So you went to your favorite sushi place to score some white tuna, wild salmon, and of course, sake. What if the only thing that was worth that 50 dollar tab was the overpriced sake? What if you found out your 5 dollar a piece of tuna was really esoclar? Did you have the boom's boom's to top it off?
News breaking information about the fish we buy from overseas is not what it says it is, and even the fish experts can't tell the difference. A study was conducted recently that tested the DNA of fish species that claimed to be cod, sole, wild salmon, white tuna, among others. Only 1 out 5 tested were actually what they were labeled as, while the four were a cheaper fish species, yet sold at the price of the marketed price for top high end fish selections. The United States alone purchase almost 99% of fish from overseas, and when the fraud fish was put in some of the top expert they could not tell the difference. A scarier thought is less than 1% of fish is inspected for fraud or mislabeling. The shrimp business also has some frightening facts. I knew that we bought a lot of our shrimp/prawns from Thailand, hell we even show cased it on the menu, Black Tiger Prawns. Would you still buy it if you knew that the shrimp were processed on the side of a dirt road and not an authorized inspected processing plant? I am positive many of you know about the dangers and health risks of farm raised fish, especially salmon, what may set you off even more is that you went out of your way to pay extra for the wild stuff, yet you too were trumped into buying the farm stuff.
So how do you know if you are really buying the real thing? It is not safe to bet on paying the highest dollar anymore or going to a five star restaurant to ensure quality seafood, they may not even know that they are giving fraudulent fish. There are some ways to try to avoid buying that fake fish offering to be what it says it is. For wild salmon, the farmers have gotten pretty tricky with the dyes to make the salmon appear "real", for this just look at the fat lines in the flesh this is a good indication if the salmon is wild. For the shrimp fiasco, remember that little place called New Orleans? Try to support them, and contact some shrimp companies down there, they could use the support. The best way to know what you are purchasing is to actually see the fish whole, watch it get filleted, then purchase it, or if you want to shave a couple bucks off a pound buy it whole and fillet yourself.
Once again in this economy the US is trying to be cheap and go across seas for seafood, which is a billion dollar industry, while we have some of the best seafood here in the states. Ever heard of Alaska or Hawaii? I have and they have killer, fresh, and real fish and shellfish to purchase. I would rather spend a couple bucks extra for the comfort of knowing where my fish is from, to know that when it says sole it is in fact sole, and the most important part, supporting my fellow fishermen of the US. Have you ever seen what these guys go through just to get that fillet on you plate?
I have and let me tell you their job is not for the weary or whiny.
News breaking information about the fish we buy from overseas is not what it says it is, and even the fish experts can't tell the difference. A study was conducted recently that tested the DNA of fish species that claimed to be cod, sole, wild salmon, white tuna, among others. Only 1 out 5 tested were actually what they were labeled as, while the four were a cheaper fish species, yet sold at the price of the marketed price for top high end fish selections. The United States alone purchase almost 99% of fish from overseas, and when the fraud fish was put in some of the top expert they could not tell the difference. A scarier thought is less than 1% of fish is inspected for fraud or mislabeling. The shrimp business also has some frightening facts. I knew that we bought a lot of our shrimp/prawns from Thailand, hell we even show cased it on the menu, Black Tiger Prawns. Would you still buy it if you knew that the shrimp were processed on the side of a dirt road and not an authorized inspected processing plant? I am positive many of you know about the dangers and health risks of farm raised fish, especially salmon, what may set you off even more is that you went out of your way to pay extra for the wild stuff, yet you too were trumped into buying the farm stuff.
So how do you know if you are really buying the real thing? It is not safe to bet on paying the highest dollar anymore or going to a five star restaurant to ensure quality seafood, they may not even know that they are giving fraudulent fish. There are some ways to try to avoid buying that fake fish offering to be what it says it is. For wild salmon, the farmers have gotten pretty tricky with the dyes to make the salmon appear "real", for this just look at the fat lines in the flesh this is a good indication if the salmon is wild. For the shrimp fiasco, remember that little place called New Orleans? Try to support them, and contact some shrimp companies down there, they could use the support. The best way to know what you are purchasing is to actually see the fish whole, watch it get filleted, then purchase it, or if you want to shave a couple bucks off a pound buy it whole and fillet yourself.
Once again in this economy the US is trying to be cheap and go across seas for seafood, which is a billion dollar industry, while we have some of the best seafood here in the states. Ever heard of Alaska or Hawaii? I have and they have killer, fresh, and real fish and shellfish to purchase. I would rather spend a couple bucks extra for the comfort of knowing where my fish is from, to know that when it says sole it is in fact sole, and the most important part, supporting my fellow fishermen of the US. Have you ever seen what these guys go through just to get that fillet on you plate?
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