Perhaps the greatest miscommunication ever to pass between Man and Earth was the notion that the sea and its resources were a wealth without end. It’s too bad we’re only realizing our naivete now that many fisheries are verging on collapse.
So, what fish are okay to eat and what fish are not? We could go through the list, but the problem remains that most seafood menus are well-crafted recipes for ambiguity; generic terms with no definite meaning, like “cod,” “sea bass” and “snapper,” preclude any hope of knowing exactly what kind of fish one is actually eating. Lax chefs and misinformed staff exacerbate the problem, pushing such over-exploited products as bluefin tuna, often sold as toro and tentatively scheduled for extinction within several years, or Atlantic salmon, only available as a product of open-ocean farms — usually very dirty operations.
But innovators of aquaculture have begun raising barramundi, shrimp, Arctic char and Japanese amberjack (sold as kampachi in restaurants like downtown Hawaiian fusion favorite Roy’s), in clean systems without the use of chemical fertilizers or antibiotics. Several freshwater species, including trout and catfish, are easily raised in non-polluting facilities, as are many shellfish, and such services as Seafood Watch’s well-known color-coding system aids consumers in identifying these “ocean safe” products.
While most restaurants and markets in the Bay Area claim to follow sustainable practices “whenever possible,” several are actually serious about it. We’ve rounded up six such spots where all seafood is truly trustworthy, where you can indulge without worry and where transparency and honesty leave no diner in doubt.
Tataki Sushi and Sake Bar
2815 California Street, 931.1182
This sincere little restaurant opened in March as a rare trailblazer in the booming sushi industry, where buttery bluefin belly marbled with fat is the number-one profit-maker. But Tataki won’t touch the stuff — a noble example we hope others will follow to help spare the bluefin. Tataki also says no to the revered hamachi — a product of dirty farms — while shirking all irresponsible fishing methods and all questionable aquaculture facilities.
Information on fish species and means of harvest are included on the menu as a gesture of transparency, and patrons can read for themselves how Tataki serves no trawled fish, no longlined fish, no farmed shrimp from Asia, no East Coast sea urchin and no other fish of unverified origins. The hiramasu sashimi, Tataki’s delicious answer to hamachi, breaks between the teeth with a crunch before melting like butter on the tongue. Also be sure to try the baked sanma skewers, the Arctic char carpaccio and the grilled New Zealand mussels.
Fish
350 Harbor Drive, Sausalito, 331-fish
331fish.com
This unpretentious crab-shack in Sausalito captains the local fleet in promoting seafood sustainability awareness. Fish buyer and manager Kenny Belov is a loud opponent to farmed salmon, bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod, or any species taken by trawl-nets, gillnets or long-lines. Even the highly hyped kampachi, is a no-no to Belov, who believes no carnivorous fish can be raised sustainably when fed on wild sardines, herring and anchovies. Fish stands by its principles so staunchly that availability is perfectly unpredictable, and the chalkboard menu must be diligently rewritten on a daily basis according to the morning’s deliveries. Entrees run $8 to $25 and include farm-raised tilapia tacos, Tomales Bay barbecued oysters, fish-topped salads, sandwiches and chowder. Eat your fish inside or out, with a mason jar of craft beer, a view of the bay and no guilt at all.
Weird Fish
2193 Mission Street, 863.4744
weirdfishsf.com
This 28-seat restaurant decorated with mermaid memorabilia, fossil fish diagrams and shipwreck glassware focuses on vegan and vegetarian cuisine with room left over for a healthy range of very sustainable fish — much of it farmed in closed-system freshwater facilities free of chemical hormones, fertilizers or antibiotics. Catfish, trout and tilapia dominate the menu, sturgeon appears on occasion and wild Alaskan salmon and line-caught tuna make the odd appearance. Co-owner and fish-buyer Timothy Holt frowns on Chilean sea bass, Atlantic cod, Caribbean lobster and all farmed salmon. His greatest peeve as a fish-buyer is fisheries bycatch. He also disdains trawl nets — and now that you’ve been briefed, go eat. Fish Tacos, Blackened Catfish with Fruit Salsa and Almond-Dijon Encrusted Trout are among the top sellers, but nothing beats the Fish and Chips with tilapia fried in Anchor Steam beer batter.
Flea Street
3607, Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, 650.854.1226
cooleatz.com
If you get that seafood craving in the South Bay, sate yourself at Flea Street. White tablecloths, serene clean ambiance, high-end global comfort foods and a list of all organic wines and beers set the mood while a heartening commitment to serving only seafood that meets high criteria of sustainability delivers the goods. Flea Street carries no salmon but wild, no trawled fish, no Chilean sea bass and no shark, among other untouchables. The list of available species includes farm-raised sturgeon, trout, Arctic char and tilapia, non-trawled scallops, locally trapped Dungeness crab, and shrimp, all sourced from highly scrutinized origins. Proprietor Jesse Cool also owns JZ Cool Eatery and Winebar (650/325.3665; 827 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park), a more casual approach to the same environmentally sound concept.
Monterey Fish Market
1583 Hopkins Street, Berkeley 510.525.0999
montereyfish.com
For those with an itch to cook up some fish, visit Monterey Fish Market, where the lineup features species harvested and farmed in the least offensive means possible. Line-caught yellowfin tuna, rockfish, Alaskan salmon and halibut rest peacefully on ice beside catfish farmed safely in the Deep South. Chilean sea bass and sharks need not apply, though Atlantic salmon from a relatively clean Scottish fish farm comprises 40 percent of the market’s sales. Otherwise, owner Paul Johnson, author of sustainable fisheries cookbook Fish Forever, encourages consumers to direct dollars toward the bottom of the food chain, at low-mercury, fast-growing, naturally abundant species like anchovies, herring, sardines and squid.
Millennium
580 Geary Street (in Hotel California) 345.3900
millenniumrestaurant.com
You probably wouldn’t expect to find seafood at a vegetarian restaurant. But thinking far outside the tank, beloved veggie haven Millennium has incorporated into their menu the most renewable edible resource on the Earth — seaweed and kelp, which may grow an inch per hour in the sunnier months of spring and summer. Chef Eric Tucker promotes a seasonal emphasis on this product, phasing in unusual algae dishes to surprise diners in Millennium’s sexy, upscale environment. Millennium even features wine-seaweed pairing menus. Tucker has found that crisp white wines and zesty Pinot Noirs go remarkably well with sea palms, hijiki and sea lettuce, which tastes like black truffles.
And while we’re on the topic, home cooks can find seaweed both packaged and in bulk at area natural foods stores. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, go harvest your own on the next low tide. You’ll need a California state fishing license, available at sporting goods retailers or tackle shops, and a basic awareness of state harvest regulations (dfg.ca.gov/regulations). It’s a safe argument to make that taking your own seafood is about the most sustainable way to go. Just respect the resource and remember — the sea is our oyster, but we mustn’t steal all her pearls.