Dish of the Week: Grilled mackerel and other small fish
Where: Azur, Cork. Boqueria, Pesce, Kellari Taverna, Mourayo
I recently attended a book release party at Azur put on by international ocean conservation group Oceana. Their CEO had just published a new book, The Perfect Protein, which extols the eating of sustainable wild fish as a key to protecting oceans and the planet. As human population continues to balloon, more protein will be needed to feed all those hungry people. We’re going to need more fish. At the book release, Azur’s Frederik de Pue prepared dishes to illustrate the types of more sustainable choices suggested in The Perfect Protein: Wild and local, instead of organic and farmed, and not too many big ones, since they are generally overfished. Water cleaning bivalves are a great bet, except for shrimp whose farming takes a heavy toll on the environment.
The rule I had previously thought the least about was focusing on eating small fish. Sardines, anchovies, mackerel and herring are all forage fish, or fish that eat plankton, and are preyed on by larger fish higher up in the food chain. Cheap stuff people are used to seeing in tins packed in oil and not so much on restaurant menus, at least outside of Europe. Stuff that the food industry typically uses to grind up as feed for larger farmed fish like tuna and salmon, which is inefficient. Small fish are loaded with healthy omega-3’s, protein, and other nutrients, and are largely free from toxins such as mercury that accumulate in bigger fish. But small fish fisheries have to be managed correctly, too. If we catch too many of them, there won’t be enough for the big predator fish. But they could feed huge amounts of the population cheaply if managed correctly, says Oceana CEO Andy Sharpless, which would put less stress on overfishing big fish. Plus they’re delicious if prepared the right way.
Small fish appear on menus where chefs are in tune with providing sustainable seafood, are looking for less expensive alternatives to pricier seafood, or love serving Mediterranean dishes. I returned to Azur on my own to try the mackerel on their menu, which is grilled and served atop a panzanella salad. The oily fish is more mild than you might expect and enlivened with contrasting bursts from bites of fresh, sweet oregano. Cork does a grilled mackerel as well, making it tart with capers, lemons, olives, and crispy shallots.
One thing you probably won’t find anywhere in D.C. is small fish on the main course section of a menu. But chefs and consumers are beginning to embrace small fish for small bites. Marinated sardines are becoming a more ubiquitous Spanish tapas selection. A grilled sardine can be found once in a while, especially at places with Greek influences like Morayu and Kellari Taverna. Pesce fries fresh anchovies, and of course you can get salty, packed ones on your pizza just about anywhere. But good luck finding a meal built around one of these little guys. Is there a market for a basket of small fish and chips, or anchovy, sardine, and mackerel fisherman’s stew, or a mixed grill out there? It would make one hell of a dish of the week. For now, I’ll settle for the occasional mackerel salad. That and the jar of herring in cream sauce perpetually in my refrigerator.
Small Bites
Cookers to Losers
Fifteen local chefs, including Mike Isabella, R.J. Cooper, and Marjorie Meek-Bradley, are in the midst of a twelve-week weight loss competition put on by the American Cancer Society for their inaugural Fit For Hope challenge, which will culminate on September 24 at the Taste of Hope fundraising event. Some chefs have further to go in the weight loss department than others. Competitor Scott Drewno carries his weight in his massively towering frame, while mixologist Derek Brown and Matt Hill of Range are pretty skinny to begin with. There’s less of a chance that they will be one of the top three losers who will each get a makeover before the winner is announced at the September fundraiser. Each participant has pledged to raise $2,500 through the course of the challenge, so look out for fundraising events at their restaurants.
BonChon Arlington
Korean fried chicken fans will no longer need to head out to the deep burbs for a fix — only to Arlington, Va. BonChon Chicken opens its doors on Monday in the Lyon Park neighborhood, opened by partners who currently operate a franchise in Centreville. A BonChon franchise had been located in Annandale, but is now operating under a new name. The chicken is known for being hand-brushed, cooked to order, crispy and not greasy, and highly addictive.
Clyde’s, Read All About It
On the heels of taking home an achievement award for its golden anniversary, a book about Clyde’s Restaurant Group will be released this August. How We Do Business: Clyde’s Primer for Beating the Odds in the Restaurant Business presents Clyde’s as a case study for success in the hospitality industry and other businesses. Clyde’s has opened fourteen area locations and has never closed a restaurant.
Artisan Juice for Adams Morgan
Puree Artisan Juice Bar will open in Adams Morgan’s Mint Health Club this Fall. Puree, based in Bethesda Row, will take over the juice bar space the club had been running on its own, doubling it in size and offering an expanding healthy selection of organic pressed juices, smoothies, elixirs, and raw-vegan food. Construction began earlier this month. Puree will begin offering grab-and-go items in August before fully opening later this year.
Something to Wet the Baby’s Head
As royal baby fever heats up, the Queen Vic on H Street NE gets into the spirit by hosting a month-long baby shower in honor of Duchess Catherine, Prince William, and the future Royal Highness. Anyone bringing in a gift for a mother-to-be or child gets a baby shot of Jameson — a “smaller than a regular shot, just a little something to wet the baby’s head,” we’re told. All gifts will be donated to Sasha Bruce Youthwork, a local non-profit that helps abused and at-risk children and families. The shower begins tonight and runs through August 9.
