Speaking of seafood, food writer Mark Bittman has published a thoughtful
reflection in the New York Times today on how his seafood choices have changed over the years, in response to over-fished oceans.
Bittman wrote a 1994 book "Fish" that popularized the notion of buying then-unusual species - mackerel, whiting, fresh tuna, squid - and preparing them simply.
He used to ate seafood regularly, and he would eat anything that was fresh. Not anymore.
Here's his current thinking:
-- I don't buy or order the common fish I can easily keep in mind as being super-troubled -- most cod, for example, or bluefin tuna, most species of shark and skate. When in doubt, I move on.
-- With rare exceptions, I don't buy or order farm-raised fish, except clams and oysters. Farmed mussels and shrimp don't seem to come with egregious environmental consequences, but neither tastes like much, either.
-- I don't eat fish as often as I once did. (I don't promote eating it as I once did, either.)
-- And I keep re-evaluating these "rules," and thinking about them. The "safe" lists are difficult to understand, impossible to remember and change frequently. When the fishing of a species is well managed, it can recover and become sustainable. When it's not, the stocks of that fish disappear, sometimes quickly.
Bittman's approach aligns with my own. At Oliveto, the chefs ask me to prepare seafood like swordfish and
monkfish livers, and I do so, because I am there to assist them and learn from them.
That said, I don't order such fish when I'm eating out. Although stocks of monkfish and swordfish have improved due to better ocean management, they still are not at levels that make me feel comfortable.
Everyone must make their own choices about consuming fish and other foods. And, as Bittman suggests, a serious eater should be constantly learning and reassessing those choices.
Kudos to Chipotle Mexican Grill and its founder, Steve Ells. 
