Maybe you’re a fan of sushi. But you’re not sure what to eat. A few years after you discovered the utter deliciousness of bluefin tuna, you found out that the species is being
overfished to the point of near-extinction, and that bluefin and other species of sushi tuna are full of
mercury. What to do?
If you want continue enjoying sushi, but would rather avoid eating fish species that are endangered, overfished, unsustainably farmed or contaminated with high levels of mercury and other toxins, check out
this page from the Blue Ocean Institute. It ranks typical species of fish used in sushi in terms of sustainability, and notes which ones are sustainably farmed and which have especially high levels of toxic contaminants. You can also download their pocket guide with a condensed version of the same information
here.
Of course, it’s not easy to find out whether the yellowtail/hamachi you’re eating was farmed in the U.S. (
okay ) or Japan (
really bad ), but politely asking a few questions at sushi restaurants may yield the information you want. It also has the added benefit of showing customers care about this stuff.
Another alternative is to make your own sushi. Here in Seattle, we can buy sustainably-fished, low-contaminant sushi-quality salmon and tuna from
Loki and
St. Jude respectively. It’s been suggested that you should freeze and thaw fish before eating it raw, to limit risk of parasites. I asked the nice guys at Loki what they thought about this, and they agreed it seems wise.
You can also make homemade sushi with locally-produced ingredients like, here in the Northwest: smoked fish, shellfish, squash, sweet potato, shiitake or wild mushrooms, egg, greens, beets, or carrots. Loki also sells salmon roe, which are delicious in sushi or just served over some sushi rice and seaweed. Fish eggs are also rich in essential fat-soluble vitamins K2, A and D, as well as omega-3 fatty acids.
Thanks to
inskor for the Flickr CC photo
If you want continue enjoying sushi, but would rather avoid eating fish species that are endangered, overfished, unsustainably farmed or contaminated with high levels of mercury and other toxins, check out this page from the Blue Ocean Institute. It ranks typical species of fish used in sushi in terms of sustainability, and notes which ones are sustainably farmed and which have especially high levels of toxic contaminants. You can also download their pocket guide with a condensed version of the same information here.
Of course, it’s not easy to find out whether the yellowtail/hamachi you’re eating was farmed in the U.S. ( okay ) or Japan ( really bad ), but politely asking a few questions at sushi restaurants may yield the information you want. It also has the added benefit of showing customers care about this stuff.
Another alternative is to make your own sushi. Here in Seattle, we can buy sustainably-fished, low-contaminant sushi-quality salmon and tuna from Loki and St. Jude respectively. It’s been suggested that you should freeze and thaw fish before eating it raw, to limit risk of parasites. I asked the nice guys at Loki what they thought about this, and they agreed it seems wise.
You can also make homemade sushi with locally-produced ingredients like, here in the Northwest: smoked fish, shellfish, squash, sweet potato, shiitake or wild mushrooms, egg, greens, beets, or carrots. Loki also sells salmon roe, which are delicious in sushi or just served over some sushi rice and seaweed. Fish eggs are also rich in essential fat-soluble vitamins K2, A and D, as well as omega-3 fatty acids.
Thanks to inskor for the Flickr CC photo