We’re big proponents of making seafood a dietary staple (learn more about what makes good seafood here). But don’t just take our word for it…Meet Andrew. Andrew Gruel, owner of the Slapfish restaurants in California, is also passionate about sustainable seafood. He believes it should be enjoyed both in restaurants and at home. But did you know that currently about two-thirds of all seafood in America is eaten outside the home? That’s why we asked Andrew, a true seafood guru, to help us bust some of the most common myths that prevent people from cooking it at home. Here’s what he said:
Myth: Fish is smelly
Truth: “If the fish is high quality, it won’t be smelly, even when you cook it. When you’re buying seafood, get up close and smell it. If it smells fresh and like salt water, then it’s good. If it smells fishy, don’t buy it. It’s that simple.”
Myth: Frozen fish is bad
Truth: “This is probably the biggest misconception in the entire food industry. The truth is, almost all fish has been frozen—in fact, most wild seafood is frozen within 10 seconds of being caught. You know that tuna at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo that’s sold for $300 a pound to the best sushi restaurants in the world? Even that’s been frozen. Freezing absolutely does not affect the quality of the fish—all it’s doing is pressing the pause button on time.”
Myth: It’s hard to know what fish is sustainable
Truth: “Make sure the fish is certified by a reputable non profit or NGO or comes from a farm with a strong reputation. Both farmed and wild seafood have a rightful place in the sustainable food system. Aquaculture, or fish farming, when highly regulated, is a great thing. We’re not afraid to eat farmed vegetables, and we shouldn’t be afraid to eat farmed seafood.”
Myth: It’s hard to cook fish correctly
Truth: “The reason people often struggle to cook fish at home is because they’re trying to use the same techniques they’d use on other meats. We’re so used to aggressively cooking meat at high temps. But seafood is very delicate and should be cooked with that in mind. By it’s nature, it reacts best to low temp cooking. Try lightly poaching or gently roasting fish with herbs and aromatics for a delicious flavor.”
