Following my post on the Sustainable Seafood Festival that’s happening from 8 to 15 June 2014 (read the post here: https://melicacy.com/?p=7320), this post will be dedicated to all the home cooks who want to play a part in supporting the sustainable seafood movement. Learn how to “pick the right catch” and create delicious ocean-friendly dishes.
But first, what does “sustainable seafood” mean? Sustainable seafood can be explained as “seafood from either wild caught or famed sources where the amount harvested can be maintained or increased in the future without endangering the ecosystems from which it was taken.”
WWF recognises the following types of seafood as “sustainable”: Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified seafood, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified seafood, and seafood listed on the green list on the WWF Singapore Seafood Guide.
The Singapore Seafood Guide has been developed by WWF-Singapore to help consumers and businesses make informed choices when buying seafood or dining out, and to encourage the consumption of sustainably harvested seafood in order to help safeguard marine life for future consumption. Small and handy, it fits into a wallet or pocket for easy referencing while shopping or eating out. Download it for free here: http://Picktherightcatch.com/static/downloads/wwf-singapore-seafood-guide.pdf
With the guidance from Chef Lucas Glanville from Grand Hyatt Singapore, cooking with seafood is made simple. Here are three easy recipes you can try at home.
Recipe 1: Tom Yam Pla
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 200g Basa fish
- 12 straw mushrooms
- 2 sticks of lemongrass (beaten with the back of the knife to release the aroma)
- 20g galangal
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 25ml fish sauce
- 25ml lime juice
- 20g sugar
- 2 tbs Thai chilli paste
- 4 chilli (red & green)
- 40g coriander with root
- 100g Thai cherry tomatoes
Method:
1. In a pot, add chicken stock, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, coriander root, Thai cherry tomatoes and straw mushrooms. Gently simmer for 1 hour.
2. Season with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, chilli paste and then bring to the boil. Taste and ensure seasoning is correct.
3. Add Basa fish and cook for 2 minutes on low heat.
4. Remove from heat, serve in a bowl and garnish with red, green chilli and coriander leaves.
Recipe 2: Baked Garlic and Parsley Mussels
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 24 ½ shell green lip mussels
- 1 large peeled garlic clove
- 1 large peeled red shallot
- Handful of Italian parsley leaves
- Zest of a ¼ lemon
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 75g white breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sauce Tarator:
- 100g peeled red peppers
- 2 slices white bread without crust
- 80ml milk
- 40g crushed walnuts
- 1 clove chopped garlic
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. To make the sauce tarator, combine all ingredients into a food processor and blend into a fine paste. Season with salt and pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Refrigerate before serving.
2. To prepare the mussels, combine garlic, shallots, lemon zest and parsley into a food processor and blend into a fine paste.
3. Add the softened butter and pulse. Once all the ingredients are combined, add the breadcrumbs and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Coat each mussel with some of the garlic and parsley butter.
5. Lay them on a baking tray and bake in an oven at 180°C until golden brown.
6. Serve immediately with lemon and sauce tarator on the side.
Recipe 3: Salmon Pastrami and Shaved Fennel Salad with Radish, Lemon and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 x 200g salmon portions
Spice Rub:
- 25g salt
- 25g brown sugar
- 25g coarse black peppercorns
- 15g coriander seeds
- 10g juniper berries
- 5g chilli flakes
Shaved Fennel Salad:
- 2 fennel bulb
- 4 whole red radish
- Picked dill leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Combine all ingredients from the spice rub.
2. Dust the spice rub over the salmon and keep aside.
3. Shave the fennel bulb and radish with the mandolin (or thinly slice them) into a bowl. Add dill leaves, extra virgin olive oil and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
4. Heat a non-stick frying pan, add a little oil and gently sear the salmon for a minute on each side, depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove and place on a plate.
5. Arrange the fennel salad next to the salmon pastrami and drizzle a little olive oil over the salmon.
For more information on sustainable seafood in Singapore, visit picktherightcatch.com
Enjoy cooking! Share your meals and help spread the word on and with the hashtag #picktherightcatch.