Speaking of trends…its encouraging to see sustainable seafood on many lists.
Although we perceive the vast oceans as an endless source of food, pollution and careless fishing practices within the industry is depleting our supply faster than it can sustain itself. As chefs, it is our responsibility to educate and provide delicious and sustainable alternatives in order to sway popular taste. As consumers, we have the power to implement change, starting with the choices that we make (money talks).
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobis) proliferates throughout northeastern North America. The long, thin needles contain five times as much Vitamin C (by weight) as lemons.
Knowing what seafoods to choose can be confusing as it is not always a question of overfishing a particular species, but sometimes it is the location where they are caught and, often, it is the practice of a fishery or farmer that is harmful to the environment. There is a comprehensive guide here that lists good choices as well as alternatives and those to avoid. As a simplified general rule, large fish are most vulnerable, whereas small fish such as mackerel, herring, and sardines are not. In addition to being eco-friendly, these sustainable species are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, wallet-friendly, and loaded with umami.
Unfortunately, some people avoid these fish because of their assertive flavor or simply because they are unfamiliar.
Luckily for me, the humble sardine and I are old friends. Growing up in a Portuguese household, fewer foods were brought to the table with more reverence. The large, meaty ones were simply grilled whole, to be filleted at the table. The smaller ones were lightly fried and pickled overnight in garlic and onion-scented vinegar–their tiny bones so tender that they became an integral part of their texture. This preparation was my favorite. Though I couldn't stomach them for breakfast (as my parents often did), I enjoyed them as a snack.
Escabeche de Sardinha is as simple as quickly frying small sardines that have been seasoned and lightly dusted with flour, in olive oil. These are then removed from the pan, the heat turned down, and thinly sliced onions and garlic are added to the pan and slowly stewed. When soft, the pan is deglazed with red wine vinegar and the escabeche is poured over the sardines and chilled overnight. They are best eaten at room temperature.
For this dish, I swapped shallots for the onions, omitted the garlic, and deglazed with raspberry vinegar.
Sardines, vinegar, and raspberries have an affinity for each other and share aroma compounds: ester (isovaleric acid), alcohol (butanediol), and aldehyde (acetaldeyhde). Pine, yogurt and cocoa also play in with the flavors of fish and raspberries. Chemistry aside, its a great tasting combination.
sardine
vinegar
raspberry
yogurt
pine
cocoa
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobis) proliferates throughout northeastern North America. The long, thin needles contain five times as much Vitamin C (by weight) as lemons.
For the pine dust: Bring equal amounts (by weight) of sugar and water to a boil. Reduce until syrupy. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Drop in pine needles, stir to coat and remove to a silpat. If the syrup is too hot or the needles remain in it for too long, they will begin to discolor. Separate the needles and dehydrate until they snap when bent. Grind in a spice grinder.
Playing with Fire and Water 
That’s a nice looking Sardine…
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I’m addicted to your blog
that vinegar looks really interesting
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I love escabeche. I used to do an Asian style boiling sake with rice wine vinegar and water- ginger, onions, garlic and lemon grass. Then I’d pour it boiling over raw seabass at room temp and let it cook through with residual heat. Refridgerate over night, then I’d serve it by searing it in the pan quickly and crusting it with wasabi mayo and panko. Really went over well.
What is on the sardine? Is it raspberry?
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Did you use the raspberry vinegar glaze to change the color of the egg yolks…
What are you using to squeeze the paste onto the sardine?
Just a plastic style bottle with small nib?
What are the green sprinkles? Herb or salt?
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That sounds great, maybe you can substitute the red-listed sea bass for something more sustainable.
Those are the shallots from the marinade.
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Egg yolks?…do you mean the centers of the yogurt dollops? That’s raspberry vinegar.
The green sprinkles are pine dust.
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i have a chemistry question.
where did you learn those all have similiar aroma compounds?
is there a list/resource somewhere?
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I stumbled accidentally on the cacao/mackerel affinity a while back- it’s pretty great. I’ve been enjoying your gingerbread chronicles, and now the evergreen evolution is a treat too since I love piney flavors. How do you make the dust? Is it just dried and ground needles?
The fish piece will be out on 2/1. Hope you like it.
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There are extensive databases that analyze and identify volatile organic
compounds in virtually any food/flavor, but these are expensive…a
subscription will cost 1000 euros/yr. There are also scientific textbooks,
but these are expensive as well, although some of them can be accessed at
http://www.books.google.com
A free source is http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/, where you can search for
individual or groups of aroma compounds–but you need to understand that
this site is geared for the fragrance industry and you will need to look at
where the ACs occur naturally and not where they are used.
There is also the online science journal
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/home
and http://www.freepatentsonline.com/, both of which have searchable ACs.
For the chef, an excellent and fun site ishttp://www.foodpairing.be/ and
alsohttp://blog.khymos.org
It is my hope that as chefs become more interested in the chemistry of
flavor and food pairing, that this information will become more accessible
and comprehensive.
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I’ve included the procedure for making the dust in the post.I look forward
to reading your article on sustainable seafood on http://chronogram.com/
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Yes, it would be something else now. That was actually a decade ago. Works well with salmon and even chicken breast.
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