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Quick & EasyBy Beverly Barbour
Do not eat Chilean seabass!Take a pass when you see Chilean Sea Bass on a menu or in your grocery store. Not because the fish is bad, but because it is so good that it is literally being fished into extinction. "Chilean" Sea Bass is a commercial name for the Patagonian toothfish. When it was first imported about ten years ago from Chilean waters, it was given a more consumer friendly name and soon proved to be very popular. In 1986 a large number of the fish were discovered to be living around Antarctica. At that time it was estimated that there was "well in excess of 60,000 metric tons" of the toothsome fish. IN 12 SHORT YEARS THE CHILEAN SEA BASS BECAME AN ENDANGERED SPECIES. By 1999 scientists estimated the population at less than 25,000 metric tons and it has declined at an accelerated rate since then. To make matters even more chilling, because the majority of remaining Chilean Sea Bass live in Antarctic waters they reproduce and grow more slowly than in more nurturing environments. It takes eight years for a fish to mature down there. Since most of these fish are caught by dragging long lines, each with a series of hooks baited with smaller fish, the hungry albatross are also endangered. The birds upon seeing lunch waiting for them, dive down, swallow a hook and are dragged under water to their deaths. APPROXIMATELY 200,000 SEABIRDS, PRIMARILY WANDERING ALBATROSSES, ARE KILLED EACH YEAR by fleets in search of Chilean Sea Bass. Both the birds and the fish are victims of our greed. Fifty percent of the Chilean Sea Bass being consumed is going to Japan, twenty five percent to the USA (much of it comes to us via Canada), ten percent goes to the European Community and fifteen percent to the rest of the world. We have good alternatives to this fish, alternatives that either are being farm- raised or are not endangered. SAFE ALTERNATIVES TO CHILEAN SEA BASSAtlantic "Striper" Cod A young chef, Parke Ulrich, who works at one of San Francisco's finest seafood restaurants, Farallon, (the restaurant has taken Chilean Sea Bass off of its menu) came up with a delicious appetizer made with anything but Chilean Sea Bass. He serves the dish in Chinese soupspoons but it could be served on lettuce leaves as a first course, or in two small dishes with the Tartare in one dish and the Lemon Coulis (sauce) in another. BASS TARTARE WITH LEMON COULISAs with all recipes, adapt this to ingredients you can find. The chef uses Meyer Lemons which are small, juicy and quite sweet, but others can be substituted. The acid in the lemon juice actually "cooks" the raw fish. Try it, you'll like it! 8 oz. (approximately 1 fish) black bass, small dice Mix fish, chili pepper, cilantro and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and rind; mix well. Place fish in shallow bowl. Garnish with fresh mint when available. Spoon Meyer Lemon Coulis around fish. Or serve small portions on lettuce leaves, on crackers, or in soupspoons. Makes 4 appetizer servings. MEYER LEMON COULISOther juicy lemons can be used. This is a good way to use extra egg yolks. 3 egg yolks Put egg yolks and juice from the lemons in a bowl and whisk. Slowly cook the mixture in a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, while whisking. Cook until mixture is almost at a ribbon stage when you slowly pour from a spoon. Thin slightly with milk and season with salt and pepper. Add a little sugar if needed. Makes about l/2 cup. MUSTARD-CRUSTED SALMONDelicious and quick. Serve it with rice, pasta or steamed potatoes2 pounds (4 pieces) salmon Rinse and dry fish. Place pieces, skin side down, on oiled broiler pan. Saute garlic in butter about 3 minutes; drizzle butter over salmon fillets, leaving garlic in pan. Broil salmon 2 to 3 inches from heat for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, mix mustard and wine with sauteed garlic. Remove from oven; spoon mustard mixture evenly over fillets. Return to oven; broil until crust is golden brown and fish is barely opaque in thickest part (cut to test), 4 to 6 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges. Makes 4 to 5 servings..
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