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.
  

We were about to cook a New Year’s Eve feast until we came across a seductive menu from Triomphe, a restaurant in midtown Manhattan.

Executive Chef Jason Tilmann has assembled stunning flavors and visual excitement, making this the menu we want to eat on New Year’s Eve.

Normally, we eschew words like “decadent” and “sinful” that some people inaccurately use to describe luscious foods. But in the case of luxurious excessiveness, we bow to Benjamin Franklin in “Poor Richard’s Almanac”:

No wonder Tom grows fat, the unwieldy Sinner,
Makes his whole Life but one continual Dinner.

Let Chef Tilmann’s menu inspire your own thoughts for New Year’s Eve dining. And may the richness of your dinner inspire restraint in the new year—at least, until Valentine’s Day.

SEVEN DEADLY SINS MENU

1. ENVY: a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.

Dish: osetra caviar, buckwheat blini, onion, egg and chives.

2. VANITY: excessive pride in one’s appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.

Even if you can’t make complex dishes like Triomphe’s, you can combine ingredients simply, like smoked salmon, salmon caviar (at the bottom of the dish), black caviar, a dab of crème fraîche and an herb garnish. Photo courtesy Tsar Nicoulai.

Dish: lobster dumplings, wakame salad and ginger butter.

3. WRATH: strong, stern or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation; ire.

Dish: spicy prawns, lemon, roasted garlic and herbed risotto.

4. GLUTTONY: excessive eating and drinking.

Dish: Pol Roger champagne sorbet, gold leaf and crispy grapes.

5. SLOTH: habitual disinclination to exertion; indolence; laziness.

Dish: slow-cooked cassoulet with duck confit, slab bacon and white northern beans.

6. GREED: excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions.

Dish: smoked Kobe tenderloin, fingerling potatoes, asparagus and bordelaise sauce.

7. LUST: an overwhelming desire or craving.

Dish: Valrhona chocolate soufflé with Grand Marnier crème anglaise.
 
These seven “sinful” courses are certain to engender a day of restraint on January 1st.

Marinated with some heat, garnished with red and green, we could eat a dozen of these Christmas oysters. Photo courtesy Louisiana Seafood.

Oysters are a treat at any time of the year.

The old advice to avoid them except in months that end in “r” came from the time before refrigeration, to avoid potential spoilage in the warmer spring and summer months.

“Christmas oysters” are garnished in red and green for a festive Christmas appetizer.

To warm up the holiday season, the recipe below, from Louisiana Seafood, has a bit of heat—which is how they like things in Louisiana.

If you don’t like heat, substitute green bell pepper for the jalapeño and eliminate the hot sauce.

The recipe calls for Louisiana oysters, but you can use any variety that are fresh and appealing. Our personal preference is for jumbo Pacific oysters from Willapa Oysters—the larger and meatier the oyster, the happier we are.

CHRISTMAS OYSTERS RECIPE

Ingredients

Preparation

1. CLEAN shells and shuck oysters. Strain and reserve liquid. Reserve bottom half of shell; discard top half.

2. COMBINE oyster liquid, red onions, cilantro, jalapeños, lime juice, lime zest, tomatoes, hot sauce and olive oil. Add oysters and marinate for 5-7 minutes.

3. ARRANGE oyster shells on a bed of ice or kosher salt (it’s much less expensive to use in bulk than coarse sea salt). We prefer shredded red cabbage with some white cabbage mixed in—it’s more festive for the holidays (you can shred it in the food processor or slice it thinly with a knife) and you can eat it with some lemon juice or cocktail sauce. Place 1 oyster on each shell and top with cherry tomato half, red onions, 1 slice of jalapeño, some juice from marinade and a couple of crystals of sea salt.

Growing oysters off the coast of Louisiana. Photo courtesy Louisiana Seafood News.

4. GARNISH with fresh cilantro leaves and serve immediately.
 
Find more of our favorite seafood recipes.

*Any oysters eaten raw must be freshly shucked, to avoid bacteria build-up.

The latest innovative way to enjoy caviar: Caviar Cream. Photo courtesy Petrossian.

The Petrossian brothers introduced caviar to Paris and went on to become the premier buyer and importer of Russian caviar worldwide. You’d think that just providing the world’s finest caviar would have been enough. But the company has outdone itself in innovation. (What’s caviar innovation Read on!)

Born on the Iranian side of the Caspian Sea (home to the beluga, sevruga and osetra sturgeon) and raised on the Russian side, Melkoum and Mouchegh Petrossian emigrated to France to continue their studies of medicine and law, which had been interrupted by the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.

The brothers missed caviar: The French had yet to discover the rare delicacy. So the Petrossians set out to remedy the situation.

Unable to gain entrance to French medical and law schools, they became caviar merchants. Had they become a doctor and a lawyer, their names would probably have been lost to history. Instead, they became known worldwide for setting the standard in fine caviar and creating a dynasty of purveyors of the finest delicacies.

They pestered the Soviet embassy to sell them caviar and, eventually, the diplomats arranged for a shipment to Paris.

Initially, the French were uninterested in the salty, fishy eggs. The first customers to patronize their shop and restaurant were White Russian émigrés. Finally, Cesar Ritz, the great hotelier, placed an order and caviar became the rage. The rest is history—exquisitely delicious, if pricey, history.

The current generation of Petrossians does not rest on the family laurels. Their creative product development has been remarkable. Three of our favorite food products of last year—and forever—were the Petrossian’s newly-launched Caviar Powder, Caviar Cubes (see photo below) and Papier Russe (Russian Paper—think nori, the sushi wrapper, made of caviar instead of seaweed).

Many thanks to Alexandre Petrossian (grandson of Mouchegh and son of Armen), director of the New York shop and restaurant, for introducing us to these marvels of quality and creativity.

INTRODUCING CAVIAR CREAM

Sturgeon caviar is one of the most expensive foods on earth. But create Caviar Cream by mixing it with some heavy cream (plus a pinch of salt and some stabilizer), and it brings the cost down—as well as creates a simply delicious spread for hors d’oeuvre: blini, brioche, toast points and potato slices, for example, or stuffed into miniature tomatoes and potatoes. Had we won the recent half-billion-dollar lottery, we’d be ordering it by the case as a dip.

Definitely at the top of the “good things come in small packages” category, Caviar Cream will be a long-remembered gift for the caviar lover. Buy it at Petrosian.com. A two-ounce jar is $42.00; but the memories are worth far more.

For a bit of romance, all you need are a bottle of Champagne, a jar of Caviar Cream and some toasted brioche.

CAVIAR POWDER

We’re on our second refill of Petrossian Caviar Powder, a unique way to enjoy caviar. We gave it our Food Innovation Award of 2011.

http://www.thenibble.com/zine//food-awards-2011.asp#belowFine caviar is dried via a proprietary technique that intensifies its flavor. It comes in a grinder that enables you to grind the pearls over your food (eggs, buttered toast, grilled fish or seafood, potatoes and pasta for starters) or sprinkle full pearls of the caviar on the food.

A 30 gram mill of Caviar Powder is $88.00; refills are $74.00, at Petrossian.com.

The greatest garnish for a Martini: Caviar Cubes. Photo courtesy Petrossian.

CAVIAR CUBES: THE PERFECT MARTINI GARNIS

Another beloved caviar innovation: Petrossian Caviar Cubes. Wow your guests with these cubes of pressed caviar, the size of a cocktail garnish.

On a martini, atop canapés and other hors d’œuvre, these cubes of caviar create luscious memories.

To paraphrase Loreli Lee, upon seeing her first diamond tiara in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, “I just LOVE finding new ways to eat caviar.”*

Get them at Petrossian.com: 20 grams, 16 to 20 cubes, $45.00.

Learn all about caviar in our Caviar Glossary.

*The original quote: “I just LOVE finding new places to wear diamonds.”

Trout ceviche. Photo courtesy
ILoveBlueSea.com

Ceviche, raw fish or shellfish cured by acidic citrus juice, has been popular in Latin America for many centuries. In the early 1500s, the Spanish conquistadors wrote of an Inca dish of raw fish marinated in chicha, a fermented maize beer that dates back some 2,000 years.

The concept evolved into ceviche (pronounced say-VEE-chay) (here’s the history of ceviche). There is something about fresh, homemade ceviche that is refreshing and satisfying, as well as low in calories and healthful (here’s why ceviche is so good for you).

We love the tangy twist of lime, the briny hit of fish or seafood, the sprightly cilantro and creamy avocado.

Throughout South America, the mix of fish or seafood changes depending on the local catch and regional preferences.

This recipe can be used with any fish or seafood. It is courtesy of chef Giovanna Garcia and I Love Blue Sea, an e-tailer of premier seafood, where the team enjoys their ceviche with raw tuna or trout.

The recipe is so easy to make, you’ve just got to try it. Warning: You may become a ceviche addict.

TROUT CEVICHE/FISH CEVICHE RECIPE

Ingredients

MacFarland Springs Trout. Photo courtesy I Love Blue Sea.

Preparation

1. CUT trout into pieces and place in a glass dish or bowl. Cover trout with lime juice and let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.

2. DRAIN the lime juice from the fish and add to the bowl. Toss to combine.

3. TASTE and season with sea salt and pepper.

4. SERVE with crackers or tortilla chips, in a lettuce cup or with mixed greens.

Here’s THE NIBBLE’s ceviche recipe for mixing and matching your favorite ingredients into your dream ceviche.

Find more of our favorite fish recipes.

This smooth lobster spread is a bit of
heaven. Photo courtesy Giovanni’s.

We don’t know who gave us this little tin of Giovanni’s Lobster Pâté with Cognac. We were browsing through a box of unopened food samples and the little blue can with the big red lobster popped out at us. It may have arrived in a holiday basket last year.

But whoever you are: Thank you! Thank you!

We didn’t have high expectations, but boy were we surprised. And for $2.49 per 2.75-ounce tin, it’s a bargain. (Small size, huge taste).

Very smooth and creamy, with forward flavors of fine lobster and Cognac, it was so delicious that we tracked it down on Amazon.com and ordered 12 cans. And that’s just for us.

For the holidays, we’ll return for the 48-pack: $149.00. Stocking stuffers don’t get better than this!We’ll be back to order a supply for holiday gifts.

Now about Champagne Day: There is some confusion over the date. Some sources say it’s October 26th; others give December 31st and even August 4th.

The difference is Champagne Day (October 26th) versus National Champagne Day (December 31st). The former was declared by the Champagne Bureau, the U.S. representative of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), the trade association that represents the grape growers and houses of the Champagne region of France.

We love a reason to open a bottle, so we’re happy to celebrate National Champagne Day several times a year. We’ll pop the cork tonight and serve the Champagne with Giovanni’s Lobster Pâté.

We enjoy it spread on warm toast quarters (brioche or white bread); but you can use crackers or eat it straight from the can. It’s that irresistible.

Check out our overview of Champagne and sparkling wine.

Pickle Me: a recipe with six grain rice,
avocado, carrot, gobo, and pickled daikon.
Photo courtesy Beyond Sushi.

In our book, to say you were a contestant on the Gordon Ramsay bleepfest TV show, Hell’s Kitchen, is not a status credential. The majority of cheftestants, who can curse expertly but can’t consistently cook a simple piece of fish or beef, engender incredulity that they hold down professional jobs.

But Guy Vaknin, who was eliminated early on in the show’s recently concluded Season 10, proves that a Ramsay reject can open an inspired specialty eatery and do a terrific job. Who can get excited about Hell’s Kitchen’s pasta or scallop dishes when there’s Vaknin’s innovative sushi to be had?

No Fish

Beyond Sushi, the vegan sushi restaurant in New York City created by Vaknin (who was previously a kosher chef/caterer), offers an aesthetic alternative to traditional sushi. Yes, there‘s no fish in this sushi. Sushi simply means vinegared rice: su = vinegar, shi = rice.

The fare is an inspired approach to sushi that just happens to be low in sodium: No soy sauce is used. Instead, Chef Vaknin uses flavored vegetable purées as sauces for the sushi.

Vegetarians, vegans and omnivores alike will be charmed by these vegetable and fruit beauties. If the idea excites you, visit Beyond Sushi’s Facebook page, check out the photo gallery and roll your own.

No White Rice

There’s also no white rice in Vaknin’s sushi. In the name of nutrition, flavor and aesthetics, Chef Vaknin employs black Chinese forbidden rice and a six grain rice made from rye berries (the whole kernel, which is ground to make rye flour for baking), two types of barley, black rice, brown rice and red rice. (Check out the different types of rice in our Rice Glossary, along with an overview of whole grains).

No Soy Sauce

Vaknin also cuts down on the sodium inherent in classic sushi, via the soy sauce. Even low sodium soy sauce has more than a meal’s allotment of sodium (Kikkoman’s low sodium soy sauce, for example, has 575 mg sodium per tablespoon, compared with 920 mg for its regular soy sauce).

Instead, all rolls are served with sauces made from tofu or veggie purée, such as carrot-ginger, jalapeño-wasabi, mango-chili, shiitake-teriyaki, toasted cayenne and white miso.

Vegetarians, vegans and omnivores alike will be charmed by these vegetable beauties, some with fruit accents. If the idea excites you, visit Beyond Sushi’s Facebook page, check out the photo gallery and roll your own.

Then, serve your beautiful and healthful creations for lunch, dinner, snacks and cocktail fare. It will have special fans among:

THE VEGAN SUSHI MENU

Vaknin scours farmers markets for the inspiration to combine great flavors, colors and textures. On the Beyond Sushi menu you’ll find:

Black rice, avocado, cucumber, mango and spicy veggies, topped with toasted cayenne sauce. Photo courtesy Beyond Sushi.

 
There are also a special Rolls Of The Month. You can enter your idea for the chance to win dinner for two. Some recent winners:

 
September’s special roll is black rice with Dijon-crusted roasted celery root and peaches topped with a blend of red cabbage, cilantro and celery and finished with celery root purée and whiskey marinated mustard seeds.

Are you ready to roll?
 
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR SUSHI?

Check out our Sushi Glossary.

It’s National Macadamia Nut Day, so today’s tip is to add some to your meals.

Believed to have originated in Australia, the nuts grow on a genus of evergreen trees. They were named after named after John Macadam, a botanist who first described the genus.

While macadamia nuts contain even more heart-healthy monounsaturated fats than the nuts included on the FDA’s recommended list of heart-healthy nuts, they did not make the list because of their caloric density. (The FDA recommends that an ounce of nuts a day can be part of a heart-healthy diet.)

A one-ounce serving of dry roasted macadamia nuts, about 10 nuts, has 200 calories.* But that doesn’t mean that you can’t include them in your meals—just don’t eat them by the bowl full. According to a 2008 study in the Journal of Nutrition, a diet rich in macadamia nuts may lower LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol (it’s the monounsaturated “good” fats lower blood pressure and cholesterol).

Macadamia nuts. Photo by Fotostreet | IST.

(Dog owners note: Like chocolate, macadamias are toxic to canines.)

WAYS TO ENJOY MACADAMIA NUTS

Some of our favorite uses:

 
Macadamia Butter

Pick up a jar of macadamia butter at a natural foods store (Artisana macadamia nut butter was a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week).

Use it as you would peanut butter—as a spread, in ice cream, in baking, in sauces. We like it as a sauce with this easy fish recipe, which serves 6:

FISH FILETS WITH MACADAMIA BUTTER

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COOK THE FISH. Lightly rub fish fillets with oil and sprinkle with salt. Sauté or steam, as you prefer (you can also fry them). Move to a warm serving platter.

2. MAKE THE SAUCE. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the macadamia butter and cook over low heat for 1 minute.

3. PLATE & SERVE. Plate the fish, pour the macadamia butter sauce over the fillets. Garnish the fillets with chopped parsley and chopped macadamia nuts. Serve with a lemon wedge, your favorite green vegetable, steamed, and brown rice, quinoa or other whole grain.

More recipes.

Find more of our favorite nuts and nut butters.

 
*It also contains 2 g of fiber, 2 g of protein and 20 g of fat (including 4 g of saturated fat); 15% of the daily value (DV) for thiamine, 8% DV for magnesium, 6% DV for vitamin B6 and phosphorus, 4% DV for niacin and iron and 2% DV for zinc and calcium.