NH Sea Grant Co-hosts Sustainable Seafood Forum

Chef Matthew Coyle from the Shoals Marine Lab doesn’t spend much of his time preparing spice crusted hake for the students and researchers on Appledore Island.

Although hake are often pulled up in commercial trawling nets, they are not typically targeted by fishermen in New England. However, local foodies got the chance to sample Coyle’s preparation of hake, as well as other lesser-known seafood products, at the Sustainable Seafood Forum on Tuesday, July 22, at the Atlantic Culinary Institute (ACA) location at L’Esprit in Dover.

The three-hour event was co-hosted by the ACA, the Shoals Marine Lab and NH Sea Grant. It was intended to help create professional and public awareness of seafood products that are underutilized to relieve some of the pressure from overharvested fish stocks.

 
Chef Evan Mallet (Black Trumpet Bistro) with his Calamari 
Salad with feta, black olives and preserved lemon, and
Chef Matthew Coyle (Shoals Marine Laboratory)
with his spice crusted hake.

Chefs from local restaurants such as Radici, The Dunaway Restaurant, Pesce Blue and The Black Trumpet Bistro showed off their abilities to take underutilized seafood and transform it into a savory dish. Forum attendees mingled and sipped white wine while tasting bluefish ceviche, grilled squid with spicy gazpacho, grilled mackerel with Dijon, rock crab and fish stew. Everyone was given copies of the recipes created by the chefs to try their hand at creating the food items on their own.

After attendees had sampled the cuisine, Chef Tim Ridge from the New England Aquarium began the cooking demonstrations with his version of a pine nut crusted bluefish. Using simple ingredients such as white wine and capers, Ridge prepared a beautiful plate with the bluefish on a chilled salad and topped with olive tapenade.    

Chef Jacky Goguelet from the McIntosh Atlantic Culinary Academy followed with a demonstration for sautéed skate wing with brown butter and capers. Goguelet explained that skate meat could be purchased at places like Seaport Fish in Rye for a fraction of the price of more popular products. The affordability of the skate meat apparently does not mean sacrificing taste quality — attendees lined up quickly to try the prepared dish after the delicious smells filled the room.  

In addition, Richard Langan from the UNH Atlantic Marine Aquaculture Center gave a presentation about the need for farm-raised seafood and its potential impacts on the global seafood market and the environment. At the conclusion of the evening, the winner of the forum attendees’ choice for favorite seafood preparation was awarded to Chef Michael Ciuffetti from the ACA for his Maine rock crab and summer fruit salad.

After an evening of enjoying seafood cuisine and cooking demonstrations, the concept of preparing and eating underutilized species seemed less daunting and more environmentally practical. Keep your eyes open for more of these tasty and sustainable dishes to show up on menus in local restaurants. – story and photos by Rebecca Zeiber, NH Sea Grant Science Writer