Fool Me Once, Shame On You….
If you recall a blog entry from last December I spoke of an incidence in several Twin Cities restaurants where the menu listed walleye, but, in fact, the diners were actually getting a fish called European Zander. Check out that blog entry here.
Today I want to update that report but also alert you to a similar guise going on in fish markets around the country. This time the fish is salmon, but the misleading advertising is equally as disturbing.
First, the walleye update. When KARE11 News busted several Twin Cities restaurants for serving the wrong fish most of the guilty establishments quickly corrected the error in their judgment. Now, there seems to be much greater awareness and care about what is being served in our restaurants, at least by the owners who make the food buying decisions.
A follow-up report several months later by the same TV news station shows that almost all restaurants have changed their ways and when a restaurant now says it’s serving walleye it more than likely IS walleye. The exception is for two restaurants that are taking the battle to the FDA and are seeking approval to use European Zander and Walleye as acceptable and interchangeable substitutes. Unfortunately, even though a follow-up report indicates that most diners find the two fish species largely indistinguishable to the palate, a restaurant bent on continuing to fool its patrons deeply concerns me.
You see there is something inherently important about ordering walleye and then being served walleye. To a sportsman, as well as a consumer, the walleye has a mystique that is somehow cheapened by an unscrupulous restauranteur that thinks they can get away with fooling diners with a fish that in no way is associated with the waters of North America.
Now we learn that similar tom foolery tactics are taking place in many of the nation’s fish markets with salmon. This time what’s at issue is not whether the fish is salmon, but whether it’s WILD salmon as promoted. You see, with salmon you typically have farm-raised as well as wild…and the difference is quite substantial when it comes to quality.
For instance, with farm-raised salmon the fish are often fed pigments in their feed to artificially color the filets for a nice pink appearance. More importantly, farm-raised salmon commands about 1/3 the price as wild salmon…so if someone makes the switch and you’re not aware it means extra money from your pocket into their pockets.
The big problem with wild vs. farm-raised salmon is that you cannot distinguish between the two by appearances alone. It takes a lab with sophisticated equipment to discern the difference. That is…up until the fish is cooked. Culinary experts agree that the process of cooking salmon is what separates the quality of wild with farm-raised. The flavor of wild salmon is incomparable to that of the farm-raised version which often lacks the robust fish flavor.
But imagine paying top dollar for a nice wild salmon steak and then not getting your money’s worth. Furthermore, if you’re seeking the health benefits of eating something natural and pure from additives then you are not getting what you’ve paid for at the market.
Fortunately the media has done a rather good job exposing these instances of food chicanery. Still, the onus is ultimately on each of us to make sure we are getting the fish we expect to receive whether we are dining out or consumers at the market.
Recently, I was at a restaurant where the daily special was a walleye sandwich. I asked the waitress if the fish was walleye or if it was European Zander. She immediately looked confused by my question…so I demanded some proof from the kitchen. Moments later the cook brought out a box proving the fish being served was indeed walleye. Not only was I satisfied with them showing me some proof, but I believe it put them on notice that customers actually care about what they eat and sometimes will demand some confirmation of how that food is promoted on the menu.
© 2005 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.