The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California is known for being in the forefront of animal husbandry when it comes to keeping species like yellowfin tuna and great white sharks. The facility now stands on the grounds made famous in Steinbeck’s Cannery Row. Far from its exploitative roots as a canning facility for sardines, the aquarium is now a leader in the movement toward eating sustainable seafood. It’s a movement that was first brought to my attention by world-class chef Brandon McGlamery at Luma on Park, one of Florida’s elite seafood eateries, during a recent fly-fishing trip for barramundi in East Central Florida. For several years now, the Monterey Aquarium has published a Watch List of seafood items to be avoided while also providing diners with sustainable options. Now seafood enthusiasts can enjoy the best of what sustainable seafood has to offer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions seminar May 18 and 19. Hosted by Monty Python veteran and comic actor John Cleese and television’s Too Hot Tamales, the seminar will guide participants through a variety of sustainable seafood dishes cooked by some of the nation’s top chefs. For more information on the event, visit www.cookingforsolutions.com.
