The Other Red Meat

In my travels today, I drove past the old Daniels Dam area in Willoughby. Mi esposo, a fisherman, tells me that this is a popular spot on the Chagrin River for steel-head trout. Indeed, though the snow has not even come close to melting, the fish must be swimming upstream as I saw a couple die-hards out in their waders on this 35-degree day. It's official then, fresh fish is in season!

This week at the fish counter, the beautiful, deep red, wild Pacific salmon was less expensive than the farm-raised pink Atlantic variety. I was all over that.

The red salmon (I always call it "Sockeye" whether or not it actually is that exact variety, as an homage to an amusing band from Kent that went by the same name) tastes completely different than its paler, farm-raised cousin. In "The Perricone Prescription" (http://www.amazon.com/Perricone-Prescription-Nicholas/dp/0060188790), author Nicholas Perricone explains how your complexion can beat the clock by following his anti-inflammatory diet featuring mineral-rich foods like, you guessed it, deep red wild salmon. I don't know if I am really taking years off my face, but you really get a sense that the red, wild salmon DOES have more vitamins and minerals. The color is deeper, the taste is richer, it just feels more complete.

If fresh wild fish "feels" better, it's because it quite possibly IS better. Many experts feel that wild fish is the safest. These proponents of wild fish point out that the fish are eating a natural diet and are more active and therefore less fatty...and the dangerous PCB and metal levels we hear about in fish tend to settle in the fat deposits (Yes, fish DO get fat...if you ever cut a side of salmon, you have to make sure you slice off the big slab of undesirable belly fat before filleting it.) But however it is labeled or mislabeled, over 80% of all salmon sold in this country is farmed...so trim the skin and the fat! Or marry a fisherman.

Interestingly, while reading about salmon, I stumbled across the name of author Taras Grescoe who was quoted in a Boston Globe article about salmon (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2008/07/02/catch_of_the_day/?page=2). He wrote a book about eating ethically and making seafood sustainable and he asserts that we should be eating the little fish that the larger fish eat because they are plentiful and largely disease-free.

I am absolutely willing to try these varieties that are currently less popular. I've always rather liked salted herring...and mackerel is supposed to be incredibly good for you (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_mackerel), with a whole host of healthy oils and B vitamins. But, these smaller fish have a high level of fish oil and can therefore retain a stronger, more "fishy" flavor. But there must be a way to make it palatable. The Japanese plop something suspect into a handroll and are able to get us to "oooh and aaah" over oily varieties like eel, so I see possibilities.

Maybe a nice fish terrine...though just this side of strong in flavor, so nice on a cracker with cold white wine and some perky, poppy roe on top...? I feel a cocktail party coming on!