SENA14: Sustainable Caviar In Florida

"Always do the things you fear the most. Courage is an acquired taste, like caviar."
--Erica Jong

There are about 25 different species of Sturgeon, and the roe of several species is harvested as caviar. They are not the prettiest of fish, but their roe are delicious and highly prized. Caviar has long been considered a luxury, though it is said that in the early 19th century in the U.S., caviar was served as part of a free lunch in saloons, with the hope the saltiness would get people to drink more. Its popularity though eventually led to a great decline in sturgeon populations so that the the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, notes that wild caviar, whether domestic or imported, is to be Avoided. Farmed caviar though, such as Sturgeon in the U.S. is a Good Alternative and White Sturgeon in British Colombia is a Best Choice.

Around 2000, a number of conservation groups united together to petition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list beluga sturgeon as an endangered species. Four years later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a special rule to ban the “import, export, re-export, or interstate or foreign commerce involving any beluga sturgeon products that originate from aquaculture operations outside the range countries” without the necessary permit. That proposal would also have banned beluga aquaculture in the U.S. However, representatives of the Florida Sturgeon Production Working Group sought to change that potential ban and they were successful in their efforts.

At the Seafood Expo North America (SENA), I stopped at the Marky’s Group, Inc. booth, which was showcasing their Florida farmed raised caviar. The Marky's Group was founded in 1983 by Mark Zaslavsky and Mark Gelman, immigrants from Ukraine. It began as a small retail store and has blossomed into a mini-empire, with locations in Miami, Panama and Europe, selling over 8,000 gourmet foods.

They eventually founded Sturgeon AquaFarms in 2001, wanting to raise Beluga and Sevruga sturgeon in Florida. for the world market. Though they now sell 15-20 different caviars, they sell several kinds from their own aquaculture operations, which are generally priced from $20 to $80 an ounce. Currently, they grow Beluga, Sevruga, Sterlet and Russian Osetra, all of which is sustainably raised. They are also the only producer of domestic Caspian Sevruga and Caspian Beluga Caviar. For their sturgeon, they only use organic feed, free of hormones and antibiotics. Besides selling caviar, they are committed to the conservation and preservation of sturgeon species.

Their best season for sales of their caviar is obviously November and December, definitely due to the holidays when people are more ready to splurge. And when I asked the best way to enjoy their caviar, I was told that the most romantic way was to spread some on a blini with a litte creme fraiche, and accompany it with Champagne or vodka. And of course, you need to share all that with someone you love.

With around 18 exhibitors carrying caviar at the Expo, it remains a desirable luxury product. And you might not have realized that it is healthy as well. Caviar is full of beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids as well as acetylcholine, which is good for your memory. It is also abundant in Vitamin A, Vitamin D and potassium, which is good for your blood pressure. Who would have thought such a decadent treat could also be good for you?

Could caviar become even more sustainable? That might be a possibility in the future with news of a new technique to extract roe from a sturgeon without killing it. In an intriguing article in Civil Eats, it describes the work of Angela Köhler, marine biologist and eco-toxicologist, who developed and patented a technique to stabilize mature roe and keep the sturgeon alive. This is primarily small scale, and costly, but it bodes well for the future of the caviar industry, offering a potential path to greater sustainability as well as make sturgeon productive for many more years.  

Ah, the wonders of caviar.

"I'd do anything for caviar and probably did."
--Henry Kissinger

Eat More U.S. Seafood: The Gulf Coast

“In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.”
--Kahlil Gibran

As I previously Ranted, I am disturbed that the U.S. imports 91% of their seafood, up 5% from 2010. It is unbelievable that less than 10% of the seafood we consume is from our own country. We need to give much more support to our local fisheries, to savor and cherish the abundance of seafood that is available from our shores. When I was at International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS), I wanted to highlight at least a few domestic fisheries, to showcase the reasons why consumers should choose U.S. seafood.

In New England, we have some amazing seafood, but there are concerns about depleted fish stocks. Consider the recent drastic cuts to the allowable catches of cod due to severely low stocks. The rest of the country also has fish species which are unavailable in our waters. Though we need to support our New England fisheries, that doesn't mean we can't also support other U.S. fisheries. For example, rather than purchase foreign shrimp, we could purchase shrimp from the Gulf region.

At IBSS, I spent some time talking with representatives of the Gulf Coast Seafood coalition, which includes Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The Gulf of Mexico is a fertile marine region, and yields a greater number of fin fish, shrimp, and shellfish annually than the south and mid-Atlantic, Chesapeake, and New England regions combined. The Gulf produces about 82% of the U.S. total of shrimp and 59% of the total of oysters. Why shouldn't we enjoy this rich bounty?

Much of my time was spent time chatting with Chef Justin Timineri, the executive chef and culinary ambassador of the Florida Dept. of Agriculture, as well as several other Gulf representatives. Chef Timineri is also the resident chef on How To Do Florida, a television series where he primarily discusses and cooks seafood. Chef Timineri was very personable, and obviously passionate about Gulf seafood.

One of Chef Timineri's primary goals is to get people comfortable with eating and cooking seafood. He shows them how to simply prepare seafood at home, to reduce the intimidation factor so that they are more apt to eat seafood. He suggests that they start with easier seafood, such as shrimp and clams, and then work their way up to fin fish. That is good advice for people all over the country and not just in the Gulf. To get more people to enjoy seafood, they need to be led there, to have it made easier for them.

Many people complain about the higher price of seafood, and there is validity that seafood often costs more than other proteins. However, Chef Timineri rightly pointed out that such people ignore the long term price of eating cheap processed food. Though seafood might be more expensive in the short term, its great health benefits more than outweigh the long term price of processed foods. People need to consider the long term rather than the short. In addition, they need to consider portion sizes, and they don't need to buy huge pieces of fish to have a good meal.

The waters of the Gulf of Mexico are rich in nutrients, providing great flavor to the seafood. That means that the seafood can be enjoyed with only simple preparation and Chef Timineri enjoys creating recipes with light preparations. Last year, I asked a number of Gulf fisheries whether the BP oil disaster of 2010 still plagued their waters or not. In general, they all answered in the negative and this year, the answer was the same. The waters are clean and consumer confidence is high. As for any worries of mercury/PCBs, Chef Timineri advised that people diversify what they eat, similar advice to what others have said at IBSS.

With sustainability being so important, the Gulf region has been working on numerous initiatives to indicate the sustainability of their fisheries, such as 3rd party certifications. For example, the Louisiana blue crab fishery became Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified in 2012, the first such blue crab fishery to acquire that certification. The Gulf region has also recently instituted the Gulf Seafood Trace program, a way to track exactly where seafood comes from. This is a way to tell the story of the seafood, a way to help market their seafood as well as show its traceability. Approximately 56 seafood businesses, 25% of the total amount, are currently part of this program.

The seafood in the Gulf is seasonal and it is worthwhile to purchase what is in season, as it will tend to be less expensive then, as well as at its best taste. Chef Timineri wants to emphasize that Gulf seafood is very flavorful and is also some of the most highly tested seafood in the U.S. The top three seafoods in the Gulf are shrimp, oysters and then blue crab. I asked Chef Timineri his favorite Gulf seafood and he said Stone Crab Claws, followed by Pompano. Outside the Gulf, he prefers King/Snow Crab.

The Gulf contains some intriguing creatures and ways to cultivate them.

In Florida, they raise alligators for their meat. Chef Timineri states that alligator is great to cook and versatile as well as high in protein and low in fat. He likes to make gator chili or Italian dishes like piccata, treating gator like veal. He also feels that the ribs are unique and he has even been experimenting with the tongue.

Stone crabs possess a large crusher claw which contains delicious meat. It is sustainable in a more unique way. Fishermen can tear off the claw and then throw the crab back into the water, where the crab will regenerate its claw although it appears the crab can only do this three or four times during its life.

Gulf oysters are often triploids, sterile creatures that put their energy into growth rather than reproduction. They are plump, with good color and have a nice salinity, though they are less briny than oysters in New England. They are grown in cages near the top of the water so there is less waste. In addition, as the cages can be easily moved, the oysters can be tailored to meet specific demands, such as creating a larger cup in the shell.

So why aren't you enjoying more seafood from the Gulf?