How to Eat Fish and Still Save the Earth

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GQ

Heard the jaw-dropping news? The world is quickly running out of fish. Especially the types a lot of us like to chow down on. Nearly half the world’s marine life has been wiped out in the past 50 years, so act now or kiss your sushi dinners good-bye. (Also: the planet.) We investigated, and it turns out global survival and delicious seafood are possible if we’re smart about what we eat. Here, pre-eminent food writer Mark Bittman teaches you how to hunt for your next great meal.

contributor Mark Bittmanc

Without question, fish is the most nutritious animal we can eat, and by far the most varied in flavor and texture. But once you know that humankind has decimated the wild population, you don’t have to be a Greenpeace raft captain to feel conflicted about consuming it. Do we really want to be the generation so obsessed with gastronomic pleasure that we exterminate the Pacific? We can do better—not only for the future of our oceans but for the future of our appetites. There really are plenty of other fish in the sea: sustainable fish, regret-free fish, delicious and abundant fish that in some cases are such invasive species, it’s actually virtuous to murder them. With just a few modest substitutions, you can do your part for the planet while still eating like a king.

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Easy on the Shrimp, Go Big on Mussels

I know how great shrimp tastes, but an awful lot of it is farmed under repellent conditions, and much of that by actual slave labor. (In Southeast Asia, fishing-boat captains have been known to kidnap indigent men, forcing them to work for no pay and holding them in cages between shifts.) And the wild stocks of the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico are mostly trawled, a destructive method. Better to look for something else, and that something else is mussels. They’re sustainably farmed. (If you’re lucky you can buy wild, and those are even better.) They’re also inexpensive, delicious, and incredibly easy to cook. One pound per person is adequate, though an extra pound among three or four people will get eaten.

Fishy Dilemmas

Okay, but can I at least eat canned tuna?

Sorry, Charlie, but canned tuna—unless it’s the pricey sustainable brands like Wild Planet and Raincoast (whose albacore tuna is line-caught)—is best avoided. I stay away, especially, from the big three: Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, and StarKist, all of which have been accused of both unsustainable fishing and unfair labor practices. On the bright side, canned salmon is usually all right. As are the fish that come in rectangular tins: sardines, anchovies, smoked oysters, cooked octopus, and so on.

 

Eat This Fish, Before It Eats Everything

You know the lionfish. You’ve seen it in aquariums. It’s the one that looks like a swimming pincushion, covered in venomous spikes. It’s also so invasive, and so detrimental to native species, that fishery-management people can’t figure out how to contain it—parts of Florida actually hold lionfish derbies, where divers compete to kill as many as they can. For fans of tropical white fish like grouper, this is an invitation to feast. Lionfish fillets tend to be small, but the meat is sturdy and mild, which allows it to stand up to blackening. Figure on four to six ounces (at least two fillets) per person.

Blackened Lionfish

Crank your oven to its absolute max—550 degrees is not too hot—with a cast-iron pan in there from the beginning. Make a mixture of cayenne (1/2 teaspoon per 8 fillets), black pepper (at least a teaspoon), cumin (ditto), fresh thyme leaves (1 tablespoon), and pimentón (smoked paprika, at least a teaspoon). Rub that mixture onto both sides of the fish, then drizzle the fish with a few tablespoons of melted butter or warmed oil. When the pan is raging hot, add the fish to it. (Turn on every exhaust fan in the house.) Cook two minutes, then flip and cook two minutes more. Serve immediately, drizzled with a little more butter.

Fishy Dilemmas:

What fish should I avoid at all costs?

The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s famous Seafood Watch list is the most widely cited source for such things, but it can be confusing. The short answer: Don’t eat bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod, shark, or orange roughy; avoid unagi and Japanese hamachi at sushi bars; steer clear of any seafood from China; and see the answers to the other questions in these pages. That still leaves a lot you can eat! And with these recipes, you’ll honestly never miss the stuff you’re giving up.

Why Fish Is Worth the TroubleIf you’re already thinking that all this is too complicated and you’d rather just have a burger, hang on. From a nutritional perspective, almost everyone agrees fish is better for you than most meat: higher in beneficial fats and lower in trouble-making ones. Its “conversion ratio”—the amount of food it takes to produce edible protein—is far superior. It’s easy and fast to cook. Some of it, at least, is wild, and you don’t get more organic than that. Yes, there are issues with fish; there are issues with all food. But unless you’re vegetarian, it should be a major—and majorly healthy—part of your diet.

The One American Fish We Should All Be Eating

Catfish are ugly fuckers. Bottom-feeding, scum-sucking scavengers. But you’re not making out with them. You’re eating them. And they’re among the best-tasting, most sustainable fish you can find—white, flaky, and tender, farmed with clean and smart techniques. Pan-fry your catfish, figuring about four to six ounces per person. More if you’re in Mississippi, where everyone already eats it and loves it.

Fried Catfish

Cut fillets into pieces no more than three inches across. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper, then dredge first in flour, then in beaten egg, and finally in breadcrumbs. When you’re ready to cook, set a large skillet over medium heat and warm a combination of butter and olive oil; it should be at least 1/8-inch deep. The fat is ready when a pinch of flour sizzles. Cook the fish for two to three minutes per side, until golden. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately, with lemon wedges.