We all know fishermen tell tales of "the fish that got away." What about the one that never arrived?
The St. Petersburg Times reports that Tampa Bay area diners may have been duped by numerous restaurants into thinking they were eating Grouper. What they actually were served was a much cheaper substitution.In fact, in their survey of eleven area restaurants, six were guilty of telling an expensive fish tale. How about paying $23 for a "champagne braised black grouper" but getting tilapia?
One restauranteur claimed to be shocked but paid half the normal price for the box marked "Grouper" from his supplier. Another distributor likened the incident to buying a Mercedes that normally sells for $50,000 but paying only $20,000 for it, then claiming to be surprised when it turned out not to be a Mercedes. The restauranteur did not pass his surprising good fortune on to his customers, just in case you were wondering.
The DNA testing on the eleven samples showed five fakes and one that could not be identified but clearly fell outside the grouper genus. One of the common substitutions is an Asian catfish called basa. It entered the grouper market when the US government imposed protective tariffs on it, benefitting domestic catfish producers.
What to do with all the foreign catfish? I know, let's call it grouper! Suppliers all along the supply chain can make nice little markups when your fish costs you half (or less) what your restaurant will pay you for it.
In the end, the consumers and the actual grouper suppliers both get harmed by the illegal substitutions. Once customers eat Asian catfish labeled as grouper and priced at four times the price catfish should be, they tend to think "grouper" is overrated and not worth the price.
This was one small sample in one city, but if you believe this is an isolated incident, pull up a chair, I've got another fish tale for you, as well as a bridge for sale...
Another fish tale. This one's about the fish that didn't get away. The Striper is a true star, sorry Charlie.
Striper, or striped bass, is a seasonal item and we had the great fortune of being invited to our friends' summer home on Nantucket, during prime striper season. What could be better than enjoying glorious sun, playing on pristine, uncrowded beaches, enjoying brilliant sunsets and lots of laughs and libations? Nothing. Many thanks, A & C!!
Striper is an Atlantic fish. Like Salmon, they are anadromous, meaning they live in saltwater and migrate to spawn in freshwater. They grow from 2 to 70 pounds you'll typically see them in fish mongers cut into filets ranging from 3-5 lbs. The flesh of the fish is delicate, lightly sweet, and white. A bloodline runs through it and is similar to the natural timer in shellfish. When shrimp change color, they're done. When the bloodline disappears, the striper is done. For more on the striper see Striped Bass by Fred Kane.
Striper is the type of fish most everyone likes. The texture will stand up to broiling or grilling but we prefer the en papillotemethod. This is not a fish that needs charring or heavy saucing to enhance it. Heavy duty foil works well with a larger filet as we had, our second day we fed 6 hungry adults!
And now, a final word about sourcing
You have heard me say it before, know your source! If we have trusted sources, such as Souza's on Nantucket, you will be able to speak to someone who can tell you which fish was caught that morning. I think I spoke with the guy who caught our striper.
In the case of those unscrupulous suppliers in the first fish tale (above), well, they should know their suppliers if they are genuinely interested in whether or not their half price grouper is the real deal. I suspect it was more a case of what they were willing to do to maximize profits.
Consumers of $23 dollar entrees certainly can vote with their feet. I encourage them to do so.
Be sure your choices are sustainable - the Monterey Bay Aquarium makes it easy; and not from a dubious source purporting to be "zero toxin".
