The Mighty Stripers are Here!
Today we got in another fish that is also a true American legend (besides the regal Copper River salmons)- striped bass! Big (this one was a 35 pounder, and we’ve seen them up to 50 lbs.), beautiful (well proportioned, handsome, classic!) and best of all- delicious! Once so abundant they used them for fertilizer. The fishery collapsed in the 80s, right around the time that we opened our market, because of overfishing and problems of over development around the estuaries where they spawn. For several years after we opened our store, one of the most important commercial fish in America was not available due to a total moratorium on the species. Thanks to the strict conservation laws by the Atlantic states marine fisheries commission and the sacrifice of a lot of fishermen, the fishery was declared rebuilt by 1995.
The rebuilding of the stocks of this great fish is a good example of proper management. Since we started selling fish in1979, we have only seen the complete closing of three fisheries that I can remember: haddock, striped bass and more recently, wolffish. Haddock are back now, stripers are back and the wolffish are in the process of rebuilding. Our fisheries management in the U.S. is one of the world’s best. There are many species of fish that are on the “overfished list” that are in the process of being rebuilt. Often, boycotting these species doesn’t really help the fishery and actually hurts the fishing community that brings us nature’s last remaining wild caught food.
The wild striped bass are still tightly regulated and pretty pricey but I will say, like I say with a lot of the wild caught fish of today, a meal of nature’s freshest, most amazing and delicious foods cooked at home is worth far more than what most of us spend when we go out to eat.
The stripers this week from Rhode Island are so fresh they still have surprised looks on their faces! So fresh, you might want to slice a bit off for a sashimi appetizer. The fillets are thick, meaty and flavorful, perfect for baking, steaming, pan searing or, like I’m doing tonight – grilling. I’m going to keep it simple and let the great flavor of a great American fish shine through by simply marinating it in olive oil with fresh herbs then grilling. Oh Yes!
