"halibut" news and stories

You've seen the "dirty dozen" list for produce -- fruits and vegetables that are laden with pesticides, making it worth the cost of buying organic. But did you know there's also a dirty dozen list for fish? Food & Water Watch -- a non-profit group that works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced -- publishes an annual "do not eat" list.

Why is it noteworthy? As Barry Estabrook, writer at The Atlantic, explains in a recent article, "Seafood guides tend to focus either on species that should be avoided for reasons related to environmental health (overfishing) or species that should be avoided for reasons related to human health (their flesh is contaminated with chemicals). Food and Water Watch publishes a useful guide that takes both concerns into account."

The below fish fail at least two of their criteria for safe and sustainable seafood. The five criteria are: contaminants; status of the stock; catch method or farming method; economic/social/cultural significance (a community predominantly fishes for this species and depends on it); and key species (it's a primary food source for other wildlife or does it create critical habitat for other wildlife).

• Imported catfish
• Caviar from wild-caught sturgeon
• Atlantic cod
• American eel
• Atlantic flounder, sole, and halibut
• Imported king crab
• Imported shrimp
• Farmed salmon
• Chilean seabass
• Shark
• Atlantic bluefin tuna

The good news? Food & Water Watch offers a downloadable wallet-size guide to "smart" seafood, and also has resources on the site to help you find sustainable alternatives based on your fish tastes (mild, thick and flavorful, etc.).

There is a whole slew of cooking shows on the web that showcase newbie cooks that can show off a good meal, but can't necessarily give you some great background information that a chef can. Above you can watch Dallas' Master Chef David McMillan prepare halibut and clams with chorizo and black bean sauce -- and he not only discusses the dish, but the particulars of what is going into the meal. For example, he explains the different flavors that can be coaxed out of garlic, and the differences between curly and flat-leaf parsley.

It's the debut show, so I imagine there will be lots of great cooking info to come in the future. Enjoy!

• The wonders of poke.
• How about making pizza on the grill this summer?
• Summertime means a trip to the clam shack.
• Behind the scenes of the Future Chefs competition.
• Eat more fish, just for the halibut.
• Restaurant reviews: Steve's Diner and Shiraz Cuisine.
• This week's recipes: Roasted Onions with Thyme, Deviled Eggs, and Beef and Pork Chili (though I think it's a little warm for chili myself!)

• You can have an egg sandwich any time of day.
• Jasper White shows you how to grill up some fish.
• Have you ever had a beerita?
• ChocolateandZucchini.com blogger Clotilde Dusoulier has just released a book.
• A quick guide to supermarket sushi.
• Some tips on making pastry.
• This week's recipes: Lamb Kebabs, Grilled Oysters with Lemon Butter, Smoky Barbecued Chicken Legs and Thighs, and Porcini-Crusted Halibut with Cabernet Butter Sauce.

What do you call a person who eats vegetables and fish? Some people say "pesco-vegetarian," but I prefer the term that Fiber of food blog 28 Cooks uses: vegequarian.

For a perfect, food-porn-worthy vegequarian dish, Fiber has poached halibut in a hot and sour broth with a slightly Latin/Asian bent: vegetable stock, tomato paste, ginger and soy sauce. Poaching is a great method for cooking fish because it keeps the flesh from drying out and is also a fairly healthy preparation (as opposed to say, deep-frying).