One fish, two fish…
Adam Haas reports.
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New York City—"I love fish!" exclaimed the precocious 9 year old Alex Steelman into the microphone, professing an affinity not necessarily common among young palates. It was not a surprising revelation, though, considering Alex is the son of Brad Steelman, executive chef of The River Café in Brooklyn, where a picnic was hosted last month to promote healthier diets for children through eco-friendly seafood.
The event, cosponsored by not-for-profit organizations KidSafe Seafood (a program of SeaWeb) and Environmental Defense, was aimed at helping chefs and parents navigate the turbulent waters of serving children seafood at once low in contaminants such as mercury, sustainably harvested, and appealing to young eaters. Some of New York City's most talented chefs, who are themselves parents, prepared simple yet delectable dishes that adhered to those criteria. Jim Botsacos, partner/executive chef of Molyvos, whose advice for getting finicky youngsters to enjoy seafood was, "Get them involved. Let them be a part of the process. And definitely make sure the product is fresh," contributed marinated salad of farmed blue musssels and bay scallops. Debra Ponzek (left), chef/owner of Aux Delices in Connecticut, who also teaches children's cooking classes, warned not to expect overnight converts: "Remember that not everything is going to work right away. Don't be intimidated. Just keep trying new ideas."
While the facepainting kiosk and moonbounce were popular with the under-12 crowd, they flocked in equal numbers to the food station manned by chef/owner Marc Murphy (Landmarc and Ditch Plains) as he served Asian-inflected scallop toasts with cilantro and sesame seeds. And lines were comparatively long where Oceana's executive chef Ben Pollinger was doling out grilled New Orleans shrimp salad with watermelon and pickles—a dish he developed by simply combining three foods his own children loved.
"Serving KidSafe seafood doesn't just make sense because it's healthful right now—it will remain healthful for them when they become adults years from now," reasons Rebecca Goldberg, Ph.D. and senior scientist at Environmental Defense. "An abundant seafood supply for our kids' future means taking steps now to stop overfishing and other practices which threaten the health of ocean ecosystems."
For info: environmentaldefense.org; SeaWeb.org.
