MSC certified sustainable seafood

MSC & ASC fish here to stay

I was very pleased that our recommendation of using primarily MSC and ASC fish at the recent World alpine skiing championships in Åre Sweden was accepted. The decision was added to the event environment and ISO specifications policy.

During the early kitchen and menu planning stages it became clear that we needed to integrate key quality and guest experience factors into our upcoming menu's, our fish decisions were guided by specifics, fresh, local, quality, seasonal availability and fish suited to our environment policy, the step to go MSC & ASC was already a part of my planing, to convince the Åre 2019 event that the event needed to be MSC & ASC certified took a blink of an eyelid.

The MSC logo type a well known and respected symbol in all professional kitchens

The MSC logo turned up 20 years or so ago and has become a decision making guide within conscious kitchens. Restaurant chefs are making menu decisions built on a knowledge of, seasonal local availability, fishing practices & environmental issues, this information is available to us from our regular fish merchants/suppliers.  

Vättern Pike perch

A sustainable fresh water fish from the Swedish lake Vättern fished with specific net mesh size, allowing the smaller to live a little longer and thus ensuring a stabil breeding population.

Arctic Char

 A local fish much sought after by the restaurant industry as the size of the farmed fish fillets are easily portioned, its extremely versatile in its use, it tastes great, Arctic Char has a fantastic orange colour, it is good value for money and easily sold. 

The golden can

 "guldburken" as these scallops are known locally have become synonymous within the restaurant industry, that they are MSC is an added bonus.

buffet presentation

Most of our MSC fish was served buffet style, we tried to keep it simple and elegant with sauces on the side and smallish portions, enticing the guests to take a small tasting portion rather than disfiguring a larger piece and making the presentation messy.

We used predominantly haddock, north sea cod, Skrei "wandering Atlantic cod, pollock and pike perch and ASC salmon on the buffet. Scallops, local Arctic char, smoked halibut, farmed turbot, local vendace, white fish and rainbow trout roe roe among other species. 

The newer ASC farmed fish certification logo type

ASC is a bit younger than it's MSC big brother, I'm sure the worlds needs for farmed fish is here to stay and a quality driven governing organ is needed to keep the industry from the clutches of greed. We can all make decisions both big and small my continued decision to back MSC & ASC may not hold the key to all the fishery industry challenges but as these challenges develop and clarify themselves we need to make choices. A decision based on knowledge is better than one based on ignorance and indisposition.