Fish Swapping

Pretty interesting article on a hideous practice.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/conte ... =7&cxcat=0

I have heard of this happening, but the article makes it seem a lot more widespread than I was aware. It's straight up fraud.

Yeah. I've heard this done more times than not with Tilapia in the past.

I'm not the most educated guy when it comes to seafood, but I'm pretty sure I can tell if I were eating tilapia or catfish.

I've no doubt, Steve. But, they drown these substituted fish in sauces or even char them in hopes people will not notice. Believe me. I pay attention to my seafood.

One thing to note is there really is no species as "whitefish" or "scrod"
If you see that on a menu anywhere it could be any of the following
Cod(what most people use and what people are used to eating), Haddock, Pollock(AKA Snowfish) and Whiting. On a much lesser scale you may find Basa, Tilapia, Pangasius(pretty new fish to the market, very simular to Basa) Flounder, Sole or Perch.
Almost all of these have a firm, white flaky texture and a mild "not fishy" flavor. Basa, Tilapia and Pangasius all have a slight "muddy" catfish twinge to them because that's what they basically are, but if you soak them in milk it will remove the toxin that gives them that flavor and make it a much milder fish. By the time it's breaded and fried you would barely know the difference. Sole and Flounder are flat bottom fish and have a very mild, thin filet and are some of my faves any way you cook them.

Most of these are seeing the light of day more and more around here. The price of cod has almost tripled over the past few years if you are wondering why your "whitefish sandwich" may be getting a little smaller while getting more expensive. A "Whale of a Sandwich" at Moby Dick's or a Fish Sandwich at Mike Linning's are both over $8.00 now. Don't be afraid to try one of these other fish if you see it on a menu somewhere. Almost anything you might see is usually cheaper and much more sustainable than cod, which has been grossly overfished. I've heard rumors that they may in fact shut down the Noth Atlantic Fishery because of that. A side note, Louisville has the largest per capita consumption of cod outside of Boston in the whole country.

A "Whale of a Sandwich" at Moby Dick's or a Fish Sandwich at Mike Linning's are both over $8.00 now. Don't be afraid to try one of these other fish if you see it on a menu .

Most, if not all, of the Moby Dicks have a tilapia fish sandwich on the menu at a much lower cost than the cod. By the time it is breaded and fried, it is very similar to the cod.

Not quite as bad as "fish swapping" but it always gets my goat when fish markets, restaurants, etc fib about the origins of fish and seafood. A couple of memorable examples I've ran into:

"Lake Superior Walleye"...Might be Walleye but it didn't come from Lake Superior as there is no viable commercial Walleye harvest in the entire lake, on either side of the border.

"Alaskan Atlantic Salmon"....Duh.

"Blue Pike"...This one really cracked me up because this particular fish, a subspecies of the Walleye and formerly common in Lake Erie, has been extinct for almost 50 years.

"Idaho "Steelhead" Trout"...A "Steelhead" is a sea run Rainbow Trout, the few that do make it to Idaho (via the pacific ocean and the Snake River) are quite protected and certainly not harvested on a commercial level.






"

"Lake Superior Walleye"...Might be Walleye but it didn't come from Lake Superior as there is no viable commercial Walleye harvest in the entire lake, on either side of the border.

Not sure how you're defining "viable",but I can think of a few towns in the UP(Superior side) that have a fleet of commercial fishing vessels that fish Walleye. Thats one of the thing's we enjoy about the UP, is going to the docks and getting fresh fish.

[Robin Garr]

a slight "muddy" catfish twinge to them because that's what they basically are

Actually, that's an effect of algae that grow in fish-farm "ponds" for catfish and tilapia. Wild-caught fish purportedly don't have it. I can't testify to this, since I didn't grow up with wild catfish and have not knowingly indulged, but you can Google up a number of scientific reports that substantite it. I believe all tilapia sold in the US is farmed, and most catfish is. Also, it's not a "toxin" in that it's harmless, just a flavor that some don't find particularly pleasant.

I know for years any time you ordered fried scallops (or even broiled!) for less than $10 (dates me just a tad) you were really getting punched skate. Now that (at least on the two coasts) people have discovered skate wing, don't know if that's still happening.

A "Whale of a Sandwich" at Moby Dick's or a Fish Sandwich at Mike Linning's are both over $8.00 now. Don't be afraid to try one of these other fish if you see it on a menu .

Most, if not all, of the Moby Dicks have a tilapia fish sandwich on the menu at a much lower cost than the cod. By the time it is breaded and fried, it is very similar to the cod.

Actually, I was told back in January that they no longer carry it. But yes, Moby Dick has gotten WAAAAAyY too expensive!!!

"Lake Superior Walleye"...Might be Walleye but it didn't come from Lake Superior as there is no viable commercial Walleye harvest in the entire lake, on either side of the border.

Not sure how you're defining "viable",but I can think of a few towns in the UP(Superior side) that have a fleet of commercial fishing vessels that fish Walleye. Thats one of the thing's we enjoy about the UP, is going to the docks and getting fresh fish.

John,

Not that it matters but best I've been able to determine the total 2005 commercial Walleye catch in Lake Superior was 2600 pounds. By contrast the total commercial Walleye catch in Lake Michigan was just a bit over 19'000 pounds. I don't know how I define "viable" either but I don't think either example would make the cut.