After the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Gulf restaurateurs, seafood suppliers, processors and others took their message nationwide: the Gulf seafood supply is still very safe and plentiful. At events on Capitol Hill and at the James Beard House, along with numerous media stories, the committed industry representatives continued to sound the message over the next few years.
Now, 10 years later, Americans’ love for Gulf seafood and Cajun/ Creole flavors is at an all-time high. While the demand is great for seafood suppliers, buyers are having more challenges sourcing affordable seafood.
SeafoodSource recently caught up with Tory McPhail, executive chef of Commander’s Palace, a New Orleans institution started in the late 1800s and producer of a number of top U.S. chefs, including Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme. McPhail discusses seafood sourcing challenges, as well as how the storied eatery is keeping its seafood menu fresh.
Blank: What challenges are you experiencing with buying Gulf seafood?
McPhail: The popularity of Gulf seafood is at an all-time high, so it is difficult for the average restaurant to provide great value to our guests. The national media coverage we got a few years ago almost backfired. Some of the most popular fish in New York City now is pompano and redfish. Suppliers figure that, if they can sell whole American red snapper out of the Gulf of Mexico for USD 10 (EUR 8.93) a pound in New York City, why should we sell it in New Orleans for USD 10 a pound for fillets? So, we are being very creative with (Gulf fish). Instead of serving just an 8-ounce fillet of redfish, for example, we cook shrimp stock into the rice, and put crab meat on top of it. We present a greater value to the guest.
Blank: What other challenges are you experiencing in the Gulf seafood industry?
McPhail: I am concerned about the state of our shrimping business. Less than five percent of all the shrimp we eat in the United States is wild American shrimp. Shrimpers are bringing in massive amounts of shrimp and sometimes getting USD 1.50 (EUR 1.34) a pound at the dock, while someone else is buying it for USD 12.95 (EUR 11.57) a pound. Where is the money going? Everyone now is “farm-to-table” and locally-driven. If that is the case, don’t just support your local farmer; support your local shrimpers. When the shrimp are gone, they are gone. We all need to focus a brighter light on what is happening there. Restaurants should buy wild shrimp whole. Use the shells for stock; you can make a great gumbo and feed more people with it.
Blank: Which distributors does Commander’s Palace use to source its seafood?
McPhail: We use seven of the largest fish houses in New Orleans, including New Orleans Fish House, American Seafood, Louisiana Seafood Exchange, P & J Oyster Company and Harlon’s LA Fish. We also buy Cajun Caviar – a gentleman produces really good caviar from bowfin and Cypress trout.
Blank: What are the most popular seafood dishes at Commander’s Palace?
McPhail: Our pecan-crusted Gulf fish, which changes all the time. It could be speckled trout, drum or another Gulf fish. We sell a lot of turtle soup, a classic recipe from a couple hundred years ago. We also have three to four different varieties of gumbo throughout the week.
Blank: Since locals have their favorite seafood dishes, how do you keep the menu fresh?
McPhail: A couple of weeks ago, we dropped 10 new dishes on the menu. We are a locals-driven restaurant; a lot of folks eat here twice a week. If I could blindfold guests, I would want them to taste the great flavors of New Orleans, but, when I took the blindfold off, they could see that the dishes are more forward-thinking items that they would get in New York City or Chicago. We are also making a push to do more light things. We buy sunflowers from a local farmer and roast them for a butter vinaigrette. We melt off all the butter fat and just use the protein. It tastes like pure brown butter, but has a fraction of the fat.
