Something fishy going on

You may have read an article or two of late that discusses fish fraud – it seems that a frighteningly large percentage of the fish you see on display in supermarkets is mislabeled. This makes cooking with fish a dicey proposition, especially so if your recipe calls for a specific variety with which you are not familiar. Finding a reputable fishmonger is your best bet, but if that is not an option, there are some resources you can use to up the chances your dish -will turn out well even if you can’t find the exact species called for in the recipe.

First up is a “cheat sheet” for fish substitutes from Epicurious. The good news is that mislabeled fish is often (although not always) similar in cooking characteristics to its false label. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that size matters: if a recipe calls for thick salmon fillets, any substitute should be similar in thickness or you could end up with over- or under-cooked fish, an outcome no one wants.

The second is a link from the Epicurious article to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. The aquarium posts a guide to sustainability, which takes into account which fisheries are currently being overfished and which have more ample reserves, so you can make educated choices on substitutes. The guide is updated monthly, so it is alwyas a good idea to check this before heading to the market.

A couple of fishmongers also provide guidance for how to spot mislabeled fish. It’s important to do a little homework before you head out the door, they say, so you know which fish is in season. That way if you spot something labeled ‘fresh wild caught’, if you know it isn’t the season for that fish you know something is, well, fishy about that claim. Speaking of homework, the Environmental Defense Fund has assembled a seafood guide that explains the various ways fish can be harvested, and what to look for on the label to assure that you are getting what you want.

Photo of Whole fish with lime salsa verde from A Good Appetite at The New York Times by Melissa Clark