By Andrea Blum ( @myamericanpantry ), LAP Culinary Arts Fellow
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Photos: Water2Table
Who knew I didn’t know? That is, the incredible taste of sablefish! The taste of place is really about the flavors that are native to place. The deep canyons off Monterey Bay is the place for sablefish—otherwise known as black cod—and the bay is one of the most prolific fisheries on the West Coast. It is also a local and sustainably managed fishery. This means that rules put in place by a variety of stakeholders ensure that the area is not overfished and that the local economy will benefit. You can feel good about eating this healthy fish from this beautiful and vibrant bay. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program labels sablefish the best choice for sustainable fish. This is a very important aspect of how we eat at the LAP table. I buy most of my food from local producers and support our local growers. I also support our local fishmongers, like Water2Table , run by Andi and Joe Conte, who have their own network of local fishermen who bring them their daily catch. This husband-and-wife business then shuttles the freshest fish to us, directly from the boats. Very fortunate for me and the artists here, who really get to taste California.
What I love about sablefish is that it’s hard to overcook. The high fat content helps this fish not to dry out and instead to caramelize as it cooks. I cook it in a hot wood oven with garlic, miso and ginger, a truly magical combination. Next week, I plan to cook it in the smoker.
“It’s best known served with miso in Japanese restaurants, but it’s delicious cooked almost any way—grilled or broiled is my favorite,” said friend and forager Maria Finn, author of The Whole Fish and former boat-hand on an all-female commercial fishing boat in Alaska.