You asked for it, you got it — a more detailed guide of what to pick and what to avoid when dining out for sushi and sashimi. I did a bit of research, both at the MBA Seafood Watch and sustainablesushi.net, and compiled a list of sustainable choices and what to avoid at your favorite sushi bar. I found out quite a bit in the process — first, that the health of our planet’s fisheries is constantly in flux, so it’s best to educate yourself and keep up with the latest info at my above two resources. And it’s not just the unagi that’s in danger: bluefin tuna has been over fished to startlingly low numbers. But most importantly, I discovered just how many sustainable choices us consumers have. It should be noted that it’s crucial to ask your chef where your fish is coming from, and how it’s been harvested. If they can’t tell you, go somewhere where they can! Here’s what I’ve compiled — and there are many more good choices, almost too many to list, so you can download and print a handy pocket guide here, from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. — Megan B.

Good choices:
Amaebi & Ebi — US farmed, fresh water prawns, spot prawns from Canada
Sake and Ikura — wild Alaskan salmon & roe (make sure it’s specifically Alaskan, not Pacific)
Iwana — arctic char, farmed
Kaki — farmed oysters, such as Kumamoto
Mirugai — geoduck or giant clam
Masago — smelt roe from Iceland
Katsuo — troll-caught skipjack tuna (not Bonito)
Uni — sea urchin roe, British Columbia
Kanpachi — farmed, Hawaiian
Awabi — abalone, farmed ONLY
Kani — Alaskan king crab, Stone crab, Dungeness (avoid snow crab and blue crab)
Saba — Mackerel, wild Atlantic (also low in mercury risk!)
Gindara — black cod or sablefish, wild Alaskan or British Columbia Preferably, Pacific Coast is ok
Aji — Horse Mackerel, US
Akame — Barramundi, US farmed

what to avoid:
Ankimo — Monkfish, monkfish liver
Aburasokomutsu — Escolar, or butterfish
Anago — Conger Eel
Ebi — Shrimp — imported, tiger prawns, US wild
Surimi — imitation crab
Unagi — freshwater eel
Hamachi — Amberjack
Toro — Bluefin tuna belly (sad, but true)
Maguro — Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna (choose US troll or pole-caught if you MUST)
Tai — snapper (avoid red snapper in particular)
Shiromaguro — Albacore tuna

photos courtesy of sustainablesushi.net

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 6:27 am and is filed under living green. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.