Fish Notes

Hey Everybody - just two quick things about the Cheap, Healthy, Environmentally Friendly Seafood post from a few days ago:

1) Some wondered why salmon was left out, as wild-caught Alaskan scored two green environmental ratings, and it's generally considered pretty healthy. Sadly, it seems to cost around $10/lb, which makes it a bit pricey for this blog.

2) Meredith had a great point in the comment section: "I just wanted to emphasize how important it is to ASK where your shrimp is coming from at restaurants and stores before you purchase it. Most shrimp (especially pre-packaged/prepared frozen shrimp) is imported from extremely unsustainable, harmful tropical fishery industries. These practices destroy tropical mangrove forests, often result in the dumping of pesticides into tropical watersheds (which poison local people), produce large bycatch of sea turtles, and are so commercially competitive that armed gunman often stand guard around the shrimp farms (I know an Ecuadorian that grew up on a shrimp farm like this). So, consumers should know that it is actually fairly difficult to find US farm-raised shrimp, so they should never assume what they are buying is local. Always ASK. For more details, this article sums it up very well."

Thanks, and tune in tomorrow for a lovely entry on Lidia Bastianich's Roasted Root Vegetables.

Martha Stewart Super Bowl Contest from Sirius Radio

Hey everybody! Quick extra post today.

A friend of mine sent along some details about a neat-sounding contest, and I thought it would be fun for CHG readers. Here's the info:

Send us your best main-dish Super Bowl party recipe and you could win a trip to the SuperBowl! That’s not all - the winner will also receive a set of Martha Stewart Collection cookware from Macy's, $1,000 to donate to the food bank of their choice, and the winning recipe will be published in an issue of Everyday Food!

Entries are due by 12/10, and the rules are here.

Good luck!

Mm-mm Good: Egg Drop Soup

In college, when money seemed trivial and our appetites were never-ending, my roommates and I ate a LOT of Chinese food. We’d file into the Main Street restaurant, place our orders with the brilliant 10-year-old girl behind the counter (definitely a future Nobel Laureate), and settle down for heaping mounds of Sesame Chicken and Fried Rice. In retrospect, I’m not sure how our metabolisms kept up. Maybe they didn’t. Maybe that’s why my butt reached epic proportions after graduation.

Nowadays, ordering Chinese food is a different ball of wax for me. It’s one of the rare takeout experiences during which I can score giant containers of healthy eats for a few bucks. Steamed vegetables and meats, brown rice, a wide array of soups and sauces – places like Wo Hop and Dah Lee have it all, and the food’s made right there, to boot. Bonus.

Yet! Yet. I’ve found there are a few dishes that can be duplicated at home for less money. In the case of this All Recipes Egg Drop Soup, it saves about ten cents a pint off the cost. That doesn’t sound like much, but consider:

-You don’t have to tip a delivery man.
-It takes less time than ten minutes.
-All the ingredients are guaranteed fresh.
-You can alter it to your liking.
-There’s less waste.
-Taste-wise, it’s comparable to any restaurant.

Not bad for what looks like a pot of water and eggs, huh? I suggest pairing it with Light Chinese Chicken and Broccoli for a grand ol’ time.

AllRecipes graciously calculated the fat and calories, so only the price is added below. I should add that this isn't my picture. I forgot to take one (duh), so this is from Flickr.

Egg Drop Soup
4 servings, about 1 cup each
Adapted from All Recipes.

4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or scallions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs
1 egg yolk

1) In large saucepan, combine 3-1/4 cups chicken broth, salt, ginger, and chives. Bring to a boil.

2) In a small bowl, combine remaining broth and cornstarch. Set aside.

2) In a different small bowl, whisk eggs and yolk together. Very slowly, drizzle egg into boiling broth. (It will cook instantaneously.) When all the egg is gone, slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture, until the soup hits your preferred consistency. Serve hot.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
94 calories, 5.8 g fat, $0.45

Calculations
4 cups chicken broth: $0.92
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger: $0.01
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (I used green onions): $0.35
1/4 teaspoon salt: $0.01
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch: $0.03
2 eggs: $0.34
1 egg yolk: $0.16
TOTAL: $1.82
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): $0.45

Cheap, Healthy, Environmentally Friendly Seafood Recipes

First, there was Cheap Healthy Beef. Then came Cheap Healthy Pork. Now, just in time for the holidays, it’s …

CHEAP, HEALTHY, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SEAFOOD!

(Tell your friends and neighbors!)

My goal with this post was to find nutritional, relatively inexpensive types of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks (henceforth referred to as “fish” or “seafood”), and comp a giant list of recipes to go with them.

Unlike the Beef and Pork posts, I also took environmental concerns into consideration, as overfishing and damages to oceanic habitats have driven innumerable underwater species to the brink of extinction. And that’s never good.

I began the process with a wide sample group (all seafood, everywhere), and started eliminating based on the environment factor. For reference, I consulted the Blue Ocean Institute’s Online Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program. These two organizations bestow sustainability ratings of green (best), yellow (good), or red (bad) on all types of fish. Seafood that scored two greens (one from each site) or one green and one yellow were passed through. I rejected all other seafood. This narrowed the field down LOTS, to about 25 potential finalists.

Next, I researched nutritional value, which - hooray! In recommended portions (3 or 4 ounces), almost ALL environmentally friendly seafood is high in protein and low in fat and calories. The exceptions (with more than 50% of calories from fat) were Atlantic Mackerel, King Salmon, and Sablefish (a.k.a. Black Cod), which were dropped from consideration.

With about two dozen types of seafood still in the running, it came down to price, which was highly subjective due to seasonality, region, and good ol’ inflation. I ultimately gauged estimates based on online grocers and fisheries, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s price reports, general availability, and my own observations. This knocked out about half the remaining list, as stuff like American Lobster and Pole-and-Troll Caught Tuna were too costly for the average bear. In the end, I was left with 12 tried-and-true fish finalists.

So, here they are: ONE DOZEN comparatively cheap, healthy, environmentally friendly types of seafood in all their glorious glory! And recipes, too! Happy eating!

Alaskan Pollock (a.k.a. imitation crab, surimi, or walleye pollock)
Bush Garden: California Roll (use low-fat mayo)
Cooking Light: Veggie-Surimi Sushi
DLife: Crab Casserole with Eggs

Atlantic Herring (a.k.a sardines or kippers)
AllRecipes: Pasta de Sardine
D-Life: Carb Free -Fish Cholent (Stew)
D-Life: Sardines with Roasted Tomatoes on Focaccia
Eating Well: Spring Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette
Mario Batali: Bruschetta with Fresh Monterey Sardines

Bay Scallops
Cooking Light: Creamed Scallops, Corn, and Tomatoes
Cooking Light: Corn and Scallop Chowder
D-Life: Mexican Ceviche
Juan Carlos-Cruz: Mango Ceviche
Ming Tsai: Bay Scallop Ceviche
River Café: Taylor Bay Scallop Ceviche (go without the sea beans)
Sara Moulton: Ginger Scallops with Stir-Fried Broccoli Rabe

Catfish (U.S. farmed)
AllRecipes: Carrie’s Catfish LaRue
AllRecipes: Oven Fried Catfish
Cooking Light: Catfish Po'boy with Hoisin-Peanut Sauce
Cooking Light: Buffalo-Style Catfish Strips with Ranch Dressing
Cooking Light: Catfish with Dill Sauce
Cooking Light: Crisp-Crusted Catfish
Cooking Light: Corn-Fish Chowder
Epicurious/Bon Appetit: Catfish Tacos with Tomato and Avocado Salsa
D-Life: Baked Catfish
D-Life: Baked Catfish Parmesan
D-Life: Blackened Catfish
D-Life: Cajun Catfish
D-Life: Catfish Cakes
D-Life: Cornmeal Crusted Catfish
D-Life: Honey Mustard Catfish
D-Life: Oven Fried Catfish
D-Life: Pan-“Fried” Catfish with Southwest Tartar Sauce
Eating Well: Catfish Amandine
Mama Dip’s: Catfish Gumbo
Mike Nichols: Blackened Catfish
Sara Moulton: Southern Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish

Clams (farmed – Littlenecks, Steamers, Cockles)
AllRecipes: Scott Ure’s Clams and Garlic
AllRecipes: Clams Italiano
Cooking Light: Fettuccine with Clams and Tomato Sauce
Cooking Light: Clam Sauce
D-Life: Clam and Spinach Linguine
Eating Well: Clams Casino
Ellie Krieger: Rhode Island Style Clam Chowder

Longfin and shortfin squid
AllRecipes: Grammy’s Calamari Salad
AllRecipes: Calamari in Red Wine and Tomato Sauce
Alton Brown: Seaside Squid Salad
Cooking Light: Grilled Squid with Lemon Caper Sauce
D-Life: Seared Squid with Citrus Mango Salad
D-Life: Southwest Calamari Salad

Mussels (farmed)
AllRecipes: Patti’s Mussels a la Mariniere
AllRecipes: Mussels Marinara di Amore
Cooking Light: Mussels in Tomato-Wine Broth
Cooking Light: Mussels Marinara
Cooking Light: Mussels Steamed in White Wine
Cooking Light: Cider-Braised Mussels with Bacon
Cooking Light: Steamed Mussels in Garlic and Shallots
Cooking Light: Steamed Mussels with Lemon, Onion, and Wine (Mijillones al Limón)
D-Life: Mussels and Tomatoes in Wine Sauce
D-Life: Mussels Steamed in Seasoned Broth
D-Life: Mussels with Shallot/Wine Sauce
D-Life: Steamed Mussels in Coconut Milk
Eating Well: Mussels with Saffron and Leeks
Eating Well: Spanish Tapas-Inspired Mussels

Pacific Cod

Eating Well: Baked Cod Casserole
Real Simple: Roasted Pacific Cod with Olives and Lemon

Shrimp (pink or salad shrimp OR U.S. farmed brown, pink, or white shrimp)
(Note: If you peel and de-vein shrimp yourself, you can save money.)
AllRecipes: Marinated Grilled Shrimp (5-star rating from 426 reviewers)
AllRecipes: Spicy Grilled Shrimp
AllRecipes: Sesame Shrimp Stir-fryAllRecipes: Caribbean Holiday Shrimp
AllRecipes: Thai Spiced Barbecue Shrimp
AllRecipes: Tequila Shrimp
Cooking Light: Too many to list. They’re all here.
D-Life: Apricot-Glazed Shrimp Kabobs
D-Life: Broiled Marinated Shrimp
D-Life: Classic Shrimp Stir-fry
D-Life: Curry Shrimp
D-Life: Italian Shrimp (Barbecued Shrimp)
D-Life: Macaroni and Shrimp Salad
D-Life: Scampi Italian Style
D-Life: Shrimp and Spinach Skillet Surprise
D-Life: Shrimp Etoufee
D-Life: Shrimp Fajitas
D-Life: Shrimp Fettuccine
D-Life: Shrimp Topped with Tomatoes and Feta
D-Life: Spicy Shrimp Packets
D-Life: Stir-fry Shrimp Lasagna
D-Life: Sweet and Sour Shrimp
D-Life: Thai Shrimp Over Rice
Ellie Krieger: Caesar Salad with Grilled Shrimp
Ellie Krieger: Linguine with Shrimp
Ellie Krieger: Shrimp Salad with Cucumber and Mint
Epicurious/Bon Appetit: Shrimp Gazpacho
Epicurious: Shrimp in EscabecEpicurious: Penne with Spinach, Shrimp, Tomatoes and Basil
Epicurious: Shrimp in Garlic Sauce
Epicurious: Spicy Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-Fry
Real Simple: Shrimp with Arugula and Couscous
Real Simple: Shrimp with Tomato-Horseradish Salsa
Real Simple: Gingery Shrimp and Couscous
Real Simple: Jalapeno Shrimp
Real Simple: Marinated Shrimp with Mediterranean Salad
Real Simple: Moroccan Shrimp
Real Simple: Southwestern Shrimp Soup
Real Simple: Shrimp à la Grecque

Rainbow Trout (farmed)
AllRecipes: Rainbow Trout with Yogurt Sauce (use low-fat yogurt)
Bobby Flay: Rainbow Trout Roasted on a Cedar Plank
Cooking Light: Mushroom and Bacon Stuffed Trout
Cooking Light: Trout with Sour Cream-Cucumber Sauce
D-Life: Baked Whole Rainbow Trout in Ginger Sauce
D-Life: Herb-Baked Trout
D-Life: Stuffed Trout
D-Life: Trout with Sour Cream Cucumber Sauce
Eating Well: Grilled Whole Trout with Lemon-Tarragon Bean Salad

Tilapia (U.S. Farmed)
AllRecipes: Broiled Tilapia Parmesan (5-star recipe from 2,459 reviewers)
AllRecipes: Lemon Garlic Tilapia
AllRecipes: Easy Baked Tilapia
AllRecipes: Easy Tilapia with Wine and Tomatoes
AllRecipes: Simple Rancy Breaded Fish Fillets
AllRecipes: Fiery Fish Tacos with Crunchy Corn Salsa
Cooking Light: Sautéed Tilapia with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce Dressing
D-Life: Breaded Tilapia
D-Life: Grilled Tilapia With Zesty Mustard Sauce
D-Life: Lemon and Parsley Fish Fillets with Potatoes
D-Life: Tilapia with Cilantro Butter
D-Life: Tilapia with Fresh Herbs and Lime
D-Life: Tilapia with Olives and Tomatoes
D-Life: Tilapia With Roasted Red Bell Peppers and Olives
Eating Well: Chili-Rubbed Tilapia with Asparagus & Lemon
Eating Well: Tilapia Corn Chowder
Ellie Krieger: Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream
Robin Miller: Moroccan-Style Tilapia with Cumin, Mango and Cilantro

White Sea Bass (aka Weakfish or Croaker) OR Hybrid Striped Bass (farmed)
Cooking Light: Broiled Sea Bass with Pineapple-Chili-Basil Glaze
Cooking Light: Sea Bass and Braised Leeks with Mustard Sauce
Cooking Light: Sea Bass and Confetti Vegetables with Lemon-Butter Sauce
Eating Well: Ginger-Steamed Fish with Troy's Hana-Style Sauce
Ellie Krieger: Fish with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers
Epicurious/SELF: Steamed Sea Bass with Ginger and Shiitakes
Kathleen Daelemans: Pan-fried White Fish
Mayo Clinic: Broiled White Sea Bass
Mayo Clinic: White Sea Bass with Dill Relish

Note #1: There are more light healthy recipes at the Mayo Clinic. Unfortunately, there’s no reviewing mechanism, or I would have posted them here.

Note #2: I would love to recommend more expensive, environmentally cool seafood, but can’t justify spending $4 on a 7.75oz can of tuna for this particular blog. However, if money is no object, please save a fish and consider purchasing these items.

Note #3: Pregnant women should not eat raw fish, and everyone should be aware of mercury warnings, which go hand in hand with quite a lot of seafood. Check back with the Monterey Bay Aquarium for info.

Note #4: Canned tuna companies have improved their regulations immensely, and landed a yellow rating on both sites, which isn’t terrible. However, tuna is still VERY heavily fished and the catching methods endanger other ocean life. Purchase in moderation.

(Photos courtesy of Flickr.com)

CHG Favorites of the Week: The Norma Rae Edition

Usually I post an article on Wednesday, but I’m running a tad behind this week. This is for two reasons:

A) The article is a massive, research-heavy behemoth, guaranteed to shake the Earth to its very core and,

B) We got our year-end Christmas gift from my company yesterday! Turns out, they’re severely reducing or completely eliminating all our benefits. It’s making me and several thousand other workers Ho Ho Homicidal.

While I ponder the highs (pretty picket signs) and lows (live burial in Giants Stadium end zone) of becoming a labor leader, please accept this humble edition of CHG’s Favorites of the Week, which would normally appear on Thursday.

(But come back tomorrow for CHEAP, HEALTHY, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FISH!)

Blog of the Week
A Penny Closer
Well-written and fun, A Penny Closer waxes philosophical on all kinds of financial matters, including food. Best of all is the Reducipes series, which reads like a dollar-saving mini-cookbook.

Organization of the Week
Any Solider
A friend of mine wanted to send a care package overseas for Christmas, but didn’t have a specific name. Enter Any Soldier, where members of the military write in and request supplies, food, and ways to pass the time. Go! Now! (Read the instructions carefully, though.)

Quote of the Week
“They take great pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost so little.” - Henry David Thoreau

Standup Routine of the Week
Jim Gaffigan on Hot Pockets
Indiana comedian Gaffigan dissects those compartments of evil in a most hilarious manner. I don’t know if the best part is his repeated chiming of the slogan or “I’m gonna die!”

Tip of the Week
Freeze chicken broth/stock in the following amounts: two cups, one cup, half-cup, and ice cube-size. It’ll make it way, way easier to use the measurement a recipe calls for, and you won’t have as much left over. (Don’t forget to label!)

Untried Cheap, Healthy Recipe of the Week
Chicken Marsala with Crimini Mushrooms, Pancetta, and Sage by Well Fed
Oh, frabjous day! Will you look at this thing? Good god, I want it RIGHT NOW, and it’s not quite 11am.

Video of the Week (Food Division)
“She Don’t Use Jelly” by The Flaming Lips
This is the first radio hit from Oklahoma City’s favorite sons, which tells the epic story of … I have no idea. And neither did anybody else at the time. It’s almost hard to believe these are the same guys.

Tuesday Megalinks

Apartment Therapy Kitchen: How to Cook Moist and Tender Chicken Breasts
That title almost sounds lewd.

Chow: Dinner with a Tightwad
Everyone knows a bad tipper. But what do you do when you eat out with them? (I’ve secretly gone back and left extra on the table.)

Consumerist: School Foods Report Card 2007 AND Congress Set to Ban Soda, Junk Food from Schools
Only two states are given an A on their lunch programs, but changes are in the works. (Thanks to Consumerist for the link.)

Diethack: 11 Widespread Food Statements Demystified
Hm. These statements are a bit obscure, but it’s a fun post nonetheless. (Thanks to Lifehacker for the link.)

Former Fat Guy Blog: The Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food
Thorough. Very thorough. (Thanks to CFO for the link.)

A Good American Wife: Everything But the Beer
New mom Anne chimes in on Rachael Ray.

Lazy Man and Money: Festival of Frugality #103

And there shalt be frugality! Can I get a witness?

Lifehacker: Top 10 Food and Drink Hacks
That bagel idea is awesome. Amy Dacyc … Dacyzcy … Dazyc… The Frugal Zealot would be proud.

Men’s Health: You Call That Health Food?
Debunk! Debunk! Men’s Health embarks on the debunk! (Thanks to Consumerist for the link.)

Serious Eats: Unbelievable! This is Not Butter! AND Emeril, Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
Article 1: Neither cheap, nor healthy, but maybe good - I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter has inspired an army of similiarly-monikered knockoffs. Awesome.
Article 2: Requiem for a giant (or at least, his tv show)

(Photo courtesy of Flickr.com.)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Teriyaki and Cilantro: An Exercise in Duh

When I write recipe posts, I usually allot myself about a week to research a dish, see what I have on hand, and give it a shot. This way, if something goes horribly awry, I have a little time to make something else. This was one of those weeks.

Initially, this post was going to be all about the awesome, world-redefining Gnocchi with Mushroom and Thyme Sauce I made last Monday. Sadly, the meal was far from awesome, and not even in the same zip code as world-redefining. The sauce (which wasn’t terrible) had its earthy appeal beaten down by the world’s worst frozen potato dumplings. (Silver Star brand, 16oz bags on sale for $1. DON’T DO IT.) Their gummy grossness was like the recent movies of John Travolta: bland, insulting, and with not enough Samuel L. Jackson. It's back to handmade gnocchi for me.

Instead of dwelling on that UTTER FAILURE OF GOOD SENSE, I moved on, settling on a backup recipe: Spicy Eggplant Puree from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest Cookbook. Thinking it would be another fabulous veggie dip, I whipped up a batch and served it to beloved guests, who were kind of "meh" about it. The puree was uninspiring at best, watery and relatively flavorless at worst. If you’re looking for an eggplant dip, CHG’s baba ghanouj is way better, if I do say so myself (and I do).

Out of options and running out of time, I settled on an old favorite o’ mine: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Teriyaki and Cilantro. Sweet and salty, it’s another choice Weight Watchers recipe, and further proof they’ve moved way beyond the Cabbage Casseroles Czarinas and Chilled Celery Logs of the old school. (Speaking of which, if you’ve never seen Weight Watchers Recipes from 1974, GO NOW. You won’t be disappointed.)

Unfortunately, the potatoes were inadvertently incinerated.

I left them in the oven a few minutes too long, and each would-be delectable piece was burned just enough to make the dish totally inedible. Instead of robust, rich orange wedges, my yams looked like tanned, wrinkled old man fingers. Tragedy. BUT, I'm going to go ahead and post the recipe anyway (with no picture - too traumatic) because I’ve made this four or five times without any problems.

Please believe me - these turn out nicely. And Friday? I will post a recipe so tongue-pleasing, even the tongueless will cry with joy.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Teriyaki and Cilantro
Makes 4 servings
Adapted from Weight Watchers.

6 T (about 1/3 cup) teriyaki sauce
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-in. chunks
6 T (about 1/3 cup) fresh cilantro
Cooking spray

1) Heat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.

2) In a medium bowl, combine teriyaki sauce and cilantro. Pour in sweet potatoes and stir to coat.

3) Place sweet potatoes on the prepped cookie sheet and roast 35 or 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. For the love of Pete, do not overcook.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
152 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.82

Calculations
6 T teriyaki sauce: 120 calories, 0 g fat, $0.45
2 large sweet potatoes: 486 calories, 0.7 g fat, $1.65
6 T (about 1/3 cup) fresh cilantro: 2 calorie, 0 g fat, $0.68
Cooking spray: negligible fat and calories, $0.05
TOTAL: 608 calories, 0.7 g fat, $3.28
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 152 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.82