Each time we eat mussels - and that is quite often since the van from Bouzigues comes to the village twice a week - I become more convinced that mussels and oysters are a sustainable food for those of us who live near where they are farmed.
Chaque fois que nous mangeons les moules - et c'est assez souvent car le camion de coquillage de Bouzigues arrive au village deux fois par semaine - je deviens de plus en plus convaincue que les moules et les huitres sont de la nourriture durable pour ceux qui habitent près des etangs où elles sont cultivées.
The British website fishonline.org gives a lot of information about which fish to eat and which to avoid, not all of it applicable to the Mediterranean. The website is definite about mussels and oysters, though. So long as they are farmed or hand-gathered from the wild, they are OK. It states that:
Shellfish farming is an extensive, low-impact method of mariculture and high quality water standards are required for cultivation of shellfish for human consumption.
As I've pointed out before, the high quality of water needed is a benefit as the producers have a vested interest in keeping it unpolluted. So it seems it's all good news as far as both food and the environment are concerned.
Le site web britannique fishonline.org donne des renseignements de quels poissons sont bien à manger. Si les coquillages sont cultivés ou ramassés à la main, ils sont durables. Et la necessité d'une très bonne qualité de l'eau est un avantage parce qu'il es dans l'interêt des producteurs de garder l'eau saine.
For us, living near the Bassin de Thau where mussels and oysters are farmed, shellfish seem to be the ideal food - fresh, tasty, environmentally friendly ... and cheap: only 3 € a kilo.
Mussels with tomato and fennel sauce / Moules à la sauce tomate et fenouille
We hadn't thought of having mussels for supper last night, but when we heard the announcement that the coquillage van had arrived we made a spur-of-the-moment decision and Lo Jardinièr went to the place and bought a kilo. We had some fennel we'd bought in the market on Wednesday, so I made a tasty tomato sauce with it. The full recipe is on my mediterranean food blog.
La recette pour ce plat est sur mon blog cuisine mediterranéenne.
PS Michelle at From Seed to Table advises US readers to consult the Monterey Bay Acquarium site for information about which fish to eat:
1 comment:
Chaiselongue, excellent post about sustainable seafood. Here in the states, right in my backyard so to speak, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has its Seafood Watch program. They produce up to date regional information for the US to help people make sustainable seafood choices. I urge your US readers to check it out at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx
Farmed mussels, clams, and oysters are on the Best Choices list!
Your dinner looks absolutely delicious.
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