Greg Griffie, executive chef of 606 Congress in the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, wants to take the restaurant’s seafood offerings to the next level. While the cuisine at the upscale eatery already focuses on quality food with modern American flair, Griffie is looking for more sustainable seafood items. He recently talked with SeafoodSource about 606 Congress and its sourcing practices.
Blank: How have you become more passionate and educated about seafood sustainability over the past year?
Griffie: Although I have been buying sustainable poultry and pork for years, I didn’t feel I had the resources for sustainable seafood. Now I am presented with plenty of options, including seafood from Foley Fish of Boston. Since the [International Boston] Seafood Show last March, we have been working off the Monterey Bay Aquarium list and working with their seafood and retail teams. We had a dinner in September with the Clean Fish Alliance. We talked to their buyers about why their products are unique — they have zero by-catch, for example.
They are also talking to each farmer, and getting people past the perception that farm-raised fish are bad. We are also starting to work with Chef’s Collaborative, which provides a free, interactive online training course for chefs.
Which sustainable seafood items have you been able to source this year?
I have been very excited about using Laughing Bird shrimp, which is fresh, never frozen, farm-raised shrimp from Belize. There is no bycatch, so it is a sustainable shrimp. It is such a pretty product, with a sweet flavor. We have had a lot of success using them in the restaurant, such as in our Fresh Tangerines with Watercress and Shrimp appetizer. We also use them in our Miso Soup with Shrimp.
What other sustainable seafood items and preparations are you using?
Australis barramundi has one of their farms in western Massachusetts [Turner Falls, Mass]. As we move away from wild striped bass for the season, I want to use that as a substitute this winter. We will serve it pan seared, with semolina gnocchi. Also, there is the Gigha halibut, which has been a huge seller for us. It is from Gigha Halibut in Scotland. They do a farm-raised halibut, and use wind power to power everything they do.
What have you learned about seafood sustainability?
I thought I had the right purchasing practices. There are so many mixed messages in the seafood industry, and I don’t think that is going to go away anytime soon. Demanding quality is still going to be the best thing to do.
