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Good Catch and Star Chefs Serve Up Sustainable Alternatives

Chef Adam Whittle of Billingsgate Seafood Training School showed workshop attendees what under-loved fish could become the catch of the day during a filleting demonstration. Ethical Eats

Hospitality experts both in the UK and in the U.S predicted sustainable seafood as a key food trend for 2011, an idea being cemented in consumers’ minds thanks to “Fish Fight.” These UK TV shows, led by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, are seeking ways bycatch can be used instead of wasted, fighting shark finning and promoting sustainable alternatives to traditional fare from the ocean.

To help the culinary sector ride the wave of healthy businesses and healthy seas, Good Catch and Ethical Eats conducted a workshop on March 2, 2011, at the Billingsgate Seafood Training School that covered “All You Ever Wanted to Know About Seafood Sustainability But Were Afraid to Ask.” The event featured presentations about the environmental problems of seafood and provided restaurateurs, caterers and chefs a guide to the practical steps to take to improve seafood sustainability in their businesses plus alternative species to offer their customers. Good Catch, a joint project of the Marine Conservation Society, the Marine Stewardship Council, SeaWeb’s Seafood Choices and Sustain, is helping the culinary sector navigate the often complex subject of seafood sustainability.

Billingsgate chefs demonstrated some alternative species recipes that can help them mix up their menus. Ethical Eats

The “Fish Fight” campaign associated with the TV show has been helping to guide UK taste buds towards less-known sustainable fish options rather than just the standard five favorites of cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns. On TV, chef Jamie Oliver cooked coley, dab and pouting and Hugh’s Fish Fight team launched their campaign encouraging chippies (fish and chips restaurants) to show some love to a great British fish by serving “mackerel baps” instead of cod.

Like Hugh, Jamie and company, “Mix Up the Menu” is one of Good Catch’s top tips, so the workshop introduced some tasty alternatives to tickle the taste buds. An early morning market tour gave a feel for the sheer variety of fish available to UK buyers. Later in the day, staff from the Billingsgate Seafood Training School led a filleting session and a blind taste test of six different species that were supplied by Direct Seafoods. Stripped of any preconceptions, many attendees were enthused by the flavors of the less familiar fish species such as bib (or pouting), flounder and dab and raved about the vibrancy of flavor in the Pacific salmon, the meatiness of the red gurnard and the clean taste and flaky texture of the coley (far too good for the family cat!).

A blind tasting of less commonly used species sparked lots of new menu ideas. Ethical Eats

A new campaign that’s championing good fish choices also excited the workshop attendees. Inspired by the seafood sustainability commitment of the 2012 Olympics, London is striving to become the first “Sustainable Fish City.” Residents and industry leaders are lending their voices of support to the initiative, with businesses pledging to specify sustainable fish in their catering contracts and menus and to promote sustainable fish to their customers. The Sustainable Fish City’s goal is for all of London's boroughs and large food businesses, including fish suppliers, to serve sustainable fish by 2012. Sustainable Fish City supporters are being encouraged to improve their seafood sourcing through the principle "avoid the worst, promote the best and improve the rest." During the workshop, five businesses pledged their support for the Sustainable Fish City campaign, joining the strong list of existing supporters, including D&D London restaurant group, Leon, Wahaca and Feng Sushi).

With more and more chefs wanting to know how they can do their bit, there was a real hunger for information, as Richard Bell from the Three Stags in South London commented: “I found the event extremely helpful. It’s essential that we, the catering trade, are all as well informed as possible about sustainability issues and these events are a great reminder to us all of where our food comes from. They can help drive our individual passions for the issues, and pass them on to our customers. I, for one, am most proud to be a part of the solution.”

At the end of the workshop, attendees shared ideas over a lunch of kedgeree (a rice curry dish, made with smoked coley instead of haddock) and noted the improvements they each planned to make in their own businesses. Trying out new species was the top action for many people, with one attendee saying “I’m already planning menu changes. Today has really helped broaden my horizons.” Sourcing from Marine Stewardship Council–certified fish and using its ecolabel was another action many business saw as having real potential for helping the traceability of their sourcing and being a great way to promote good menu options.

The next Good Catch event will be held on April 11, 2011. Participants will visit the Mersea Island Oyster Fishery in Essex, United Kingdom. The event will focus on oysters and shellfish but include a wider discussion and tasting of under-loved fish.

Download the Sustainable Fish City Top Ten fish swaps >>

See more photos from the Good Catch workshop at Billingsgate >>

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