Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
When I started this little essay it was my intention to tell you everything you need to know about farm raised salmon, culminating in a definitive conclusion and sound advice on how to buy the good stuff - fish that is sustainable, ecologically responsible and not chocked full of things found in your medicine cabinet. Turns out that it's not that simple.
Fish farming has been around for a long time, as much as 6,000 years according to archeologists in Australia. More than a thousand years ago the earliest Hawaiians were revered as the finest fish farmers in the Pacific. Legend has it that the ponds they used were built by the Menehunes, little people that lived deep in the forest, far from human eyes. To this day remnants of these ponds still exist, and are regarded as cultural treasures.
Up until a few decades ago aquaculture - defined as "the cultivating of aquatic populations under controlled conditions" - really wasn't an issue. The oceans, streams and lakes were quite capable of meeting our demands. But with the increase in population and more importantly, emerging countries that can afford and are looking for a better diet, fish is big business. Couple that with man's tendency to muck up the environment, and aquaculture becomes not just an alternative but a necessity if we're to keep enjoying fish.
Nobody thought twice about farming the heck out of the center of our country until it became The Dust Bowl. And aquaculture in its early stages is having its share of problems.
To begin with, salmon are carnivorous - they eat other fish. Each pound of farmed salmon requires anywhere from 3 to 6 pounds of "fish food" to produce. Not a good return on investment.
Solution? They are working on protein substitutes to lessen the amount of wild fish devoted to feed.
And what goes in must come out. Large commercial farms located in relatively still waters near coastlines produce a lot of waste impacting both the shores and the overall conditions for other creatures living in the area.
Solution? Moving the farms further off shore where natural currents can take care of business. There are even plans to build giant floating pens equipped with GPS systems, computers and little motors to move them out into currents that would then take them to locations around the world. Baby fish would be loaded in Florida, the pen set out to sea, and arriving in say, Hong Kong, full of grown fish, ready to eat.
Then there is the coincidental "genetic engineering" that occurs when man rather than Mother Nature selects which fish to produce in mass quantities. In order to survive eons of unpredictable conditions wild salmon tend to be smaller and breed like crazy. The larger varieties favored by commercial farms obviously eat more but breed less.
The question becomes "how you gonna keep 'em down on the farm?" Things happen like seals or bigger fish ravaging the nets trying to get at the farmed fish. Holes result and the farmed fish escape then breed with the wild fish. Ultimately, the entire population could acquire the less breeding, more eating profile. That would be bad.
Solution? Build better nets.
Some farms are better than others, but it takes some effort to find out. Montereybayaquarium.org has a section called Seafood Watch that rates different species in such categories as health factors, sustainability and ecological impact in addition to country of origin. If you want the rosy side of the story, go to salmonoftheamericas.com. Touting the benefits of farmed fish, they put the silver lining on the Aquarium's cloud.
The best advice I can give you is buy fish from a reputable store. Ask the butcher what's the story on their fish. The more we ask, the more they will be compelled to know.
Grilled Salmon with miso mustard and pickled ginger salsa
serves 8
Miso Mustard
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon wasabi powder
2 ounces dijon mustard
1/2 cup white miso (miso shiro)*
2 ounces rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 ounces Mirin*
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
In a small bowl, whisk the water, wasabi powder and dijon mustard until smooth. In a sauce pan combine the miso, vinegar, mirin, sugar and soy sauce. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Whisk in the mustard-Wasabi mixture. Remove from heat, cool and store in refrigerator. Can be made a couple of days in advance.
*Miso shiro is fermented soybean paste, and will be refrigerated. Mirin is sweet Japanese rice wine. You can find them both in most grocery stores.
Pickled Ginger Salsa
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup jicama, peeled and diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 serrano chili, seeded and minced
1/2 cup pickled ginger, drained and chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped fine
Salt to taste
Combine all of the ingredients in a stainless or glass bowl and toss just to combine. Allow to sit for an hour or so. If making ahead, don't add the cilantro and mint until 30 minutes before service.
Light your grill and get it hot. If you are not using a grill, get a heavy saute pan or skillet fairly hot. Brush your salmon fillet with a little oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on the oiled grill or pan, bone side down. Cook for about 4 minutes then flip it over. Immediately brush with miso mustard. Continue cooking another 4 or 5 minutes until done. It should feel firm but not hard to the touch. Serve with the salsa and a little more miso mustard on the side.
• Brian Shaw and his wife Ardie own Cafe Del Rio in Virginia City.