America's Favorite Seafood

Salmon, shrimp, and tuna are America’s three most consumed seafoods.

I used to like salmon. For years it was my go-to menu choice, not even realizing it was farmed. Then on my first trip to Seattle, I ordered wild king salmon. It was a revelation, tasting unlike anything I had eaten before. Now between genetic engineering, disease, and pollution, I just can’t eat farmed salmon. Reports of resurging wild salmon populations off California, and the threat up in Bristol Bay remind us that the need to support wild salmon fisheries has never been greater. Wild salmon season is coming soon, and the best way to support them is to eat them.

I can no longer eat shrimp without asking where they came from. Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture reports that ‘shrimp have been dying in masses’ from farms ‘seriously polluted with high pesticide residues’. With over 90% of America’s shrimp imported, this is not very good news. Thankfully some chefs are getting the message, like Farm 255’s Whitney Otawka who sources wild for her shrimp and grits.

I have eaten my share of tuna sandwiches, but these days can’t help thinking about how they are caught. With imports skyrocketing from the Eastern Pacific, the FDA has begun stopping yellowfin shipments for histamine concerns. These days yellowfin tuna are scarce with prices rising, and we are lucky to work with line-caught tuna boats in Destin, FL, Beaufort, NC, and Montauk, NY, allowing our chefs a steady supply.

Sea to Table is featured in the March issue of Food Arts magazine. Makes us proud.