Looking for a no-fuss, yet fancy meal to serve company on a cold, winter night? Here’s a take on the classic Southern shrimp ‘n grits that switches out the shrimp for crab meat, and the grits for polenta. I created this to honor our west coast Dungeness crab season, in full swing now. Dungeness crab in season is a sustainable seafood choice, and a real treat.

If Dungeness crab is unavailable in your area, you may substitute other types of crab, shrimp (support Gulf fishermen and buy domestic wild, not farmed from Asia), or scallops.

Cooking the polenta in the oven, rather than the stove top, makes this dish almost criminally easy.

Serves 2

3 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup polenta

About a 1/4 cup heavy cream

About a 1/2 stick of butter

1 small shallot, cut into the tiniest dice possible

1/3 of a celery rib, cut into the tiniest dice possible

About 2 teaspoons good quality spicy ground chile of your choice, to your taste (cayenne or something fancier like Aleppo pepper would both work)

About 1 1/2 cups of picked crab meat

3 green onions (white and green parts), chopped fine

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the water, salt and polenta in a heavy baking dish with a lid. Stir together. Put it in the oven. Remove from the oven and stir every 15 minutes, cooking for a total of 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, stir in the heavy cream, and return the polenta to the hot oven while you prepare the crab.

In a heavy skillet over medium heat, warm the butter. Add the shallot and celery and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chile, crab, green onions, and a little salt if you need it (crab can be salty) and stir to warm through. Add more butter if you like.

To serve, spoon the polenta onto warmed plates or shallow bowls. Top with crab mixture, dividing it evenly. Serve immediately.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2010

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post On a Cold Winter’s Night: Spicy Crab and Polenta appeared first on EcoSalon.

In conjunction with a new report called State of Seafood, Monterey Bay Aquarium has issued a new “Super Green List” of seafood options that are good for both environmental and human health.

The “Super Eight”, as I’m calling them, are low in environmental toxins, high in Omega -3s and farmed or caught in ways that have a low impact on the environment.

Not long ago, here at EcoSalon, I listed my own personal list of 11 sustainable seafood options. It’s interesting to see the differences between my list and Monterey Bay’s.

Tuna is not on my list because it’s hard to get information on where and how tuna is caught, so I tend to avoid it. Some of my other choices are on Seafood Watch’s “almost as good list” and some others are more obscure or don’t contain as many Omega-3s. Other than that, we’re actually not that far off.

I’m glad the aquarium developed this super simplified list. I find the approach helpful for consumers. Instead of telling people what not to eat, it gives consumers a list of tasty options that are okay to eat. But consumers don’t always know where to find and how to prepare these items.

That’s where I come in, giving you the entire “Super Green” list with tips for sourcing, links to recipes or suggestions for preparing.

1. Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)

This fish is difficult to find fresh in markets across the country because it is caught by small-scale fishermen. If you live on the West Coast near a harbor, you can sometimes buy it fresh, right off the boats during its season (July-October). Otherwise, you will find it canned year round and across the country in specialty stores. (And it’s not cheap) The can should be clearly marked as troll or pole caught Pacific Albacore, otherwise it’s not the right fish.

Use it to make a classic Niçoise salad with baby lettuces, olives, hard-cooked eggs, boiled small potatoes, and steamed green beans all topped off with a homemade vinaigrette.

2. Mussels (farmed)

Nearly all mussels found in the fish markets these days are farmed. Mussels are easy to prepare and quick cooking. Rinse them well to remove any sand and pull off their beards. Then, put them in a large covered pot over medium-high heat with a mixture of white wine, water and some combination of aromatics like fennel, onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro, lemon, or orange. Steam them until they open (3 to 5 minutes). Finish with a pat of butter or a drizzle of olive oil and serve with salad and bread.

3. Oysters (farmed)

Make sure they are fresh and eat “˜em raw with a simple mignonette made of finely chopped shallots and Champagne vinegar, or just a squeeze of lemon. Don’t know how to shuck? Here’s a tutorial. Why are oysters sustainable? Here’s a piece on EcoSalon that lays it out.

4. Pacific Sardines (wild-caught)

My favorite fish hands-down! Small fish are lower in contaminants than larger, longer-lived fish. The sardine fishery is very healthy, and sardines are flavorful and stand up to robust preparations.  This article has more information and a recipe.

5. Pink Shrimp (wild-caught, from Oregon)

These are the classic shrimp for shrimp cocktail, but you could also use them in a ceviché or make a salad stuffed into an avocado, in a recipe like this one.

6. Rainbow Trout (farmed)

Widely available across the country, farmed trout is mild and versatile. It’s also easy to prepare. I like to stuff the fish with aromatics like fresh herbs and green onions, splash a little white wine or citrus juice on it and inside of it and then grill or bake it whole until the flesh flakes easily with a fork and is no longer translucent (about 15 minutes).

7. Salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska)

There are many species of Pacific salmon including King, Chinook, Chum, and Pink. Atlantic isn’t one of them. Atlantic salmon is code for “farmed.” Simple is best with this special fish. A quick marinade with herbs, chopped garlic, and lemon juice followed by a turn on the grill or under the broiler; or a simple treatment of salt and pepper followed by a sear in a very hot cast-iron pan always does the trick for me.

8. Spot Prawns (wild-caught, from British Columbia)

These are large prawns sold with the head on. They are available in small specialty fish markets on the West Coast, but I’m not sure how available they are in the East. They have a sweet flavor reminiscent of lobster. And if you should be so lucky as to find them, you should do nothing more than throw them on the grill as is and then peel, squeeze a little lemon juice on them, and eat. Or, you could dip them in butter. And yes, you are supposed to suck the heads. Which also (along with the leftover shells) make a great fish broth.

Image: koadmonkee

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

The post How to Cook Fish: Seafood Watch’s New “Super Green” List with Serving Suggestions appeared first on EcoSalon.

The problem with writing about sustainable seafood is that it makes you really hungry for seafood, which can be a challenge if you’re trying to limit your consumption. I figure reading about sustainable seafood must make all of you hungry, so after last week’s post on what to eat and why, I went out to the fish market and decided to whip up an ocean-friendly ceviché.

Ceviché is traditionally made with raw fish. The lime juice bathes the fish in flavor and “cooks” it, in a manner. During the process you will notice that the fish turns from translucent to opaque and develops a toothsome quality, as if it were cooked. If you would prefer to cook the fish, you may cut it into cubes, poach it quickly (for 30 seconds or so), drain immediately and then toss with the other ingredients.

For the Ceviché:

3/4 pound halibut (you could use farmed striped bass or other sustainable, firm-fleshed white fish), cut into cubes
Juice of 3 limes
Chopped cilantro to taste
One-half of an avocado, cut into bite-sized pieces
10 cherry tomatoes, halved (I actually used a firm plum instead of tomato. Try it if you still have plums in your market)
One-half of a large jalapeno (or a whole small one) quartered, seeded, and diced
1 small shallot, sliced thinly
Salt
Pepper
Aleppo pepper to taste (you can substitute cayenne if Aleppo is unavailable)
Freshly fried corn tortillas or store-bought chips for serving

Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 2 hours before serving. Serve atop freshly fried corn tortillas like a tostada, or in a stemmed glass with chips on the side.

Image: cyclonebill

Recipe Copyright 2009 Vanessa Barrington

Note: please use organic, local ingredients whenever possible.

The post Ecosalon Recipes: Sustainable Seafood in Practice: Halibut Ceviché Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.