We hear the term "sustainable" but sustainable is clearly crucial where fish and seafood are concerned.
But is sustainable worth the effort?
Not that food trucks and restaurants on my recent Pacific Northwest trip count as an accurate effort to determine sustainability, each place makes sustainability an element of what they do.
The first place I tried was Go Fish. The location is next to a marina just west of Granville Island in Vancouver. You can see the water and more while eating your sustainable fish.
The place is known for people waiting in long lines. I did go right when it opened, so the wait was fine. The line was a lot longer once I left.
I ordered the cod and fries, along with a grilled salmon tacone. Since I've already raved about the grilled salmon tacone, I'll focus on the fried cod.
The fish came with a ton of fries, which was a little off-putting since I was there for the fish. The cod was good but didn't taste significantly better.
I could have eaten 10 tacones, they were so good. And that fish is also sustainable (and cheaper), so Go Fish gets good marks but more for the tacone.
Red Fish, Blue Fish also had a line and also had a beautiful view of the water, in this case, Victoria's harbor. Most of the seating is outside, but was able to sneak in a seat that was shaded. If views won out, Red Fish, Blue Fish would be on top.
My intention was to order a 1 piece fish and chips, cod specifically. The line was long enough that I ordered a 2-piece with cod and salmon. They charged me 50¢ to do that, a reasonable charge.
The breading was more traditional, a thicker crust. As much as I enjoy that, I worried that the batter would overwhelm the fish.
You could still taste the fish, especially the salmon, and the batter, also quite good. I had kicked up the fries for a seafood poutine for $2.75 with local shrimp, smoked tuna belly, scallions, and miso-clam gravy. I couldn't follow the tastes in the "poutine," but was certainly enjoyable eating.
The pieces of fish were gigantic, and the price was higher than Go Fish.
I intended to go back for the tacones but ran out of time.
I felt good eating sustainable, but also enjoyed the fish very much. Victoria is difficult to get too, but if you are there, you will be happy you stopped by there.
Fresh Local Wild is a food cart (truck) in downtown Vancouver. You can see the water off in the distance as you looked north on Burrard Street. But the view paled in comparison.
The steelhead at $12.10 was the cheapest option, but the most expensive 1-piece option of the three places. The ling cod and the halibut cost even more.
The guy slapped tartar sauce on the fries, with the fish presumably resting on top. I didn't want tartar sauce to even touch this fish, but I asked him to switch that out. Was not a problem for him.
I did use some malt vinegar as I had on all the other fries. Otherwise, I wanted the pure fried fish experience.
Like Go Fish, I got way more fries than I should have (good fries, just too many). But the steelhead was the most beautiful fish to eat of the three. The fish was lightly breaded, so the taste really came through. The initial taste is usually what determines whether a food is worthy, but this fish tasted better as the tasting process advanced. Blown away is an understatement.
I could have eaten 12 pieces of the steelhead with half of the fries I got. I'd be broke, but boy what a meal.
In most of the fish and chips I've ever eaten, I couldn't tell you much about the taste of the fish and certainly not the sustainability. I would definitely eat the fish from Red Fish, Blue Fish and Fresh Local Wild even if it weren't sustainable. As for Go Fish, I'd stick to the tacones, but even its fish was still better than most of what I've eaten.
Environmental eating is important to me, but cost and taste also need to factor in the equation. These fish simply tasted better. If I lived in Southwestern British Columbia, I'd save up my pennies. Then again, given the cost, and the fact that Canada isn't issuing new pennies, make that saving up my nickels.
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