Posted by chow intern Christina Spittler

Slow Food Seattle’s presentation of chef/author/fish-enthusiasts Barton Seaver and Becky Selengut on Monday—entitled (weirdly) "My Fish Has Issues; It’s Complicated—Sustainable Seafood in a Multimedia World"—was an educational and entertaining reminder that if you eat a lot of seafood, you’re probably doing it wrong. Seaver, an East coast native and author of For Cod & Country, and Selengut, a PNW local who’s written Good Fish, discussed a multitude of issues currently facing our oceans, as well as ways to educate oneself about sustainable seafood options. Selengut lauded the small, silvery sardine as one of the most delicious and sustainable choices available, and vowed to host a “sardine-hater dinner” to change any naysayers into fans of the fish. Among loads of smart-sounding biological terms coupled with explanations of numerous oceanographic processes that necessitated the use of his forearm as an illustrative instrument, Seaver also noted that simply reducing the portion-size of the seafood you eat can make a difference. “Shrimpfest will never be sustainable,” he said. “We are not going to save the oceans by eating seafood. We are going to save the oceans by eating vegetables, and sustainably sourced seafood once in a while.”

Moderator and editor of Edible Seattle Jill Lightner commented on the two guests “catching a lot of crabs” in their cookbook research, which got a laugh, as did pretty much everything Selengut said (who knew a chef/instructor/author talking about fissues could be so goddamned funny?). Seaver’s style is a little more academic, but he did momentarily turn the discussion about fish into one about poop. Need seafood recipe ideas (and a reminder about the sustainable stuff)? Both Selengut’s and Seaver’s cookbooks are in bookstores.