Maison des Mots Barbara-jo Residency

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2 Chefs 4 Fish

We had fish on the table for discussion on a rainy night in February as we welcomed Connecticut based author Paul Greenberg to join us in celebrating the launch of his new book, Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food. Paul’s book is a compelling account of our historical relationship with wild fish, in particular bass, salmon, cod and tuna.
Chef Robert Clark of C Restaurant joined Paul for a thought-provoking discussion about the past, present and future of our food from the sea. As founding chef for the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise conservation program, as well as an outspoken supporter of wild fisheries, Chef Clark certainly knows a thing or two about some of the ways we can enjoy your seafood while at the same time protecting our fisheries for times to come. It’s a murky topic and both Paul and Robert helped shed some light on the ongoing debate about wild versus farm-raised fish. Of course, this being the land (or rather, sea) of salmon, much of the discussion turned to issues in our own backyard. There are no easy answers to this dilemma of how to continue feeding ourselves from the tentative bounty of the sea, but Paul’s book certainly gives us some much needed perspective and hope.
To better fuel our debate, Chef Clark kept us well fed with a sculptural array of seafood bites showcasing some of his favourite sustainable seafood choices: local spot prawns, wild sockeye salmon, seared albacore tuna, and fresh scallops. All well worth saving indeed.