Porgy. Photo: jasonlam, flickr

A fish better known for its contribution to the American songbook than the American dinner plate is being touted as a sustainable alternative to grouper and red snapper. Southern conservationists are now championing red porgy, the fish that was once so ubiquitous on low-country docks that it lent its name to the hero of George Gershwin's opera, "Porgy and Bess."

While the effort has been slightly hampered by chefs' reluctance to tinker with unfamiliar proteins and the lingering social stigma associated with eating red porgy, backers believe the fish's taste and history make it an excellent candidate to diversify coastal diets.
"There is such immense diversity in the ocean that's edible, and, contrary to logic, we focus on just a few species," says Megan Westmeyer, coordinator of the South Carolina Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood Initiative. "What we need to do is widen the diversity of what we're eating."

To relieve pressure on overfished species, Westmeyer's organization is pushing eaters to embrace so-called "trash fish," which don't have the cachet -- or the threatened future -- of marquee varieties. But red porgy has emerged as a somewhat tougher sell than amberjack, wreckfish and triggerfish, and a regular menu item at leading Charleston eateries like McCrady's and FIG.

Red porgies swim close to the shore, well within the reach of hungry fishermen without fancy boats or elaborate tackle. Much like mullet, its silvery Southern cousin, red porgy quickly became known as a poverty fish.

"It was probably consumed by slaves, and could have had a cultural taboo," Westmeyer says. "The upper class didn't want to eat the same thing as the slaves."

Still, enough Carolinians and Georgians ate enough red porgy – about 2 million pounds of it annually when its popularity peaked in the 1980s – that regulating bodies intervened to limit its harvest. Westmeyer says the fish has recovered so quickly that it's now considered an environmentally sound choice.

Having mastered red porgy's management, fans of the fish must now persuade chefs to cook with it.

"To bring in a new fish and get customers to try it can take time," concedes Westmeyer, who says the restaurants she's approached are still figuring out how to pry profit from the delicate porgy, which has to be scaled rather than skinned.

"It's a very mild, flaky, white fish," Westmeyer says. "People enjoy it, but you need a skilled chef who can deal with the pinbones."

Fortunately for ocean caretakers like Westmeyer, there's no shortage of skilled chefs in Charleston, where porgy may once again rule Catfish Row.