Chilean sea bass

I have been using sustainable seafood for awhile, but always debated taking my macadamia crusted sea bass off my menu. I told myself, if I'm going to go sustainable then I need to research the controversy about sea bass. After speaking with many Chefs across the country, we all agreed that it is becoming an endangered species. So, I have changed one of my most popular dishes ( not my personal favorite ) but people go crazy over it! We will now serve macadamia crusted black cod aka sable fish. Experts are estimating that if Chefs and diners continue to purchase Chilean sea bass, it will be depleted by 2048. I challenge Louisville to STOP purchasing endangered species. There are alot of fish companies that wont even sell it. Kudos to them! All diners have the right to ask your Chefs to show you where there seafood is coming from. We have proof on our invoices that can be shown to the diner. Alaskan wild salmon ( not pink sometimes! ) farm raised salmon has chemicals and dyes. Pacific halibut, Domestic shrimp or farm raised if not effecting other species. By catch is a big problem! when using trawls and nets. We purchase line and hook 100% sustainable. Anyways! I challenge Louisville restaurants and diners to STOP purchasing Chilean sea bass! They are illegally fishing it! That's right illegal! I'm sure I'm going to piss some locals Chefs off, but I just had to put this out there. I'm not the best writer, so sorry for it. Kudos to the Chefs that are supporting the sustainable way. Print on your menus that you do not purchase endangered species!

Outstanding decision Chef...just outstanding.

Sable is one of my favorite fishes- way to go chef. Miss you a lot.

I was in another restaurant a few years ago and asked the server to verify with the kitchen that the Chilean Sea Bass was actually Chilean Sea Bass. I explained that although I enjoy the fish very much I wouldn't order it because it was heavily overfished and at that time ( I believe) the NRA had asked chefs to voluntarily take it of their menus. Let me say the attitude got a little frosty.

I commend you! Yet another reason (as if I needed another reason) to dine with you.

[Robin Garr]

Okay, hold on a second folks ... Anthony, good for you for seeking a sustainable consciousness, but there IS a sustainable Chilean Sea Bass fishery, and it's my understanding that it's the only one from which can be certified to be legally imported into the U.S. I'm under the impression that environmental consciousness, coupled with more stringent enforcement, has knocked the illegal import of sea bass from non-sustainable fisheries in the U.S. down to a minimum in recent years.

This New York Times report dates from 2006, but I don't think this situation has changed:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08bass.html

Oh, Anthony, I am so proud of your leadership. I hope more of Louisville's chefs will step up and take your challenge.

I love seafood! I eat it at least four time a week. And I do love Chilean Sea Bass. It was once my seafood of choice. However, I haven't eaten it once in the past four years and it is two and a half years since I have eated farm raised Atlantic salmon. "Seafood Watch" is the most used of any ap on my iphone, excluding the aps that came installed.

I struggled with the farmed salmon issue for some time and ultimately decided not to menu it anymore. It has been off since last fall (eagerly waiting for May when the wild caught stuff will be available again.)

The gravity of Anthony's decision should not be underestimated, it's really tough to change one of your best selling dishes, kudos to you.

Sustainability seems to be something that alot of chefs are becoming increasingly more concerned about & I think that is a great thing.

I have to disagree Robin! I have spoke to several fish mongers the past few weeks from California, Hawaii, NYC, and my Chilean friend who is a Chef in NYC agrees too. He said you won't find it at most restaurants in NYC. CA too! The fisheries I've spoken with have ageed that there is no controll on the fishing of Chilean sea bass. they said there is an area that have allowed legal fishing, but they have not been able to controol them from fishing out of the so called " legal fishing areas " I hope that Louisville will follow what NYC and CA and several other cities are doing. I love foie gras but will not serve that anymore either. Albert, the wild Alaskan salmon is available now, just not copper river. The willd ivory and king are beautiful. The same thing the bears are eating!

Not to argue, but it's been on most of the menus in So. California restaurants that we've dined at this week. It was featured at Craft LA last night for example. Not having Sea Bass on a menu is not a big deal to me (it's too oily for my taste), but we've seen all over LA and San Diego for sure.

[Robin Garr]

I have to disagree Robin! I have spoke to several fish mongers the past few weeks from California, Hawaii, NYC, and my Chilean friend who is a Chef in NYC agrees too. He said you won't find it at most restaurants in NYC. CA too! The fisheries I've spoken with have ageed that there is no controll on the fishing of Chilean sea bass. they said there is an area that have allowed legal fishing, but they have not been able to controol them from fishing out of the so called " legal fishing areas " I hope that Louisville will follow what NYC and CA and several other cities are doing. I love foie gras but will not serve that anymore either. Albert, the wild Alaskan salmon is available now, just not copper river. The willd ivory and king are beautiful. The same thing the bears are eating!

Anthony, thanks for the follow-up. Wild Alaskan salmon is fine with me, and actually, Columbia River salmon is not that shabby either.

Can you tell us what local vendors are saying about the certified sea bass fishery? Do they purport to have certified product?

Really Mark, wow that surprises me.

I was born and raised in California and I visit twice a year, because all my family is still there. I was just in San Diego and saw no Chilean sea bass. I was there for the food and wine festival at the waterfront, near the Gaslamp district. California is known for the Pacific white sea bass or California bass. I saw alot of the white bass but no Chilean. There is also the temperate species, black bass, Australian sea bass, giant sea bass, European sea bass. When I say Chilean sea bass I mean the patagonian toothfish. This specie is illegally being fished! While in San Francisco I noticed no Chilean as well. I'm sure there are CA and NYC restaurants using it, but most are not. I have lots of Chef friends that are from my hometown in Los Angeles and they all say that most places are not using it. Hey Robin! I have all my fish flown in from CA, Hawaii, and use Michaels. So not sure what the local place thinks. I spoke to my rep at Michaels and He said " It is a mess in Chile right now and that the Chilean sea bass is still not being controlled. The restaurants I visited in San Diego were Oceanaire, Mille Fleurs, Indigo Grill, Blue Point, Georges on the Cove and Donavons. In San Francisco they were Boulevard, Jardinere, Gary Danko, Lime, and Acquerello. I would almost guarantee that Tom Colicchio would not serve Chilean sea bass. At craft, well all his restaurants he serves black bass and wild striped. Maybe thats what you saw Mark.

Major props to you, Anthony! I really respect you for doing this. All the more reason to come back to Seviche and encourage others to do the same!

Personally I don't think the world will see 2048, so it may not matter.

I have a feeling the world will.... Whether or not we do, though.....

(Chef Anthony in no way is this a dig at you)


This is a subject that has grown near and dear to my heart over the past two years. It closely ties in to a project that I and a couple other people have coming down the pipe soon. The specter of responsibility has been knocking at the kitchen door for some time, but I think the consumers and chefs’ alike need to inform themselves a little better.

I am going to start with the Sea bass (Patagonian toothfish) Chilean Sea Bass does not meet legal standards for listing as an endangered species it is listed as avoid. Also it in not illegal to sell United States, but is watched very closely by The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce. I ran sea bass on several menus, and had guest tell a sever or myself that I was buying an endangered/illegal product it is simply not true. I encourage consumers and chefs alike to inform themselves and be mindful the words you use, you could easily damage a restaurants reputation with misinformation. With that said sea bass among other fish will never have a place on a menu I write again and have not for sometime now.

But I think there is a bigger issue at hand, why are we worrying about the sea bass when most chefs buying commodity beef, chicken and pork. I feel that this is just as big of a problem as over fishing. Why concern yourself with the fish population when you are buying poorly raised four and two legged critters.

Last but not least the thing that gets my goat more than anything is the chefs who say they support local, sustainable, responsible, locavore whatever trendy word you want to attach to it and don’t. Having witnessed this first and been put in the position of lying to guests or holding on to my own professional values, I have made a choice to not work with shady chefs/owners. So too all you shady owners/chefs some of us can tell the difference between basa and grouper, Capriole goat cheese and a shelf brand. You are on notice we are watching you….

Off my soap box