From sustainable and underutilized types to unique
pairings, seafood is making a splash on menus.
Seafood may hail
from cool waters, but it is a
hot center-plate option. Coast
to coast, restaurant menus
are increasingly showcasing a
plethora of seafood. “Seafood
is taking a larger percentage
of the sales on many menus,”
says David Anderson, executive
chef of Portola Restaurant,
Monterey Bay Aquarium,
Monterey, Calif. To find out just
how restaurants are menuing
seafood, check out the
following seafood menu trends.
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Ben Fink/CIA*
Serving
sustainability
While the concept of sustainable
fish has been an area of concern
for activist groups, restaurant
owners and chefs, customers
are just beginning to see the
importance of it. “The media
is telling the story more, so
customers know what questions
to ask and what to look for on
menus,” says Buerhaus. “The
trend started with an emphasis
on locally grown produce,
but it’s a natural evolution for
customers to then question the
source and sustainability of the
rest of the meal.”
David Anderson’s grilled oysters
with miso and wasabi
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© Monterey Bay Aquarium
Even fresher seafood
Fresh seafood has gotten even fresher thanks to modern
techniques of processing at sea. “Before, fishing boats were out
for three to seven days. Now a fishing boat may be gone just 12
to 24 hours,” explains Jamie Gruber, executive chef/owner, The
Market, Columbus, Ga.
Mark Ainsworth’s Dover sole Meunière
Seafood has long been touted as a good addition to a healthy diet.
More and more restaurants are marketing these health benefits.
“People are interested in eating the right kinds of fat but are
confused as to what they are. Restaurants will use customers'
confusion to sell more products,” says Mark Ainsworth, CEC,
chef-instructor at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park,
N. Y., and author of The Kitchen Professional Series, Fish and
Seafood: Identification, Fabrication, Utilization (Delmar
Cengage Learning, 2009). For example, expect to see a fish that is
high in omega- 3, such as bluefish, billed as such. “If a diner thinks
it’s good for them, they will try it,” says Ainsworth.
Mark Ainsworth’s grilled salmon with ginger glaze is high in
omega- 3 fatty acids.
Ben Fink/CIA*
Selling health
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Local product
“Customers have long been
asking about local products;
they like to hear that the fish
they are eating was caught
right in the bay or off the coast
where they are dining,” says
Jeff Buerhaus, chef/owner of
Walter’s in Portland, Maine.
“Given the state of the economy,
restaurants, and the companies
they purchase their food from,
are more conscientious about
supporting local businesses
whenever possible and keeping
the money in the state.”
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Monterey Bay Aquarium’s
Anderson adds that aquaculture
operations have even responded
to consumer requests for more
sustainable seafood by limiting
the possibility of escape,
disease transfer or pollution of
surrounding waterways.
*Ben Fink/CIA. From the book The Kitchen Professional Series, Fish and Seafood:
Identification, Fabrication, Utilization (Delmar Cengage Learning, 2009)
