Dilemma

Knowledge is power, certainly, but knowledge can also stymie you at the fish counter at Whole Foods.  I used to feel really proud when I bought fish.  I'm fortifying my body with omega-3s!  I'm eating the good fats!  I'm introducing my kids to a healthier form of protein!

But with overfishing and polluted waters and fish farms and trying to eat more locally, I find myself anxious.  There are oodles of resources out there for those who want to take the time to educate themselves, and I've made use of some of them.  I really should put another Seafood Watch Guide in my wallet.  I had one until about a month ago, but then I cleaned out my wallet and must have tossed it.

Never, ever clean out your wallet.

When I bought the tuna, I should have thoroughly grilled the man at the fish counter.  Part of me figured, 'It's Whole Foods, so it has to be environmentally friendly, right?'  I mean, right?  It's Whole Foods!  But according to the well-reputed blog Chews Wise, Greenpeace gave all the supermarkets whose fish programs it analyzed a failing rating.  Even Whole Foods.

Here's what I found out about the tuna, after the fact: looks like it was either a) the best choice; b) a good choice; or c) something to avoid, depending on how (troll? pole? handline? longline?) and where (Atlantic? Hawaii? Worldwide?) it was caught. 

So I either got an A+, a B, or an F.

Oy.

I feel kind of bad saying this without knowing if I acted responsibly, but it still tasted really good.

...

Recipe for Grilled Ahi with Yellow Tomato and Avocado Relish

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3/4 to 1 pound wild ahi tuna steak ("searing grade") (about 1" thick)
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, diced
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 large yellow heirloom tomato, diced
1-1/2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1/2 teaspoon minced jalapeno, or more to taste, optional

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Massage 2 teaspoons of olive oil into tuna.  Season generously with salt and pepper.

When grill is very hot, lay tuna on well-oiled grates.  Sear for about 6 minutes over direct heat: 2 minutes on the first side, then 2 on the flip side, then 2 on the first side again to get cross-hatch grill marks, if this is important to you.  Watch the side of the fish very carefully.  It's done when you can still see a bright band of red along the center.  (Grill more or less according to your preferred degree of doneness, but 6 minutes still leaves a nice rare center.)

In a small bowl, mix together the avocado, lime juice, tomato, onion, and jalapeno, if using.  Sprinkle with coarse salt, additional pepper, and the remaining teaspoon of olive oil.

Slice tuna. Serve with relish.

printable pdf

Comments

[Yukari]

I believe that Whole Foods strives hard to only sell sustainable seafood. For example, I know that on the East Coast they are only selling sashimi/sushi quality tuna that is from yellowfin tuna. Compared to bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna is available in more abundance.

Question your fishmonger. He/she should know about what is being sold at the counter. I have found in the NYC region the seafood staff at Whole Foods to be very knowledgeable.

And, the benefits from Omega-3 fatty acids outweigh any concerns that you may have from mercury...

[Heather]

Is it likely that the fish guy behind the counter at the supermarket would have any idea how the fish was caught? I mean - they might know that it was caught in Atlantic waters but I wouldn't have any faith that they would know longpole from trolling.

I understand that life is far more complicated than is convienient but honestly, these are the moments when I think that I truly have more things to do than analyse every single thing that I eat, buy, wear, smell, recycle, store food in or walk near. I can't possibly manage it all and no matter what I try to do, some authority from up high shames me in print for doing what I've been doing, generally with an attitude that I should already have known better (you used hard plastic bottles to feed your babies...??!! Did you mean to give them cancer?).

Tuna is lovely and has good fat - feed it to your boys and know you're doing a good thing as best you can.

Especially if it's covered in that lovely tomato, avocado and jalapeno salsa.

[Charmian Christie]

I have the same dilemma with salmon. Living in Ontario, I know it won't be local, but where did it come from? Who knows? We don't have a fish monger in town, so questioning the high school student behind the counter won't help. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

And that tuna looks blissful!

[Ken Peterson]

Thanks for caring enough to make the effort.

You can call up a Seafood Watch pocket guide on the spot if you have a mobile device with an internect connection (Blackberry, iPhone, etc.). Enter www.seafoodwatch.org and you'll get the pocket guides formatted for your device.

Ken Peterson, Monterey Bay Aquarium

[Heather Walker]

So I open the Boston Globe this morning and there was a huge article in the Food section about salmon and the horrors of farm-raised salmon and all the contaminants and synthetic pigments that are found in them. It also seems that 90% of salmon sold is far-raised. So, what 's a girl to do?

And THEN I turned to the lifestyles section and there was a section entitled "Fishing for Sustainability" which talks about the exact same issues we're talking about in your blog! It says that if you've forgotten your pocket guide, but have your blackberry handy, look up the Blue Ocean Institute's FishPhone (fishphone.org), text FISH (and name of questionable fish to 30644 and they'll let you know if it's eco-friendly or if you should back away from the fish counter.
Cheryl you are one timely gal!

[Cheryl]

Yukari, I generally find Whole Foods the most knowledgeable as well, which is why I tend to buy all my fresh fish there. I guess that's why it surprised me that Greenpeace still gave it low marks overall. That said, I went directly to the GP website and looked up the comparative scorecard for California supermarkets. Whole Foods and Wild Oats both scored higher than the other markets, but they each received an overall sustainability ranking of only 36.5 out of 100. I'm not saying GP is the final arbiter on issues like this, but it's still somewhat shocking.

Heather, I completely understand your frustration, as it was my own sense of "I can never do the right thing no matter how hard I try" that inspired this post. We all have to choose those issues that are most important to us. Because I make my career as a professional food writer, I may grapple with these issues more than your average Joe. I guess all we can ask of ourselves is to do our best, however we define "best" according to our own ethics and, ultimately, our own priorities.

Charmian, thanks. I think the high school fishmonger is more common than not. That's why, as you no doubt know, it can be important to do our own research, even if the results are less than crystal clear.

Ken, thanks so much for stopping by. After posting yesterday I did download a fresh guide and it's happily occupying its own corner of my ever expanding wallet. I'm personally grateful for the excellent work that Seafood Watch has done in trying to make these issues comprehensible for the rest of us, even if our learning curve is somewhat steep.

Ah, Heather, you give me too much credit. Foodie circles have been debating this stuff for a while. And Ken's organization (the Monterey Bay Aquarium, located just south of me) just held a huge conference to educate chefs and the national media on seafood sustainability issues. You'll undoubtedly continue to read about this stuff in the press more and more.

Sorry for the long reply.

[Sarah]

You're definitely not alone in this dilemma. I love the Monterey Bay Aquarium's guide and don't know what I'd do without it either! But when life hands you tuna, this recipe is a very nice way to deal with it :)

[Trisha]

Funny -- I finally just found my Seafood Watch guide when I cleaned out my wallet!

[Cheryl]

Sarah, it's always nice to know I'm not alone. Thanks for stopping by!

Trisha, excellent! Go buy some fish before you lose it again. (Or maybe that's just me.)