Angelfish Pasta in Champagne Cream Sauce with Chives

Angelfish Pasta in Champagne Cream Sauce with Chives

Featured here for Woolworths & MasterChef SA

Eating Sustainable Seafood

Doctors and dietitians place a great emphasis on the importance of a diet with lean protein or proteins with good fats like oily fish.  However, fresh seafood as we all know, is expensive. It’s particularly baffling when you live at the coast, Cape Town and Durban for example and it costs more to buy a piece of fish than it does chicken.

There are other issues too, the ever depleting marine life and the need for us to become responsible consumers. When I discussed this with London Chef Henry Vigar, owner of the popular La Mouette Restaurant in Sea Point for a piece I was researching on Food Trends 2012, he agreed:

 “Finding ingredients in South Africa can be a real battle. Especially fish with the depleting fish stocks in the ocean and massive export market.“

It’s a sad truth, but what can we do?

Respected editor Abigail Donnelly advises

“Sassi has made the choice of seafood awareness for the consumer accessible but it is still a niche premium foodie that understands. My advice is always eat and shop green and maybe orange depending on how it is caught and if from a responsible retailer.”

The informed consumer needs to get to grips with not only the lists but the method of catch too. It’s really important that we ask questions.

Julie Carter of Ocean Jewels Fresh Fish, had a bit to share with me and this is her advice in brief:

“The red, green and orange list can be confusing as the method of catch and whether the fish is imported can determine which list a fish fits into. Consumers that are serious about making the right choice must become familiar with the list, the method of catch and whether the fish is local or imported.”

Angelfish is inexpensive, very ‘green’ and has the perfect delicate texture for pies and a pasta like this and allows the Champagne cream sauce to be the star. It’s a fish I buy whenever I can. Using smoked angelfishin this recipe is sublime- I’ve made it to rave reviews.

Now, please don’t break open a bottle of your treasured expensive bubbles for this- local sparkling wine is perfect, but a rule that’s worth following is, don’t use it in your cooking if you won’t drink it. Enjoy what you don’t use in the sauce with the meal.

An easy way to “treat” yourself and brighten up a weekday dinner. Enjoy!

Please visit me at Food and the Fabulous for the recipe

This post forms part of the series of recipes I am preparing for Woolworths, the food sponsor for MasterChef SA. It is a Food and the Fabulous Endorsed project and I will be remunerated for it