The Dish on Fish - edibleboston.com

by Clare Leschin-Hoar

When chef Chris Parsons decided to add fresh sardines to the menu at his Winchester-based seafood restaurant Catch, he had to slip them into his tasting menu lineup, or send them out as treats from the kitchen to his regular customers. He was certain the restaurant wouldn’t sell enough of the sardines to list them as an entrée or appetizer on their own, a status frequently given to more familiar fish like yellowfin tuna or salmon.

Never mind that sardines are actually tasty, that they’re capable of reproducing rapidly, that they are jam-packed with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, or that they would very likely be the most sustainable choice on Parsons’ menu that evening. The fact is, the sardines were a hard sell, while the Norwegian farm-raised salmon was not.

As a business owner, it’s a dilemma that Parsons faces each time he chooses what fish will appear on his menu. It’s a balancing act between what’s best for his 48-seat restaurant and his ability to make customers’ mouths water, versus what environmentalists tell us could be harmful to fish stocks and the health of our oceans.

READ MORE