Fishy business part 2

Two months ago I posted a blog entry that began: "Today I ate a tasty meal of catfish, corn on the cob and sauteed new potatoes." I am nothing if not consistent because today's blog entry could have began almost the same way: "I just finished a delicious dinner of pan-fried catfish coated in soy flour with broccoli and roasted potatoes on the side." My blog entry from August was about a Washington Post article on the "greenest" fish, based on fishing or farming practices, the energy used in transport and overfishing. But I commented at the end that while helpful, the article didn't take into account health factors like mercury levels. So today is the follow up.

I came across a great website by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group. Their "Fish List" tells you which fish pregnant women (and as an extension everyone in general) should avoid because of high mercury levels. I searched for "catfish" and was disappointed that it fell under the "eat no more than one serving per month" category. Good thing I haven't eaten it since that August entry!

These fish have low mercury levels:
Blue crab (mid-Atlantic)
Croaker
Fish Sticks
Flounder (summer)
Haddock
Trout (farmed)
Salmon (wild Pacific)
Shrimp

In cross-referencing the EWG list with the Seafood Watch list of ocean-friendly seafood, I'd say the big winner is ... (ding, ding, ding) ... wild Pacific salmon. It gets high marks for being an excellent choice in several categories. It's good for the environment, has low mercury levels and is recommended by doctors because it's high in healthy omega-3 fats.

I was sad to see canned tuna on the EWG "avoid" list because that's been a staple in my diet my whole life. I remember many Sundays when my mom would make classic tuna sandwiches with mayonnaise, onion and celery. For some reason they always tasted better when she made them. Then when I became an insolent teenager I'd make her set aside some of the tuna in a bowl so I could make it less fattening with mustard and just a little mayonnaise. As a college student and later as an adult I experimented with new ingredients like curry, raisins and nuts. I can't imagine how many tuna sandwiches and tuna salads I've eaten over the years, thinking I was being healthy.

But how much canned tuna is safe to eat? I plugged my weight into the EWG's handy tuna calculator and the result said that women of child-bearing age should eat no albacore tuna. Chunk light tuna is lower in mercury.

But as an alternative, the fish besides wild salmon that both lists consider the best choice are blue crab, farmed trout, flounder and shrimp (as long as they are not imports). I haven't cooked with crab, trout or flounder before so I have some new types of fish to experiment with. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. There may be more blog posts in the future that begin with a scrumptious menu.