URBAN DISH: SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD WEEK
by
Dayna Crozier
| 04.18.2012
Whatever seafood might be on the menu, and whatever you’re in the mood for, there’s no excuse for eating sea life that’s caught using unsustainable practices that are damaging to our oceans and its wildlife. If you’re able to read this article, chances are it’s easy for you to find out which seafood to avoid the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch is available both online and as a highly useful mobile app (they also have old-school print pocket guides), to help you discover which seafood is both ocean-friendly and safe for you to ingest.
Sustainable Seafood Week, starting today and ending April 25th, is making it even easier and more enjoyable to eat sustainable seafood. A number of our favorite San Diego restaurants are participating with special dishes and prix-fixe menus, with proceeds benefitting the San Diego Oceans Foundation.
Quality Social’s west coast oysters
Quality Social is highlighting their already sustainable seafood menu, which includes spicy Mexican shrimp ceviche, west coast oysters in the half shell, California grilled swordfish, and Magdalena Bay scallops with young asparagus, almonds, housemade pancetta and potatoes.
Saltbox is featuring a $45 three-course menu with a sea urchin and lobster parfait, sake and pink peppercorn-braised black cod, and crab beignets with saffron-infused Temecula honey.
Saltbox’s regular pan roasted local fish
Cafe Chloe always sticks to the tenets of slow food, and that includes using sustainable seafood. They work with
Carlsbad Aqua Farm, use only wild salmon, and work with fish mongers who are excited to find rare fish, rather than pull from overfished populations. Cafe Chloe has been running their Sustainable Seafood Week specials since Sunday, and will continue to feature two seafood specials every night, with a Sunday seafood prix fixe.
Local Habit’s seafood is always local and sustainable, as is everything else they serve. As usual, they will be serving seafood this week based on what is available and fresh.
Recent stylish Gaslamp addition Gaijin is serving up decadent-yet-sustainable uni green tea soba noodles.
Gaijin’s uni green tea soba noodles
Sea Rocket in North Park always serves sustainable seafood, and this week is no different. Look out for daily specials based on what’s available and fresh. Depending on availability, they’re planning to include sardines, what they dub “the mascot of local sustainable seafood,” among those specials.
Donovan’s Prime Seafood is featuring its Skuna Bay Vancouver Island raised salmon, whose craftsman farmers raise salmon in low-density ocean farms.
Outside of the urban confines, these other great restaurants are celebrating the week with their sustainable seafood dishes:
Gabardine has a $40 three-course menu that will change daily and feature sustainable fare like whelk sea snails, black gill and sea urchin, based on availability and freshness.
Gabardine’s live spot prawns
George’s at the Cove’s Trey Foshee has long been an industry pioneer for sustainable practices and products, using local species like white sea bass, sardines and spiny lobsters.
BO-Beau has a special of brown butter seared scallops with sweet corn and fava beans, cauliflower puree, jalapeno parsley coulis and candied bacon.
Tags: Urban Dish, dining, seafood, sustainable seafood
