to the spill and its perpetual damage, visible on the wildlife but not always recognizable on the devastated fishermen. Poignantly stated in the Plight of the Louisiana Fishing Family blog,”this reaches far beyond money; we are talking about the possible destruction and ending of a culture.”

Image: Infrogmation; Win Mcnamee

The post The Gulf, One Year Later appeared first on EcoSalon.

We’re standing on a very remote dock on Grand Bayou, a chain of wetlands interspersed with human made channels where natural gas lines run out to rigs in the open Gulf. These pipes lay on the mud, running some four miles out to sea to their source and inland to a storage facility where the fuel is collected and brought to market.

Once again, standing in the remnants of architecture destroyed by Katrina, we are overwhelmed by the true identity of this place. Hurricane Katrina is like the B.C. and A.D. of the Gulf Coast, a place and time that demarcates two distinct realities.

Some residents hate BP, some think they’re doing a good job (to varying degrees), but everyone I’ve spoken to has three things in common: they have an uncanny sense of place, they have no self-pity, and the aftermath of Katrina affects their lives everyday.

By the water, there is a basketball hoop with no backboard but a perfectly intact net. The court below isn’t visible – it’s buried by mud and vegetation overgrowth. We’d hoped to meet a fisherman from a local tribe, Jeremiah, with whom we’d made arrangements with to take us out into the affected areas in his boat. Crabbing is closed in the open bays but not in these fingered channels. But Jeremiah, we learn, is already out. No boat equals no story.

Serendipitously, another reporter I’m with finds Brian Gainey, a 20-year-old third generation crabber who moors his boat here. For a little gas money, we can get a ride. He’s with his high school friend Carol Hart, who serves as crew, and he’s going to check on his crab traps laid a few days ago. Brian operates about 500 traps when in full swing, and he drives nearly four hours each way to get here from his home in Mississippi. His workday begins at 4 a.m. and doesn’t end until 8 p.m.

His boat moors for free because his family’s name is respected by the residents of this small, tribal wetland community. But now, his work is severely limited because the outer bays are contaminated. As we tour the marshes with their egrets and herons, we see firsthand why people live here. It’s beautiful. Hot, and beautiful.

Crabs, Brian says, avoid polluted water and have moved into the channels where the oil hasn’t saturated. And though he’s catching, the market rate for his effort has dropped considerably. “Gulf Seafood,” is hardly a selling point with seafood buyers these days. Menus all over the world are being reprinted. Safety is a topic for another post pending, but the perception in the market is that it’s tainted.

But back on the bayou, Brian’s working. His father isn’t; he’s instead accepting the BP checks for out-of-work fisherman, some $5,000 a month. Brian explains that he can generate this amount – gross – in three days of crabbing at pre-spill market prices. Late summer is prime crabbing, and Brian can easily pull in 20 thousand a month. Though he’s thankful to BP for his dad’s payments, it’s unclear how long they’ll last. They are only promised through August and he doesn’t know if they’ll continue beyond that. No one knows. Unknowing is the sentiment that prevails everywhere.

Brian is angry about the situation and he blames BP for all of the problems affecting his way of life, but he also believes that BP is doing everything they can right now. That they’re taking care of business.

This is the crux of life here: The entire economics of this region, with the exception of tourism (which is utterly destroyed), hangs in the balance of a healthy seafood economy and a healthy oil economy. But depending on whom you ask, BP is either a savior for giving jobs, or the devil for destroying the sea. Brian is somewhere in between. He doesn’t fish because he doesn’t have other options, but like most fishermen I’ve talked to, he does this because he loves it.

The post BP and The Bayou: Oil and Water Mix appeared first on EcoSalon.

At one time fish was my go-to food choice when I was feeling worried about supporting the corporate meat industry. Hey, it made sense. Not only was I “voting with my fork” by not supporting large-scale beef producers, like say Tyson Foods, I was also eating healthier, benefiting from such heart-friendly nutrients as Omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have shown societies who eat more fish have fewer health problems, right?

True, eating fish makes for healthier living. Or at least it used to be. This may no longer be the case given the barrage of recent reports about toxins in fish. While it may not exactly be “new” news – pregnant women have long been urged to avoid fish due to worries about high mercury levels – the din of new reports seem to be echoing the high toxic levels themselves.

A recent article reported on stratospheric toxin levels in whales, and not just mercury. Cadmium, aluminum, lead, silver, titanium, and chromium were found in dangerous levels and all purportedly entered the food chain due to human related activities. Another report focused on seawater and its natural ability to retain mercury in its more toxic form.

In an earlier post I wrote about over-fishing and the idea of eating fewer fish in order to play a part in promoting the end of such practices as a consumer. As it is, you may not even want to eat the fish – period exclamation point!

Image: hoyasmeg

The post The New Green Is Blue: How Blue Is the Ocean? And More Thoughts on Eating Fish appeared first on EcoSalon.