crab

Among all the ways to celebrate the holidays, we can't help but be partial to the Mediterranean tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a seafood-centric dinner that takes place on Christmas Eve. Where we come from, any celebration is a good excuse to eat fish, and so come Christmastime we make a point to get in touch with our Italian side.

It's easy to eat fish, but not always easy to know what fish to choose, so we're offering up recommendations for a sustainable seafood feast. We planned this meal with special consideration for the hard-working independent fishermen that brave the seas to bring us our fish, and so each of our choices represents a fishing community worthy of our support and recognition.

Our hope this holiday season is that whether you're preparing a multi-course meal or a humble supper, sustainable and traceable seafood becomes a staple in your kitchen.

1) Atlantic Pollock from Portland, Maine

Though Atlantic Cod has seen hard times, there's plenty of sustainable species still swimming in the Gulf of Maine. One is Atlantic Pollock. A close cousin of Cod, our fisherman friend Terry Alexanderdescribes it as "a good eatin' fish." Best of all, this under-appreciated species drives profit back to traditional New England fishing communities.

2) Squid from Point Judith, Rhode Island

We love a good calamari, but why fry up the tasteless imported squid proliferating the marketplace when you could eat local? Frying up a sustainably managed fresh squid from the waterfront village of the Port of Galilee is a surefire way to rediscover a classic dish.

3) Blue Crab from Cambridge, Maryland

J.M. Clayton is the oldest working crab house in the country. During blue crab season, the fifth-generation family business picks thousands of pounds of crabs bought directly from Chesapeake watermen. No one does it better, and we wouldn't imagine getting our crab elsewhere.

4) Mahi-Mahi from Beaufort, North Carolina

Rapid growing and fast breeding, Atlantic mahi-mahi in many ways epitomizes the perfect sustainable fish. They're abundant along the East Coast, especially in the Mid-Atlantic off of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras, where the Labrador and Gulf Stream currents converge to create a wall of water that's ideal for fishing.

5) Gulf White Shrimp from Port St. Joe, Florida

Wild-caught domestic shrimp gets our vote for the fifth course of our fishy feast. Gulf Shrimp is unmatched in sweet, briny flavor and caught sustainably using special by-catch reduction devices. We especially favor the shrimp landing at Wood's Fisheries in Port St. Joe, Florida, a thriving family-run dock that welcomes the Gulf's best shrimping vessels.

6) American Red Snapper from Destin, Florida

American Red Snapper is one of our favorite fishery comeback stories. A mere decade ago the Gulf fishing community was in trouble due to poorly managed fish stocks and an influx of imported seafood. Now the fishery is sustainably managed using individual fishing quotas (IFQs), and Florida fisherman land abundant American Red Snapper four or five days a week.

7) Pacific Cod from Homer, Alaska

A sustainable alternative to Atlantic Cod on the east coast, Alaska's thriving Pacific Cod fishery is among the best managed in the world. Fishermen harvest Pacific Cod with pots, a method with zero by-catch that does no harm to the sea floor. That's a fish worth eating.

The State Department is deploying a new, elite force in international diplomacy. More than 50 top chefs from across the nation were inducted into the first-ever American Chef Corps on Friday. The State Department will use food as a bridge across cultures. With all of the conflicting interests in our ever more diverse world, it is always good to break tension by breaking bread. Sea to Table partnered with celebrity chef Amanda Freitag at the event, where she served a red, white, and blue plate : red sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay, wild white shrimp from Florida, and Chesapeake blue crab. Patriotic and delicious work well together.

We think this a big deal for the cultural power of food. Speaking of big, at opening day at UMass-Amherst, Ken Toong and his team went big when they prepared and served a world record 6658 pound sustainable seafood stew. And folks at this year’s Maryland state fair were treated to a 300 pound crabcake, another world record.

There have not been any reports of world records, but great schools of swordfish have arrived at Hudson Canyon off Montauk, NY. The rebuilt Atlantic Wild Swordfish stock is a shining example of a successful global conservation effort. Beautiful fish are now landing daily and should be with us through October. Now is the time to support our swordfishermen.

Heritage Radio Network is throwing a party this afternoon starting at 5PM at Robertas in Brooklyn. Evan Hanzcor will be serving our Bristol Bay sockeye at what should be a pretty good time.

The passing of Labor Day marks the beginning of the new fall season. Sea to Table is most excited to introduce three new team members; Camilla Abder, Travis Riggs and Lindsay Haas. Talk to us about planning new fall menus with beautiful seafood, next day from docks across America.

Sun was shining brightly in beautiful Beaufort, NC this week, and I was lucky enough to spend a day with Jack Cox and other fishermen there. Jack is a member of the South Atlantic Management Council and is most concerned with an inability to implement the catch-shares programs that have been benefitting traditional fishing communities around the nation. Still operating under the old “derby” style system, the Carolina grouper/snapper complex is closed to fishing until May 1. “I can’t make enough money to pay for gas keeping only trigger and amber” said F/V Sea Mint Captain James Holden, whose Lumbee ancestors have fished these waters for centuries. “I won’t even go back out until May”. Until then Captain Mike Santos of the F/V Iron Maiden will land summer flounder, and we will see a steady supply of sword and tuna from two boats that will head to their Montauk, NY summer home by June.

On our way home we visited the Raleigh/Durham area, home to a vibrant, growing food scene. We met a great group of chefs at Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill, where chef Andrea Reusing put her magic touch on some wild Bristol Bay sockeye salmon and some big wild Florida Gulf white shrimp. An impressive group in an impressive place enjoyed some impressive seafood.

Up north in the Gulf of Maine there is renewed concern for the health of Atlantic cod populations. A step in the right direction happened this week when Whole Foods committed to stop selling all “red-listed” fish by Earth Day 2012, a year ahead of schedule.

Just a few years back the Chesapeake blue crab fishery was in trouble, but strict management has lead it back to where they are now seeking MSC certification. Blue crab season opens today, and when you taste Maryland blue crab in comparison with the Asian product that has flooded the market, it makes you doubly glad that it will be around for our grandkids.

Down in Destin, FL, Chatham Morgan reports that in addition to the steady tuna, snapper, and grouper landing there, mullet, mackerel, pompano, cobia and sheepshead are now being caught within a mile of the beach. These delicious, under-utilized, under-appreciated species, next day from the dock, are a true chef’s delight. Your diners deserve them.

The Center for American Progress reported on the top five fish stories of 2011: fisheries management success, pirate fishing, forage fish, fish farming, and sharks. It’s good to see fish in the news.

One story causing concern is a report that the most recent stock assessment of Gulf of Maine Cod was not as strong as it was two years ago. While fishermen are reporting good catches, scientists are worried. Even though the data have not been finalized, NOAA has taken the unusual step of convening a team to meet with fishermen and discuss options. A close cousin of cod, Gulf of Maine Saithe, has been abundant, with this years quota not being met, and next years being increased. It is a great eating fish at an excellent price. And from the Gulf of Alaska, our fishermen are landing Pacific Cod daily.

We are most pleased to now be working with fisherman Chris Lingerman from the Chesapeake Bay fishing community of Rock Hall, MD. Chris and his family are landing Striped Bass, Channel Catfish, and White Perch, and we are able to combine Blue Crab harvested down the road in Cambridge, MD in the same box.

Paul Greenberg wrote this week on the Whitefish’s Burden. And if you happen to be in NYC today, you might want to drop in at the Old Fulton Fish Market where Paul and Sea to Table will help celebrate Wintermarket with an offering of local seafood and wine. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest watershed, whose ecosystem stretches from Virginia to New Jersey. And in historic fishing communities throughout the bay, the Blue Crab, whose scientific name—Callinectes sapidus—translated from Latin means 'beautiful savory swimmer', make up the most important and valuable commercial fishery.

Blue Crab is especially known for its sweet, tender meat. Native Americans for centuries living on the Delmarva Peninsula took pleasure in eating these crustaceans, and introduced the European settlers to them. Early treaties included provisions for the rights of Native Americans for “Hunting, Crabbing, Fowling, and Fishing”. After years suffering stock declines, strict management rules on the harvesting of mature females known as “sooks” and males called "jimmies" have allowed blue crab populations to return to the highest levels in 20 years. They are caught by small independent fishermen using trotlines, and brought to the picking house for processing.

The focus of the bay fishing communities is the crab picking house, and JM Clayton in Cambridge, MD has been a landmark for 5 generations. We are proud to be working with the Brooks family in shipping both fresh and pasteurized fresh picked crabmeat in various picks to mix and match in one pound containers in 12 pound cases.

It is remarkable to compare the flavor of a Maryland Blue Crab with the meat of a pond-raised Asian cousin that has been flooding the market over the past few years. And Chesapeake watermen feel pretty strongly that “Maryland crabcake with Asian crab just ain’t right”.

Beautiful fish are landing at all of our docks. Enjoy the glorious fall season.