Eating a LEGENDARY fish+thoughts on aquaculture

Is that fish on the floor? Yes, yes it is. Don't judge me.

Paiche. Arapaima. Piraracu. All of these names refer to a fish of unique status, unrivaled in size amongst its freshwater peers. It lives natively in the Amazon river basin, has been the target of poaching in Brazil and nearly brought to extinction, and now it has found its way to my plate. How?

Well, in the 1980s, the commercial harvest of Paiche was seriously constricted. It was just in time. The fish has been featured on River Monsters and sadly, its existence has been threatened by over harvest. Local farmers have, therefore, taken to farming it as an alternative. Seattle Fish, a major fish supplier for the likes of Whole Foods and numerous restaurants, has brought it for wholesale in the U.S. At my job I was able to get it for 20% off the sale price (which was 9.99 a pound) and I took home about two pounds of it.

Fish farming has got a bad rap in recent years. People have read horror stories of fish farms that use chicken trimmings in the feed, where the water quality is toxic, and where the fish are pumped full of chemicals and antibiotics. All of those things are bad and shouldn't be happening, however, whether you like it or not, aquaculture is the future of food.

The Arapaima. Credit to the Smithsonian for this photo

There simply aren't enough wild fish to feed the blooming population of humans in the world. For some reason, this logic is lost on many people. I have customers (who will name unnamed) who adamantly refuse to eat farmed fish and will only eat wild caught. What they don't realize is that just because a fish is caught in the wild, it doesn't guarantee a toxin free product. Farms provide a system that can be overseen, tested, and kept accountable. Granted, we need government regulation on oil drilling, waste dumping, and the likes the keep our wild fisheries healthy, but in my opinion, it's better to keep the wild fish primarily as a source of tourism (in sport fishing, scuba diving, ect.) and allow small amounts of commercial fishing. It's the same way that deer hunting works. If everyone in America killed a deer this year, there wouldn't be any left.

So, don't be afraid to eat farmed fish. Just know what to look for and vote for food regulations. It's okay to not want carbon monoxide as a color preservative in fish, or for the fish to be eating land animal by-products, or for the water to have PCBs and Chlordane (agriculture pollutants). We just have to realize that to feed the amount of people who want fish in their diet, the only way is farming.

Back to Paiche. Seriously, it may be the best fish I've ever had. That's a big statement, so let me talk you through the preparation.

The meat is SUPER white. They do have an odd bone structure. I cut away the pink meat between the belly and shoulder. This type of meat usually has a fishy taste, so I just cut it away. 

Fish+homemade seasoning 

I mixed salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and dried cilantro (just by what I thought looked good) in a bowl, drizzled it on both sides of the fish, and sat aside. Then, I heated up my pan to medium high, slapped some olive oil and butter in there, and seared the fish on both sides. For thicker pieces, you may need to cover the pan for part of the time.

Let me tell you, the crust it formed was so amazing, it was almost like it was breaded. The texture is firm, flaking into smaller pieces like a Halibut, mild as can be, and meaty. If you can find this fish, buy it! Buy all of it!

Add some homemade tartar sauce on a fish taco or a fish sandwich and BOOM! You have the most delicious thing you've eaten in a hot minute.

This is what happens when Mimi and Papa have people over and your daughter is napping. Eat in the playroom. #parentlife