Daily dispatches on the Washington, DC area's food, restaurant and dining scene.
|
Fish of the Day
By
Todd Kliman
,
Cynthia Hacinli
,
Ann Limpert
,
Kate Nerenberg
,
Rina Rapuano
Published Thursday, April 16, 2009
Every few years an obscure fish is plucked from the deep, rechristened, and anointed a star. Consider Chilean sea bass (a.k.a. Patagonian toothfish), black cod (sablefish), and skate (stingray). Now it’s branzino—formerly known as Mediterranean sea bass.
No fewer than a dozen popular restaurants are serving this mild white fish, typically stuffing it with herbs and grilling it whole. BlackSalt chef/owner Jeff Black attributes the trend in part to the sexier name but also to the fact that it’s now farmed for sustainability, which has lowered the wholesale price. Farm-raised branzino lacks some of the character of wild branzino, but its milder taste seems to have made it more popular with customers than wild-caught ever was. “Anytime you farm a fish, it’s going to have an impact on the flavor,” says Black. “People will tell you it doesn’t, but that’s not true. Is it so profound that you wouldn’t eat the fish?” The numbers say apparently not.
|
Post a comment
Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. Because of the prevalence of spam, we ask that you fill out the code in the image below to help us eliminate spam comments. By posting here, you affirm that you are 13 years of age or older. Washingtonian.com reserves the right to remove or edit content once posted.
|
|
Hundreds of women and a ’60s theme? This year’s Knock Out gala was the place for sequins, bouffants, and lots of Dolman sleeves.
more
Sonny Jurgensen, Joe Theismann, and Jason Campbell spend an awkward evening together analyzing the Redskins season.
more
|