London Restaurant News

Fishy Business

Gary Blake
LondonEats.com

Wednesday, September 03, 2003

What Should Be On And Off Your Dish(y)

Fishy Business

Try some new fish you haven’t had before – we guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised

LondonEats.com

Over the past few years, there have been several news articles published warning of the perils over fishing and over eating of certain types of fish. But, rarely do we get told specifically which types of fish to avoid and which to try an alternative. This is why LondonEats.com has compiled a list with the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to give the public a no nonsense guide.

Fresh Fish On the subject of farming; there are pros and cons to this. Advantages include cheaper fish and not endangering wild fish species. But disadvantages include issues surrounding waste produced from intensive farming and arguably the lack of flavour in a farmed fish.

As a consumer, we have little control over the size of fish or seafood being caught and where it is netted, but by choosing carefully which fish we buy at the supermarket, fishmonger or order in a restaurant – we can make a difference.

Our general advice is: Try some new fish you haven’t had before – we guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.

Fish To Avoid:
Atlantic Cod – over fished, over priced
Wild Atlantic Salmon –numbers are in decline however it is very popular in the UK and is farmed intensively
Shark – some species are endangered – avoid shark-fin soup at all costs
Dogfish
European Hake (cousin of Cod) – try South African Hake as an alternative
Ray, Skate and North Atlantic Halibut
European Seabass
Marlin
Monkfish – it may be trendy, but only the tail of a monkfish is used and there are declining numbers of mature females
Sturgeon
Any deep-sea fish

Fish To Seek:
Saithe (Coley) and Pollack– good alternatives to Cod
Haddock – from the same family as Cod (ie a flaky fish), but arguably superior to Cod
Tuna (dolphin friendly caught only), King Fish and Swordfish – meaty fish
Herring, Mackerel, Sardines – oily fish are healthy - Herring is old British favourite due to be rediscovered including Kippers
Turbot, Lemon Sole, Plaice, Dover Sole, Halibut – flat fish with Dover Sole being the King
Mullet, Bream, John Dory, Red Snapper and Sea Bass (farmed) – round fish that are appearing on more and more menus
Salmon – mostly farmed (even Atlantic Salmon)
Trout – mostly farmed (especially Rainbow Trout), but wild fresh water and sea trout are considered the best tasting fish around
Brown Crab, Clam, Cockle, Langoustine, Lobster (not egg bearing females), Mussel, Oyster, Scallop

London Newsfeeds