As the world population grows, so does the demand for seafood – but our oceans cannot keep up. Our love of the fruits of the sea is putting enormous pressure on the marine environment and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is doing their part to help you learn about the issues.
According to a 2010 UN Food and Agriculture Organization report, 80 per cent of the world’s fisheries are either fully exploited or over exploited. Many major companies are taking stands to encourage sustainable fishing and you can be part of that change too by shopping smart.
To start, we recommend eating Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified seafood. This tasty mussel’s recipe from Nouveau Palais chef and owner Gita Seaton, is a perfect – and low impact – recipe for any cooking occasion.
Mussels with Balsam Fir and Salt Roasted Pearl Onions
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
500 grams – about 1 pound – of MSC certified mussels, where available
2 cloves garlic
10-15 purple pearl onions
3 grams – an 7cm sprig – balsam fir (substitute with an 7cm sprig of fresh rosemary no balsam fir is available)
3 splashes white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Radicchio
Procedure:
For the salt-roasted pearl onions: Place onions whole in a roasting pan on a layer of coarse salt. Cover with foil. Roast for 20-30mins at 350ºF degrees or until the onions have softened. Cool and peel. For the mussels: Shave garlic and place in a pot with olive oil over high heat. Before the garlic colours add 3 good splashes of white wine and reduce. Add balsam fir and season with salt and pepper. Add washed mussels and cover for 5-7 minutes (they are cooked when they have opened). Finish with fresh chopped radicchio and serve immediately.
To learn more about the WWF’s sustainable seafood initiatives, visit wwf.ca/oceans
www.newscanada.com
