Salmon, cod and tuna are a few of the most common seafood options you鈥檒l see on restaurant menus. Halibut and shrimp are a couple of others. But wander into , by D.C.鈥檚 Nationals Park, and dinner looks a little different.
The selection might include roasted sea robin, smoked dogfish or a plate of eel cacciatore.
鈥淓verybody knows [the usual] fish; everybody鈥檚 fishing for those fish; the commodity houses are really going after those fish. What you don鈥檛 realize is that the ocean is so big and there are so many fish 鈥� they鈥檙e at the bottom and they鈥檙e on the top and they鈥檙e in the middle. They鈥檙e everywhere,鈥� said Salt Line chef Kyle Bailey.
Some show the world鈥檚 oceans are home to 20,000 species of fish. So when fishermen go out and target tilapia, crab and snapper to sell to restaurants and retailers, they鈥檙e bound to pick up a few other varieties as well.
And when it happens, Bailey said it鈥檚 routine to throw the unintentional catch, called bycatch, back in the water.
鈥淸Fisherman] are not going to haul something in that they can鈥檛 sell,鈥� he explained.
鈥淎nd the reason isn鈥檛 because they鈥檙e not edible or because you can鈥檛 do anything with them; it鈥檚 because they鈥檙e not desirable. They鈥檙e not going to make money for it.鈥�
The fishermen who supply The Salt Line, however, don鈥檛 throw back their bycatch. They take their haul straight from the boat to Bailey. It鈥檚 up to him to figure out their fate.
鈥淎 lot of times we get this fish in, and it鈥檚 the first time I鈥檓 seeing it 鈥� I鈥檝e never seen this before. I don鈥檛 even know where to buy it,鈥� Bailey said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 stuff that you really don鈥檛 see anywhere else.鈥�
Bailey leads the D.C. chapter of Dock-to-Dish, a national organization that works to restore sustainable seafood practices by creating sourcing cooperatives. He likens the program to a CSA (community supported agriculture) model, but for seafood. Much like produce pulled from a farm varies from week to week, so does the seafood caught by local boats.
The first thing Bailey does when he gets in an order of odd fish is rigorous recipe testing.
鈥淓verything fried is awesome,鈥� he said, so he tries to stay away from that preparation as much as possible.
鈥淏ecause that鈥檚 not really fun; that鈥檚 not really challenging, and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here for,鈥� Bailey said.
He has found roasting to be one of the best cooking methods for sea robin.
鈥淲hen it roasts, the meat pulls away from the bone so when you literally grab the tail and you shake, the fillets come right off,鈥� Bailey said.
Instead of relying on familiar Asian cooking methods for eel, whose texture Bailey describes as a cross between chicken thigh and octopus, the chef turns to humor and uses the fish in place of veal in classic dishes. Eel cacciatore was a hit when he made it last, and he plans to do an eel piccata in the near future.
Aside from challenging his cooking skills and diners鈥� taste buds, Bailey said making use of already caught bycatch is one of the 鈥渕ost sustainable things you can do if you鈥檙e going to be eating seafood,鈥� since it creates a market for a product that might otherwise be discarded. It can also cut down on demand for the more popular species and help keep them from being overfished.
Of course, accessing bycatch isn鈥檛 easy. Bailey said you won鈥檛 find it in grocery stores or fish markets unless you know the person behind the counter and ask for it.
鈥淚f you have access to a dock or a wharf where fishermen are coming through, it鈥檚 the best place,鈥� Bailey said.
In the meantime, those who want to make the oceans more sustainable can opt for oysters. Bailey said, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e cleaning up the water. They鈥檙e doing the best job.鈥�
