10 ways to ensure the fish you are eating is sustainably caught and healthy.

One of the most confusing oceans to navigate is that of seafood. First there’s the question of mercury and other contaminants. How do you avoid those? Then comes the issue of a reliable source. Where breeds the healthiest fish, and sustainably so at that? Lastly, and equally as important, how’s the fish supposed to look, feel and smell? All these considerations are quite overwhelming and often end with a frustrating shrug and sigh.

With so much to consider, it can be tricky to get your buck’s worth in terms of your health and the environment. Luckily, we’ve done the research and have put together ten ways you can ensure you are eating the most sustainable fish the world has to offer.

Do Your Homework

Before going to the grocery store, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch for a comprehensive guide to ocean-friendly seafood. According to the organization’s Communications Director Ken Peterson, “Seafood Watch is far and away the source used by consumers and major seafood buyers in North America to shape their seafood buying decisions in ways that promote healthy fisheries and healthy oceans.” The site outlines each fish’s market name, where it is caught and  how it is caught, indicating which variation of a particular fish is the “Best Choice,” a “Good Alternative,” or one to “Avoid.”

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Choose seafood that is not only good for you, but also good for the environment. Monterey Bay Aquarium has created a “Super Green” list including seafood with the highest levels of omega-3s and the lowest levels of contaminants as well as a summary of the “Best Choice” ranked fish on the organization’s Seafood Watch. These recommendations apply to women of childbearing age, men and children, so they can be trusted to take everyone into account.

Know How Fish is Caught

Select fish that is caught using methods with lower environmental impact such as hand-lining or potting. The Marine Conservation Society explains the various fish-catching methods and why some are better than others.

Carry a Pocket Guide

Most of us don’t have the time to research when making an impromptu stop at the fish market, so being equipped with a fish list is a way to ensure you always make the most well-informed decision come check-out time. The Environmental Defense Fund has put together the easy-to navigate Pocket Seafood Selector and Pocket Sushi Selector to give you a helping hand.

Choose a Reliable Market

Keep tabs on your local grocery stores and inquire how often each receives its seafood shipments and what the regular turnover is. The higher the rate of seafood turnaround, the more likely the fish you buy is as fresh as can be.

Don’t Buy Fishy Fish

Given that we associate the “fishy” smell with something that has gone putrid, under no circumstances should you purchase fish that smells nasty, acidic, or pungent. Fresh fish has the scent of clean water with a slightly briny or cucumber overtone.

Look Skin Deep and Beyond

On the outside, look at the fish and confirm that it is clean and metallic as opposed to dull or discolored. The eyes should be bright and clear and the gills should bear a vibrant red tone – fish that has gone old bears gills with a faded brick color. On the inside, make sure that if there is liquid on the meat, that it is clear instead of milky. Rotting fish will have milky flesh. Don’t forget to press against the flesh of the fish – if an indentation appears and stays, the fish has gone bad.

Ask Questions

When perusing the seafood section of your grocery store or market, take your assumptions with a grain of salt. Engage in conversation with a salesperson, asking questions that aren’t answered by packaging or labeling, and get the scoop on some of the details that aren’t so readily available. It’s rare to be offered information about how fish is caught, so ask for it! Developing a relationship with seafood personnel is also a great way to get the most comprehensive information time and time again.

Rotate Your Fish

Try to venture outside your repertoire of, say, three types of fish and try your hand at making dishes with other fish deemed the healthiest and most environmentally friendly by the “Super Green” list. Eat sustainably across the board, not just with one type.

Spread the Word

Tell your friends and family about seafood sustainability and encourage them to apply these tips to their culinary seafood escapades. The best way to share, you ask? Why, only whilst devouring seared salmon over lentils.

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

Image: tarotastic

The post Pescatarian: 10 Ways to Make Sure You’re Eating the Most Sustainable Fish appeared first on EcoSalon.

Apps for a happier stomach.

Mobile apps are handy for a lot of things: navigating a city, staying on a budget, finding home design inspiration, taking pornographic photos of food. But what about helping you live healthier? These seven healthy eating apps are up to the task. And don’t worry: at EcoSalon, we enjoy our food, so no dieting apps allowed.

Foodtree

With the tagline “Know More, Eat Better,” Foodtree aims to educate consumers about where their food comes from, as well as highlight restaurants and markets with responsible sourcing practices. The app also has a collaborative element: anyone can upload photos and tag them with location and sourcing information.

App available for the iPhone for free. 

Locavore

Find out what fruits and veggies are in season with the Locavore app, which then directs you to nearby farms and farmers’ markets where you can purchase locally-grown produce. On top of that, you can browse recipes incorporating said fruits and veggies for a true farm to table experience.

App available for iPhone and Android for free.

Love Food Hate Waste

Those leftovers have been sitting in your fridge for quite some time now. Give them a second life with the Love Food Hate Waste app. Just key your ingredients into the “Recipe Blender” and the app will generate meal suggestions from a database of more than 350 recipes.

App available for iPhone and Android for free.

Seafood Watch

A project of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Seafood Watch application helps you make sustainable seafood decisions at local restaurants and markets. The interface allows you to sort seafood by “best choice,” “good alternative,” or “avoid,” plus it highlights recommended “super green” seafood.

App available for iPhone for free.

Harvest

The Harvest App helps you choose the freshest, best-tasting fruits and veggies by providing tips and techniques for picking out high-quality produce. The app also indicates pesticide residue levels for each type of produce, which can be helpful when deciding between organic and conventional.

App available for iPhone for $1.99.

VegOut

If you’re a vegetarian, you probably know how difficult it is to eat out. Powered by HappyCow.net, VegOut provides an extensive searchable listing of vegan, vegetarian, and vegetarian-friendly restaurants – plus, it’s location-based.

App available for iPhone for $2.99.

iGrowIt

If our urban gardening series has inspired some planting action of your own this spring, this app can help you figure out exactly what you can plant at a given time. Not only that, but it also provides detailed planting instructions and recipes you can use once your seedlings have sprouted.

App available for iPhone for $0.99.

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With the recent news that the capsaicin in the humble chili pepper can help fight fat, it seems like a fine time to do a round up of fiery foods.

Not only that, spicy foods are great in the summer because, though it may seem counter intuitive, they make you sweat, which cools you off.

So beat the heat and the blubber with chilis!

For a perfect grilled dinner on a hot summer night try this fiery Balinese sambal with grilled shrimp. Make sure you buy U.S Farmed or wild caught spot prawns according to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.

Staple of Thai restaurants, the famous Green Papaya Salad is actually surprisingly easy to make at home. Green papayas can be found in Southeast Asian grocery stores and produce markets. It really does matter that you buy a green (unripe) papaya. A ripe papaya just isn’t the same. Here’s a recipe from Food and Wine. I like to make this in the summer and serve it with steamed rice and grilled chicken marinated in fish sauce, pepper, lime juice, and pounded garlic. The leftovers keep well for a refreshing lunch the next day.

If you’ve ever enjoyed Peruvian food, you’ve probably experienced a bright yellow, spicy chili sauce. It’s called Aji Amarillo and here’s a DIY recipe version. Peruvian cooks blend it with feta or ricotta to make a dip for potatoes, or mix it with lime juice and garlic to make a sauce for ceviche. Yum!

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post Fighting Fat with Fire: Three Spicy Chili Recipes from Around the World appeared first on EcoSalon.

As we head into summer, you’ve got clambakes, grilled mahi-mahi, and all sorts of other seafood delectables to look forward to. The next time you’ve got a taste for fish, I suggest consulting the free iPhone app Seafood Watch to make sure you’re making responsible dining choices.

The app features a couple of different ways to access the information in its database. If your heart is set on eating a particular kind of fish, you can search it by name and get its status since Seafood Watch lets you know if you’re making a good buying decision and wave you off eating fish that’s overfished or high in toxins.

If you’re open to what types of fish to buy at the store or at a restaurant, check out the apps regional guide that leads you to the most responsibly acquired fish in your area. Got a hankering for sushi? Seafood Watch’s sushi guide lists fish by Japanese and common market name.

Thoughtfully put together by Monterey Bay (CA) Aquarium, Seafood Watch is updated regularly and plans are in the works for new features to be added. Don’t have an iPhone? No sweat. You can access the app’s mobile site, from any cell phone with an Internet connection. And for access to the same information offline, download any of the eight free PDF files that tickle your fancy.

The post Sustainable? Toxic? Make the Right Fish Pick with the Seafood Watch App appeared first on EcoSalon.