sustainable

back in the day eating more fish was pretty much always considered a good thing. now not so much. you have to worry about how fish are being caught, overfishing, mercury levels, among other things. while frustrating at times, it's the reality we have to live with.

so with that in mind i made two dishes today that fit squarely in the sustainable dinner category. first up - mussels steamed in a leek and beer broth. virtually all mussels you buy are farmed. according to the Monterey Bay Acquarium Seafood Watch mussel farming is environmentally sound. mussels do not rely on fishmeal or fish oil as part of their diet and since diseases are rare, antibiotics and chemicals aren't necessary. furthermore the farming operation often benefits the surrounding marine habitat. not only that, but they grow quickly and easily and are thus very cheap for us. add to that the fact that they cook in about 3 minutes, and you've got yourself a winner.

the only other thing you need to worry about is how you're going to cook them. usually steaming them open in a tasty broth made of beer or wine works extremely well. today i used leeks, spanish chorizo, celery, garlic, chilies, canned tomatoes and parsley. cook everything together for 5-10 minutes and then add in your mussels. as soon as they open up, dinner is served!

next up we have sardines. these little guys aren't exactly popular eats these days, but they should be. sardines are plentiful, especially in the pacific where the stock is in the boom part of a 30-40 year boom and bust cycle. they're almost always caught in the wild, so there aren't any negative environmental farming implications, there aren't any significant bycatch issues, and they are full of things that are good for you - omega 3 oils, vitamin b12, and lots of other things that i am clueless about. bottom line is they taste great and just like mussels, they're dirt cheap. i paid $1.99/lb for the ones i bought today. 

to prepare them, i decided to simply "cook" them with a little lemon and then cover them in oil with some garlic and chilies overnight. this should make a tasty appetizer tomorrow night. to prepare, i simply cut off their little heads, cleaned out their guts, took out the bones, and rinsed the fillets. this would take a while if i were feeding an army, but doing 10 fish only took 10 minutes. you can also have your fishmonger do this, though i think its nice to do as much as possible yourself. in my case, the fish had already been scaled, so i did avoid that step.

once you have the fillets, you can cover them with a bit of lemon of vinegar for 30 minutes to "cook" the fish. when the fillets turn opaque, you know you're ready. at this point you could eat them as is, but if you want to save em for later and add a bit more flavor in the process, then wipe them dry and put them in a container covered with some oil and herbs/spices. i used a mix of olive and canola oils, along with one half clove of garlic and a bit of sarano chili (you dont want to overpower the flavor of the fish, so go easy). the whole thing took maybe 45 minutes, but most of that time was just spent watching tv while the fish marinated. i did taste a little of the fish and as expected it was delicious. the lemon marinade cuts right through the oiliness of the fish and i'm hoping the garlic and chili will add some nice subtle heat. guess i'll find out tomorrow!