Mercury in Fish

Last night I made Halibut for the first time. We don't eat much fish because of the mercury and PCBs and other toxins that accumulate in their flesh (yes, it is flesh). We never eat farmed salmon. I read recently that farmed salmon is so toxic that eating it more than once every five months significantly increases your risk of cancer. Lovely. I'll have to try and track down the reference for that and confirm its validity but I don't have trouble believing it based on all that I know about farmed salmon.

Incidentally, the most visual and educational material I've found was an episode that was part of a great environment series on the Sundance Channel. When I find it I'll link it here because it was fantastic. There was another episode on cotton. Does anyone know the name of this series? It's not "The Lazy Environmentalist". Anyhow, long story short, always make sure your salmon says "wild, Alaskan."

Back to the halibut which, according to the NRDC's Mercury in Fish wallet card (love it), contains moderate mercury and may be safely consumed six or fewer times per month. I'll go with a more conservative estimate and we likely won't have it again for a year or more. Nevertheless, (for once!) I used an easy recipe and it turned out great! I actually found it on the back of the frozen Orca Bay Halibut steaks that I bought out Vitamin Cottage. Here it is:

Halibut with Greek Relish

Ingredients:
1 package Orca Bay Halibut Steaks or other halibut steaks (thawed)
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 cup pitted green olives, chopped
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions:
In a bowl, combine kalamata and green olives, roasted peppers, parsley, garlic and capers. Stir in the olive oil and wine vinegar, mixing and coating the chopped ingredients. (This relish can be prepared an hour prior to serving, allowing flavors to combine.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees (Fahrenheit). Brush halibut with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Broil or bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, about 5 to 6 inches from the heat. To serve, top each halibut steak with 1/2 cup of relish.

I served it with sauteed beet greens and quinoa pilaf.


p.s. My compost stinks (even when the cultures are right I don't like the "sweet, earthy" aroma in my kitchen) and is hereby banished to the outdoors. I can't take it anymore and have decided that compost was meant to live in the outside world!