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Where Y'Eat: Making The Leap From Trash Fish To Treasure

Ian McNulty
Nigiri made from blue runner, a Gulf fish not commonly seen on local menus but featured at a recent tasting event at the New Orleans restaurant Carmo.

It was called a happy hour, but at this one the talk wasn’t so much about office politics or romantic prospects. Rather, the chatter centered on who had ever tried this and that fish before and, after tentative nibbles or bold gulps, how they all measured up to better-known staples of the Gulf Coast seafood menu.

The site for this particular happy hour was the Warehouse District restaurant Carmo, and it doubled as a tasting event for some examples of Gulf seafood that don't often make it into restaurants and others that commonly end up in the wrong net.

There was ceviche made from dense little chunks of porgy. The squid croquettes didn’t sound so exotic at first, but finding Gulf squid on offer is rare, and here they were topped with a sour/sweet tamarind sauce. Slices of B line snapper were draped over a spicy, pickled vegetable salad. And then there was blue runner, a fish that elicited many jokes about red beans but also was rich and velvety and was snapped up quick when served raw over sushi rice.

The eager response to this unfamiliar menu was a tribute to the skilled chefs preparing it all. But it was also a sign of growing curiosity in a broader harvest from the Gulf, and that’s a promising sign for some Gulf advocates.   

While this was a one-night-only special event at Carmo (see details for an upcoming edition below), it was in line with a larger effort to build awareness about how much Gulf seafood is routinely discarded because there isn’t a commercial supply chain leading it from the boat to the plate. And as we know, building awareness in the food world means tasting it.

Lately, more of this kind of seafood is making its way into New Orleans restaurants. It’s happening slowly, and in a small circuit of kitchens. You’re not likely to see your tuna steak or red snapper replaced overnight by some obscure jack or a channel mullet. Still, keep an eye on specials boards and tasting dinners and you may see some unfamiliar seafood worked across the options.  

Casting a wider net for local seafood types does a few good things – it means reducing pressure on the most popular fish stocks; it means supporting local fishermen by monetizing more of their catch; and, let’s get selfish here for a second, it brings something different to our plates. 

Now, of course, there are some good reasons why some fish isn’t already a bestseller. This one’s too bony, that one’s too messy, some are too small to be worth the candle, and some just don’t taste very good. 

But there’s no need to assume that the only good eating the Gulf gives up are the fish that already have all-star status. Just order redfish with a Louisiana angler of a certain generation and you’re likely to hear some variation on the tale of how redfish was once considered trash and now look what they’re charging for it. 

So, we’ve been wrong before. What’s the next fish to make the leap from trash to treasure? Keep an adventurous palate, order something unfamiliar next time you get the chance, and you might have a hand in making that call.

Fish Tales & Cocktails

Where: Carmo, 527 Julia St., (504) 875-4132; cafecarmo.com

When: July 13, 6-8 p.m.

Details: sample dishes of a wide variety of Gulf seafood prepared by Carmo and guest chefs Alex Harrell of Angeline and Michael Doyle of Maurepas Foods. Free admission, cash bar, donations for dishes encouraged.

Ian covers food culture and dining in New Orleans through his weekly commentary series Where Y’Eat.

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