It’s Earth Month, leading up to Earth Day on April 22nd. We try to live a sustainable life, and sushi is our favorite food. So we took note when these tips arrived from Genji Sushi’s corporate chef, Takao Iinuma:

To determine the most sustainable sushi choices, Chef Iinuma advises, it helps to remember four “S” words: small, shellfish, seasonal and silver:

California roll with a yellow Asian spice garnish. Photo courtesy Genji Sushi.

Like mackerel? Enjoy lots of it: It’s
sustainable. Photo courtesy Catalina
Offshore Products.

And, start by looking for a rating from a reputable foundation such as the Marine Stewardship Council or the Blue Ocean Institute.

If you haven’t been to a Genji sushi bar, they are located in 158 Whole Foods Market locations in 18 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in the U.K.
 
 
FIND ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUSHI IN OUR SUSHI GLOSSARY.

In 1948, SeaPak opened shop on St. Simons Island, Georgia, a beautiful barrier island. The waters were rich in shrimp, and the company went to work developing enjoyable products to bake, fry and sauté.

Today SeaPak has a large lineup of tasty, easy-to-prepare frozen seafood products, from jumbo butterfly shrimp and popcorn shrimp to non-shrimp favorites such as crab cakes and salmon burgers (see the full product range on the company website).

The newest item, SeaPak Spring Rolls, recently launched nationwide in grocery and club stores. Handmade with shrimp and crispy vegetables and tucked into crunchy wrappers, Shrimp Spring Rolls are simple to heat-and-eat in the oven, and are ready in less than 15 minutes. Or, for a more traditional restaurant taste, get out the deep fryer.

Sweet Thai chili dipping sauce is included in each package. According to the package, three shrimp spring rolls—a nice portion size—contains only 170 calories and 9 grams of fat.

SeaPak’s shrimp rolls are better than most we‘ve had at restaurants. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

We preheated the oven, quickly baked up a box in THE NIBBLE kitchen and served them as a snack. The general comment was that SeaPak’s shrimp rolls were better than what is served at most Chinese restaurants. And that was without the added flavor of deep frying!

Serve them as an appetizer or snack, and keep a box in the freezer for when friends drop by for a beer or a glass of wine.

SeaPak Shrimp Spring Rolls are available nationwide for a suggested retail price of $9.99 for a 20-ounce package containing 16 shrimp spring rolls. You can find a product locator on SeaPak’s website.

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD

Another thing we liked: The company has strict sustainability standards, including a commitment to source only from suppliers whose practices limit negative environmental impact. Suppliers follow the most environmentally responsible harvesting practices, and SeaPak exercises strict oversight of every aspect of product procurement and processing.

Fifty percent of the seafood is wild-caught rather than farmed. Why only 50%? Demand is so great that the oceans cannot satisfy even half of the consumer need.

Frozen and ready to bake or fry. Photo
courtesy SeaPak.

SHRIMP 101

SeaPak answers some commonly-asked questions and busts some myths:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EGG ROLLS, SPRING ROLLS & SUMMER ROLLS

While some countries, including China, serve fried spring rolls, the term “spring roll” is not synonymous with “egg roll,” a food that is fried. An egg roll has a heavier pastry wrapper that can be sliced into sections; a fried spring roll is very fragile and can shatter like phyllo.

Sashimi tacos at Haru restaurant in New York
City. Photo courtesy Haru.

Given our love of fusion food, we were delighted to discover these sashimi tacos at Haru restaurant in New York City.

You can make them full size or in miniature for appetizers and hors d’oeuvre. At Haru, the sashimi tacos are available in:

 
Of course, you can make “California roll” tacos with avocado, cucumber and crab stick or your other favorite sashimi.

We made delicious tacos with bay scallops and seaweed salad. With a standard taco size, some “salad” helps to fill out the base. If you can’t find seaweed salad, a mix of shredded daikon and carrot is equally delicious; and shredded lettuce always works!

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BUY sushi-quality fish and dice into 1/4″ to 1/2″ cubes.

2. MOISTEN/TOSS with sesame oil, rice vinegar and a bit of wasabi powder. Taste and add soy sauce if the mixture needs a hit of salt.

3. PREPARE and fill taco shells. Here’s how Guy Fieri makes shells from wonton wrappers for his tuna taco recipe.

4. GARNISH as desired.

 
DO YOU KNOW YOUR SASHIMI?

Check out the different types of sashimi in our Sushi & Sashimi Glossary.

For brunch, a first course or a snack. Photo
courtesy Chobani.

We love this recipe, inspired by a dish served at the Chobani Mediterranean Yogurt Bar on Prince Street in SoHo, New York City.

Easy to prepare yet high-impact, it’s a twist on a bagel with smoked salmon. We enjoy it at brunch, as a light lunch, as a first course at dinner. We like to serve it in a glass dish or wine glass to showcase the layers.

SMOKED SALMON PARFAIT

Ingredients

Preparation

1. ADD some of the diced cucumbers and dill to the bottom of the serving dish.

2. ADD yogurt to fill dish at least halfway. Sprinkle onion over yogurt.

3. TOP with smoked salmon. Garnish with diced tomatoes, capers or a dab of yogurt with more dill.

4. SERVE with a side of bagel chips.

You can adapt this Seafood Cobb recipe into
a shrimp cocktail served atop a lettuce
wedge. Photo courtesy Arch Rock Fish
Restaurant | Santa Barbara.

For many people, the classiest first course for a special-occasion dinner is a shrimp cocktail.

Typically a simple preparation of shredded lettuce and boiled shrimp, garnished with cocktail sauce and a lemon wedge, a shrimp cocktail is popularly served in stemmed dish.

Shrimp cocktail couldn’t be easier to prepare. It’s also healthful fare, low in calories.

But there’s no need to stick to Grandma’s shrimp cocktail preparation. Switch it up with these ideas:

A deconstructed shrimp cocktail. Photo courtesy Payard Restaurant | New York City.

MOM’S COCKTAIL SAUCE RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND ingredients.

2. CHILL for two hours or longer to allow flavors to meld.

What’s your approach to shrimp cocktail? Let us know!
  

Looking to detox after a Valentine’s Day of chocolates and rich desserts? Salad and grilled fish is a good start.

As much as we love that can of Bumble Bee, our favorite tuna salad is New School, made with seared tuna.

You can use your favorite salad ingredients, but we prefer something a bit different. Adding a bit of the seaweed salad available at many markets is an inspired choice! Shredding the ingredients into a slaw style adds even more interest.

This recipe serves four. You can substitute salmon for the tuna. Either fish can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled.

SEARED TUNA SALAD

FOR THE SALAD Ingredients

Seared tuna loin with a big, healthy salad. Photo courtesy Arch Rock Fish Restaurant | Santa Barbara.

 
FOR THE DRESSING

A sesame crust adds flavor, texture and eye
appeal. Photo courtesy Arch Rock Fish |
Santa Barbara.

Preparation

1. COMBINE salad ingredients.

2. WHISK together the dressing ingredients.
 
FOR THE TUNA

Ingredients

Preparation

1. MIX together the two types of sesame seeds. Take a few minutes to toast them—the flavor is worth it. Use a large dry frying pan over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds in a single layer. Toast, shaking the pan occasionally; remove the seeds when they grow darker and fragrant.

2. SEASON tuna with salt and pepper. Dredge in the sesame seeds, coating the tuna evenly.

3. WARM the oil until smoking, using a nonstick pan. Add tuna steaks and cook about a minute, until the white sesame seeds begin to turn golden. Turn the tuna and cook for another minute.

4. REMOVE tuna to a cutting board and cut as you prefer into salad-size slices.

5. TOSS salad ingredients with dressing right before serving. Plate with tuna, garnish as desired and serve.
 
We make this dish at least once a week, for lunch or dinner. It’s so good, and good for you!

Chirashi sushi: fish layered atop a bowl of
rice. Photo | Dreamstime.

Making sushi rolls or nigiri—the slices of fish atop a bed of rice—takes some training and dexterity.

But you don’t need the skills of a sushi chef to serve chirashi sushi at home: sliced fish arranged atop a bowl of rice. Or, you can make our Japanese-American “fusion chirashi”: sliced fish atop a green salad.

Chirashi is not pressed together like other forms of sushi (see our Sushi & Sashimi Glossary for the different types of sushi). The word “chirashi” means “to scatter.”

Japanese cooks are too disciplined to scatter the ingredients willy-nilly, so an appealing placement of fish and vegetables is presented.

You don’t have to use as much fish on top of your chirashi as shown in the photo, as long as you cover at least half of the rice with fish and vegetables. Look for whatever is fresh at the fish market—ask the fishmonger for recommendations. Cooked shrimp and salmon caviar are wonderful ingredients. We’re partial to raw scallops and oysters.

 
You can serve chirashi sushi as an appetizer or a main course. You can serve individual portions, as at restaurants, or make one large bowl family-size bowl, which is typical in Japanese homes. If you don’t have chopsticks, forks are fine.

Now, think about chirashi atop a green salad. Start by choosing your greens:

“CHIRASHI” GREEN SALAD

Ingredients

 
EASY WASABI VINAIGRETTE RECIPE
Ingredients

Sashimi with a shredded cabbage-frisée salad. Here, the tuna is cut into chunks instead of sashimi-style slices. Photo courtesy Triomphe | NYC.

Preparation

1. COMBINE vinegar and soy sauce; whisk in wasabi.

2. WHISK in oil and sesame seeds. Season as desired.
 
Enjoy: It’s healthful and low in calories!

Swordfish Livornese. Photo courtesy Fabio
Viviani.

Sustainable or not sustainable: That is the question.

Whenever we come across an appealing fish recipe or look at the choices at the fish market or on a restaurant menu, we check Seafood Watch to see if the species is an “Avoid” or a “Best Choice.”

Seafood Watch is a service of the Monterey Bay (California) Aquarium, dedicated to helping preserve the oceans’ fish supplies. It monitors which species are endangered (overfished to very low levels) and to be avoided, and which are a “Good Alternative” or a “Best Choice.”

To see what’s sustainable, head to Seafood Watch.com.

When we received the swordfish recipe below from one of our favorite Top Chef alumni, Fabio Viviani, we headed to Seafood Watch. Here’s the chart we checked:

So our tip of the day is: Make Seafood watch a go-to resource. You can check it online or with an iStore app.

Now onto Chef Viviani’s Swordfish Livornese, swordfish Livorno-style.

WHAT’s LIVORNESE?

Livorno is a Tyrrhenian Sea port on the western coast of Italy: a large span of water with Sicily to the south; Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Corsica, Lazio, Sardinia and Tuscany to the east on the Italian mainland; and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia to the west.

Livornese sauce, a regional specialty, combines tomatoes, olives and capers. Added to fish fillets or fish steaks, it’s an easy and healthful dish with lots of flavor.

You can substitute any firm-fleshed fish, such as cod, grouper or red snapper; or use chicken or tofu. Chef Viviani likes swordfish because it is a lean fish but has a good fat content.

This recipe serves 4.

FABIO VIVIANI’S SWORDFISH LIVORNESE
RECIPE

Ingredients

You can get this leaping swordfish as free wallpaper from AnimalsTown.com.

*Avoid cooking with extra virgin olive oil: It has a low smoke point. Use regular oil, labeled simply “olive oil,” for cooking.

Preparation

1. HEAT the olive oil in a pan very quickly, over a medium fire.

2. SAUTÉ the shallots until completely caramelized. Add the cherry tomatoes, olives, capers and tomato sauce, plus salt and pepper to taste. Reduce for 5 minutes.

3. RUB the swordfish steaks on both sides with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper to taste. Sear the fish in a frying pan.

4. PLACE the fish in an oven pan (or use the frying pan if it is oven-safe) and cover with half of the sauce. Bake in the oven at 425°F for 10-15 minutes, until the fish is done and flaky.

5. TOP with remaining sauce and basil and enjoy!

See Chef Viviani in action on the television program “Home & Family,” on the Hallmark Channel.

Find more of our favorite fish recipes.

Just-steamed Dungeness crabs. Photo by
Ken Ishirotie | IST.

There are East Coast crabs, West Coast crabs and crabs on many other global coasts, as you’ll discover in our Crab Glossary.

But the current cause for celebration is that Dungeness crab season has begun. Chefs across the country are cooking up this West Coast delicacy. If you’re a crab lover, make plans to get your share; and if you have a good local fish market, you can cook them at home.

Dungeness crab has been compared by some to the Maine lobster in flavor, but the meat is more tender. The meat is perhaps the sweetest of the Pacific crabs, flavorful and a bit nutty. Perhaps it’s so sweet and tender because of its fine diet: It enjoys clams, other crustaceans and small fish.

The crab variety is named after the seaport of Dungeness, Washington, but is found all along the Pacific coast from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to Santa Cruz, California. Its Latin name, Cancer magister, means “master crab” because it can measure as wide as 10 inches. Only male crabs with shells measuring 6.25 inches across or larger may be harvested. A single crab in a good season like this one can weigh two pounds!

According to the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, Dungeness crabs molt between June and August and spend the next few months eating and filling up their new shells. The crab’s meat-to-shell ratio is tested, and once it’s high enough for a consistent, high-quality product, the season is opened for commercial fishing. Male crabs are about four years old before they are large enough to be harvested.

In San Francisco, “Dungeness crab season is like Christmas for adults,” Matt Violante, general manager of Alioto’s restaurant, told Nation’s Restaurant News. “Everyone calls to ask when we’re going fishing, when the season starts,” so they can book a table.

HOW TO ENJOY DUNGENESS CRAB

While a favorite preparation is simply to steam the large crab legs and claws and dip the meat in melted butter, you can prepare anything from Dungeness crab cakes and crab fritters to Dungeness crab mac and cheese and cioppino, an Italian version of bouillabaisse made with seafood in a spicy tomato broth.

Then there are Dungeness crab casseroles, Dungeness crab mousse, Dungeness crab sandwiches on grilled ciabatta or other bread, and Dungeness crab-stuffed ravioli in caper butter sauce. Dungeness crab bisque with large chunks of crab leg meat is a tasty way to start the meal.

For us, the freshly-steamed crab meat is best absolutely plain, without covering up the flavor and texture nuances that make it such a treat. We don’t even need butter.

Dungeness crab claws and legs marinated with cilantro, garlic, parsley and olive oil and sautéed. Photo courtesy MarxFoods.com.

RECIPES FROM THE OREGON DUNGENESS CRAB COMISSION

These recipes can be used in any season with any type of crab.

 
Find many more Dungeness crab recipes from the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission.

CRAB MEAT 101: A CRAB-BUYING LESON

Now, about crab meat in general: Do you need to spring for the costliest, jumbo lump crab meat? Not unless you’re entertaining people you really want to impress, who will know the difference.

Here’s the way to decide among the grades of crab.

Grilled branzino with heirloom tomatoes and
kumquat compote at Paggi House in Austin,
Texas. Photo courtesy Nations Restaurant
News. Read the full article.

According to Datassential MenuTrends, which tracks more than one million different menu items at more than 7,000 chain and independent restaurants, shrimp, tuna and salmon are among the top seafood items on American menus.

 
The fastest-growing fish entrée on restaurant menus is not catfish or tilapia, but a lesser-known fish.

Swimming onto menus nationwide, branzino, a silvery denizen of the Mediterranean Sea and a member of the bass family, currently appears on just 1% of all menus. But it is the fastest-growing fish or seafood, showing up on 28% more menus since 2008—maybe even more if you combine all the different names by which it is known.

Branzino is the Northern Italian name for the fish, which is called Mediterranean seabass in the U.K.; loup de mer in France; branzino, branzini, bronzini, spigola or ragno in different parts of Italy; lubina or róbalo in Spain; levrek in Turkey and lavraki in Greece.

Branzino/European seabass was one of the first varieties of fish, after salmon, to be farmed commercially in Europe. It was historically cultured in coastal lagoons and tidal reservoirs. Mass-production techniques developed in the late 1960s took production inland.

Today, branzino is the most important commercial fish widely cultured in the Mediterranean. Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Croatia, and Egypt are major branzino farming countries.*

HOW DOES BRANZINO TASTE?

Branzino has a very mild flavor, with sweeter flesh than most white fish. It’s very easy to eat whole off the bone, or to fillet at home.

A popular preparation is to roast branzino whole, stuffed with lemon and herbs. You can roast the whole fish at a high heat, stuffed with fresh lemon and parsley or thyme; then cook it briefly under the broiler to crisp the skin.† Or, try these recipes:

Branzino fresh from the farm. Photo courtesy Aquanor-USA.com.

 
You can substitute branzino in any recipe the calls for striped bass or red snapper.

 
Find more of our favorite fish and seafood recipes.
 
*Source: Wikipedia.
 
†Rinse fish, pat dry and place on a lightly oiled baking pan. Brush fish inside and out with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity of each fish with 2-3 lemon slices and a few parsley sprigs. Bake, uncovered, at 400°F for 4 minutes; turn and cook 4 more minutes. Turn on broiler and cook fish 3 to 5 minutes or until skin blisters and fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fish from oven, and transfer to serving plates.