Interview with Cookbook Author Jill Lambert
A Good Catch: Sustainable Seafood Recipes Cookbook
Nov 6, 2008
Jill Lambert, author of “A Good Catch: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from Canada’s Top Chefs” wrote this book to further her own knowledge and appreciation for fish. She comes from a long line of fishermen who respected the oceans from which they made their living. Hearing about the state of our oceans and waterways today got Jill Lambert thinking – why have things changed so much and what’s the state of our seafood today? Here is Food Trend’s thought-provoking interview with Lambert herself.
Food Trends (FT): What exactly is sustainable seafood?
Jill Lambert (JL): Sustainability simply means, doing things in such a way that we can continue to do them in the future. So sustainable seafood is harvested without significant damage to the marine environment, without negative effect on the stock levels, without significant amount of by-catch (fish or marine mammals that are caught unintentionally as part of the harvest. The issues of sustainability also apply to freshwater fish, as the freshwater habitat, stock levels and by-catch issues are also important in our lakes and rivers.
FT: Tell us about SeaChoice Canada and the kind of role it plays?
JL: SeaChoice Canada is a consortium of environmental non-governmental organizations, including the David Suzuki Foundation, which conducts scientific assessments on the sustainability of harvesting different species (primarily saltwater but also, increasingly, freshwater). It then communicates the results of these assessments with the public through its website, and through public outreach activities. It also publishes a wallet card for consumers. The rankings are updated regularly.
FT: How did you learn about SeaChoice Canada?
JL: I came across the wallet card in a grocery store, which caught my attention. I realized I was choosing fish that were on the “Avoid” list and that I would have to change my habits. This realization led to the book project. Next, I went to their website and found a wealth of really useful information. I look at it all the time now.
FT: What is it about where fish are caught that helps determine whether it¹s good or bad?
JL: Stock levels vary according to location; a run of sockeye salmon in the Nass River in BC might be much more plentiful than the sockeye salmon run in the Fraser River. Pacific Cod is more plentiful than Atlantic Cod. Also, fishing methods vary from place to place; squid harvested in BC are likely to be caught by seiner, which is less destructive than the methods used in the Atlantic, where squid are typically bottom trawled. Finding this information is key to making good fish choices but it can be very difficult for consumers. I ask a lot of questions when I buy fish. I used to feel self-conscious about this but it’s getting easier.
FT: You say you used to eat red snapper once a week and stopped after you learned it was on the “Avoid” list. Why is it on the “Avoid” list?
JL: I didn’t know why until I looked it up on the SeaChoice site and learned that some of the methods used to harvest snapper and other rockfish in BC are environmentally destructive and the stock levels are really depleted. (I still had some questions about this because the page on the SeaChoice site is not complete yet, so I referred to State of the Catch, a publication by the David Suzuki Foundation, which gave me more information about fishing methods. I also called the head of the Marine Team at the DSF to further investigate. Sometimes I have to really dig for the information.)Snapper grows slowly so it is vulnerable to overfishing. I miss eating it!
FT: Were there any other surprises from the “Avoid” list that you encountered?
JL: Yes. I learned that warm-water prawns, such as tiger prawns, especially those farmed in Asia, are not a good choice; the shrimp ponds used for farming are environmentally destructive, and the shrimp have to be treated with antibiotics to survive. Then they have to be treated with chemicals (bleached) in order to be edible. I used to eat these all the time; now I don’t eat them at all. I’d rather spend the extra money on cold-water shrimp, especially the fabulous spot prawns from BC. I found a place where I can buy them live, straight off the boat. They are a very sustainable choice and they taste much better. If I can’t buy spot prawns I’ll opt for cold water trawled shrimp from either the Atlantic or Pacific. These are a better choice than the warm water ones, and they’re really easy to find. I didn’t realize Monkfish were to be avoided. I used to eat that all the time when I lived in Toronto. Now I’d opt for lobster instead.
FT: Any new discoveries that are now favourite seafood recipes?
JL: I hadn’t eaten a lot of Ling Cod before, and now I love it. I eat sablefish, which I didn’t eat before, and I’ve rediscovered the joys of eating clams. Farmed clams are a great choice. I now eat sardines, which I didn’t eat before; they are a real change from the kind of seafood I’m used to (halibut and salmon) but I am developing a better appetite for them. I am much more adventurous about fish than I used to be. I even cooked an octopus, and it was delicious. It freaked out my kids though. Often, it’s a matter of exposure, and a willingness to try – same issue for adults as for kids.
To read the second part of Food Trend’s interview with author Jill Lambert, click here!
 |
