Defending farm-raised tilapia

Last Sunday in a sobering article about the state of wild seafood today, a self-described "seafood snob" declared farm-raised tilapia less "less desirable to many consumers [himself] included, than that nearly perfectly blank canvas called tofu."

This stinging indictment of one of the greatest successes in sustainable fish farming stung all the worse because it came from one of the most read food writers in the country, the New York Times' Mark Bittman. Mr. Bittman has been a much-needed voice for change in our food systems for the past few years, since he began writing about threats to our ecology caused by our food ways.

His point was that, from a culinary point of view, he feels that the firm, white, juicy flesh of farm-raised tilapia is unworthy of the attention of serious cooks. As much as I respect his cooking talent, excellent food writing, simple yet sophisticated recipes, and passionate calls for new solutions to under-addressed problems, I differ with him on the taste of tilapia.

When I approached publishers with the proposal that eventually became my 2006 book "The Ethical Gourmet", I intended it to be a fish cookbook. One publisher after another turned it down, saying that people seldom cook fish at home. I learned that home cooks are often intimidated by fish, because it's so easy to overcook, and was inconsistent in quality.

I wished that more people knew what a reliable, juicy, almost foolproof fish was available almost everywhere: farm-raised tilapia. Far from being flavorless, it has a succulent savoriness that rivals wild striped bass. But, unlike striped bass, tilapia is rarely sold unfresh. It never has to sit around in the fish market just because the fishermen brought in a catch too big to meet demand. Tilapia farmers simply harvest just what is ordered from their ponds, filleting and shipping it within hours of pulling the fish from the water. When more is needed, there are more fish ready to go.

The result is an amazing consistency of freshness. I'll concede that there is also a good deal of frozen tilapia sold in this country. But even that is of high quality. Fish freezes exceedingly well, as is evidenced by the love that the Japanese have for sushi made from fish that were mostly frozen. I've walked through the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo at dawn, watching buyers pay astronomical sums for frozen fish destined for the city's top sushi emporia.

In the United States, we're accustomed to fish that's never been frozen, but only now, with regulations dictating full disclosure, are we discovering that much of what we thought was fresh was actually thawed. That's a story for another day. Suffice it to say that Americans have access to fish of equally high quality to the world's most discriminating fish culture, Japan, and that U.S.-raised tilapia is among our most consistently fresh and reliable.

Our fish farms are cleaner and more humane that those in China and Vietnam, and sensible regulations keep fish farmers here honest. Pollution from fish waste is recycled as fertilizer, and these mostly-vegetarian fish grow faster on a pound of feed than any other aquaculture fish. The result is a clean-tasting fillet that is nearly impossible to overcook because it retains its natural juices so well.

Tilapia adapts equally well to frying, braising, pan-roasting, sauteing, and grilling. It is recommended as a best choice by all of the major ocean-stewardship organizations, including the Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Mr. Bittman, I challenge you to a fish tasting. I can prove that this is a great fish, even from the point of view of a 25-year veteran of America's top restaurant kitchens.