Questions, questions, questions for the eco-correct and health-conscious fish and seafood consumer. Too many questions, actually. "Sustainable shrimp," my ass.

Lexus liberals in Berkeley can pay dollars per pound more for "eco-friendly" "trap caught" shrimp if they want. I'll get what's tasted good before, for a good price. Whether it's from Asia (bad, bad, bad Asians "threaten habitats" around coastal shrimp farms) or Louisiana (bad, bad, bad redneck shrimpers may "threaten habitats" around shrimp farms, but probably not as bad as the bad, bad, bad Asians).

My ethical guide to buying fish and seafood:

If it tastes good and the price is fair, I'm there. I have a moral obligation to get the best deal for myself and my family.

Health issues: don't harvest seafood at Red Tide. Don't eat catch from Duwamish River, Chicago River, East River.

Other salient observations:

Farmed salmon tastes lousy, I always prefer wild.

Farmed catfish and trout taste good.

Best seafood ever: some oysters gathered on the shores of Hood Canal and later oven roasted at 450 degrees on a cookie sheet, just about 10 minutes, until the shells opened. Lemon, tabasco.

Or the West Indies crab cocktail, which I first had in Mobile, Alabama. Some high quality, cooked fresh crab meat gets chilled, then doused with fresh lime juice. That's it.

As long as we're on the subject of seafood, tell me what rocks your boat.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at May 11, 2005 11:43 AM

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