Read this blog post (the oceans will thank you)

On the heels of another great event put on by the Vancouver Aquarium -- this one the Ocean Wise Tides of Change taster at Luma restaurant in Toronto, I got to thinking, as I do whenever the Ocean Wise crew comes to town, that we should all really be doing more.
For starters, I should be eating only sustainable fish and seafood, and in turn, should be developing more recipes to share with you that put tasty sustainable heroes at the centre of the plate. I’ve also put the Chatelaine test kitchen on notice, and going ahead we’re going to develop dishes using responsibly sourced fish and seafood products as much as possible.

I’ve been a longtime admirer of the cause. Having an Unsung Heroes dinner with David Suzuki a few years back was a great example of highlighting both the importance and the deliciousness of some virtually ignored species. After all, change has got to taste great or there will be no change. 

So, whether I’m bloodworming in Yarmouth or trying to understand what sustainable certification really means, or am taking the plunge in the icy waters of Norway, I’m always on the hunt for new and exciting oceanic treats.

The good news is, so far, the news is good: There are innovators out there bringing new species back from the brink and raising them in new, smart ways. 

Leafing through the handout from the Ocean Wise event at Luma, I learned that an estimated 90% of all large, predatory fish are gone from the world’s oceans and that we’re eating more seafood than ever before. At the same time, it’s heartening to know that 91% of Canadians want their seafood to be sustainable, and that Canada-wide purveyors are answering the call (sort of like Aquaman?) 

In Toronto there’s Hooked, Fishbar, The One that Got Away, and Off the Hook, while Vancouver has Blue Water Café (which gets top marks for its annual special Unsung Heroes menu), and Go Fish, while Victoria has Red Fish, Blue Fish – to name just a few. Ocean Wise has over 450 Canada-wide partners, so finding good eats shouldn’t be difficult: Just download the free Ocean Wise app to start making smart buying choices (or go to oceanwise.ca), and you’ll see that there’s much to learn and eat. 

And right now, that’s exactly what enjoying great fish and seafood boils down to. Education is key to successful sustainable cooking and eating.

Fresh from Norway

A few months ago I climbed aboard the MS Trollfjord, a gleaming steamer ship in the Norwegian Hurtigruten line, that travels through the northern fjord towns while transporting locals, goods, mail and tourists. I was there for a week-long trip though Norway's beatific coastline. And while it was a cruise by definition, midnight chocolate buffets were decidedly not on the menu. In fact, by the time the week was up, I felt healthier than I had in ages and my Omega-3 levels were skyrocketing. 

That's because while the food was spectacular -- buffets for breakfast and lunch, a gourmet three-courser for a seated dinner -- it was also rich in the local catch. Here's an example of just some of the fish dishes available at lunch on any given day (in addition to the rest of the buffet offerings)...

Marinated trout, smoked herring, marinated Greenland halibut (dilly), fish in aspic, curry herring, tomato herring, wine-marinated herring, the roe of capelin (yellow, black and orange), marinated char, fish cakes and shrimp salad. 

There was even more, but I got lazy and hungry so put down my pen and picked up a fork. 

By the way, I took this photo at one of our 34 ports of call, then used the Tilt Shift site to make it look coolly miniature. 

Just another day in Norway

My work takes me to all sorts of places where I get to do a lot of incredible things, and going on a so-called King Crab Safari in the frozen Barents Sea last week has got to be one of my all-time favourites. I'm not going to give too much away because I'm writing a story about it for enRoute, but I will explain the photo: I'm the one in the bright orange survival suit, crawling onto the ice. And those smaller crustaceans in the picture? Their name is lunch.