by Liz Scott

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I love fish! Salmon, shrimp, even rainbow trout make for some of my favorite meals. I also care about the fisheries, and whether the seafood I’m buying is good for me. But the endless conflicting reports about sustainable seafood can get confusing. Is organic farmed salmon an acceptable substitute for the severely restricted wild California chinook salmon (also known as king salmon), or should I buy Alaskan wild salmon? Are local fishermen honestly catching rock cod and halibut using sustainable methods? Can I eat shrimp from anywhere and feel good about it?

The short answer is this: If you want your seafood to salve your conscience as well as stimulate your taste buds, you’re going to have to pay attention. These issues are complicated and ever-changing.

A good place to get updates on your own favorite fish is the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program. Perhaps the most useful of Seafood Watch’s many documents are the Pocket Guides — printable or printed guides you can carry with you to the grocery store, the sushi bar, or your favorite cooked-fish restaurant.

Salmon

Salmon, or lack thereof, has made plenty of news in California in the last couple of years. Because no local salmon is available these days, the choices at most grocery stores run     to farmed Atlantic or wild Alaskan salmon. According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, wild-caught Alaskan salmon is  always the best option.

Tuna

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Tuna are a complicated school of fish. It’s tough to keep up with the tuna-fishing issues these days — it’s not just a matter of a “dolphin safe” label on the side of the can anymore. Was the canned tuna caught in Malaysia or Indonesia? What method was used to wild-catch the sushi-grade ahi glimmering ruby-colored in the seafood case: pole-and-line or purse seine? (And what is a purse seine, anyhow?)

As a rule, try to buy tuna that’s been caught in U.S. or Canadian waters. Be aware that most albacore tuna has high mercury levels. Bluefin tuna has been overfished worldwide, but yellowfin caught in the U.S. Atlantic waters makes a good alternate choice.

Halibut

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Sadly, the local California halibut that’s fished off our own coastline is not the best choice available though it’s not the worst, either. Purchasing from a local fisherman who’s used a hook-and-line works well. So does  buying frozen Alaskan halibut, which boasts the advantage of a well-monitored fishery.

Crab

Great news! The local Dungeness crab fishery is rigorously monitored, the traditional crab traps do not do much damage to the seafloor environment, and Seafood Watch green-lights the delectable Dungeness as a best choice.

Dungeness season traditionally   begins in December on the San Mateo Coast, but you can start planning your crab feed and party now.

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Shrimp

Shrimp cocktail and shrimp salad lovers are in luck — the little pink “salad shrimp” exemplify a sustainable shrimp fishery if they come from Oregon, and rate as a “good alternative” from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada.

Tiger prawns, either black or white, are not such a good option, whether farmed or wild-caught. If you must eat prawns, stick with “spot shrimp” caught in British Columbia or on the United States Pacific Coast.

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Sweet Citrus Poached Salmon

This recipe works well with any type of salmon filet. For the most sustainable dinner, spring for juicy wild-caught Alaskan salmon.

2 cups chicken stock or fish stock

2 cups water

1½ cups white wine

3 tablespoons sweet lemon or sweet orange marmalade

Ground black pepper to taste

Medium-large salmon filet (1 to 1½ pounds)

Put all ingredients except the salmon into a large saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, let boil 10 minutes. Add the salmon filet and turn the heat down to medium-low, so the liquid simmers without boiling hard. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the salmon is just opaque all the way through. Drain the salmon thoroughly and either serve whole on a platter or divide into pieces to serve on plates.

Serves 4