Just in time for the holiday season, Food & Water Watch on Friday released its new collection of affordable, sustainable seafood recipes, "Fish & Tips on a Budget: The Frugal Fish Edition."
The innovative collection, which is available for free online, brings together the creations of the winners of Food & Water Watch’s Frugal Fish recipe contest, including Gilda Lester of Millsboro.
“As festive holiday meals approach and many people are planning their menus on a budget, we’re excited to be able to share this free collection of sustainable seafood recipes. Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks so much for helping us continue to raise awareness about healthier and more sustainable seafood,” said Marianne Cufone, director of the Fish Program at Food & Water Watch.
Gilda Lester, a recent transplant to Millsboro, was featured for her winning recipe for Tortilla-Crusted Halibut with Peach and Fennel Relish.
“I was inspired by a bag of baked tortilla chips that were already partially crushed, so I finished the job and used them on the tilapia," she said.
"In the Italian kitchen, nothing goes to waste."
To assemble the recipe booklet, which is available for free on Food & Water Watch’s Web site, the organization held its second annual seafood recipe contest. The contest, this year called “Frugal Fish,” challenged creative cooks to prepare a healthy, sustainable seafood meal for four people, using fish recommended in Food & Water Watch’s Smart Seafood Guide, for under $25. The top recipes were published in Fish & Tips on a Budget, and grand-prize winner Gloria Piantek of Indiana took home $250.
Food & Water Watch debuted its Smart Seafood Guide in 2008 to help consumers navigate the sometimes overwhelming selection of available seafood, based on a combination of environmental, human health, and socioeconomic factors. The wallet-sized card helps consumers choose fish that are less likely to be associated with environmental concerns or those that might contain high amounts of contaminants, like mercury or chemicals, and are most likely to support domestic coastal and fishing communities.
Food & Water Watch materials are also available to help consumers know what questions to ask when shopping for seafood. Chef Joseph “Rocky” Barnette, formerly of The Inn at Little Washington, works with Food & Water Watch to help promote healthy and sustainable foods.
To access Fish & Tips on a Budget: The Frugal Fish Edition, visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org/fish/seafood/fish-tips-on-a-budget.
