Because of the recent surge in population of invasive blue catfish, other important species in the Chesapeake Bay, including blue crab, rockfish and flounder, are struggling to survive. The owners of Washington, D.C.-based Black Restaurant Group, which operate five restaurants and a fish market, wanted to do something to help alleviate the problem – and show diners how delicious blue catfish is. One of its popular restaurants, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace, recently began offering a “Beat the Blues and Save the Bay” special, a bottomless serving of cornmeal-crusted fried catfish with the diner’s choice of spicy coleslaw or bacon-braised collard greens, along with hushpuppies and a pint of local Denizen's beer, for USD 23 (EUR 20.45).
SeafoodSource recently talked with M.J. Gimbar, fishmonger at Black Restaurant Group, about the restaurant’s seafood suppliers and how much blue catfish the company expects to sell.
Blank: Why did Pearl Dive Oyster Palace want to help with the blue catfish issue?
Gimbar: The blue catfish was introduced into the James, York and Rappahannock River systems in the 1970s as a recreational catch. Little did we know that they would eat everything in the river system, including beloved rockfish, menhaden, crabs and other species - seafood that has a lot of fans. What's worse is that they don't have any natural predators. Follow this formula to its logical conclusion and you've got what we have today: an explosion of blue catfish in the water that is decimating the natural balance. We try to stay on top of environmental issues, especially local ones, so it seemed like a no brainer to use a busy D.C. restaurant to help get rid of this invasive species. Jeff Black, chef/ owner of Black Restaurant Group, came to me with the idea for the special and wondered if there'd be enough catfish. After talking to Steve Vilnit over at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Jon Pearlman with Congressional Seafood, we were assured that we weren't going to run out.
Blank: How much blue catfish are you bringing in for the special? Where will you source it?
Gimbar: The idea is to run this promotion until we run out of catfish. According to some, it isn't going to happen, but we are definitely going to try. To start, we are going to bring in around 50 to 70 pounds of catfish a week, and hope those numbers climb into the hundreds once we get going. We will work with local purveyors like Congressional Seafood. We carry the blue catfish at our other locations, like Blacks Bar and Kitchen and Republic, where it's on the menu, so well over a hundred pounds a week is projected.
Blank: How does blue catfish sell at retail?
Gimbar: Our retail location, BlackSalt, has been selling wild blue catfish for quite a while now. It can be a tough sell at the market level. There are several customers who have a negative picture in their heads of what catfish tastes like. I think this may come from experiences from their youth of eating pond or lake catfish, which can have a muddy taste. What they don't realize is that wild blue cat has a much cleaner, milder flavor due to its diet and the river systems in which they live. The meat is white, flaky, and easy to prepare, and is a no-brainer for a quick, healthy, versatile seafood option. We have had much better luck selling the fish since we started putting out samples for guests to taste. It also helps that there's a good story behind this. I think today's consumers are more environmentally-conscious and are willing to take chances trying something new for their dinner selections when they know that the environment is benefitting from it.
Blank: Which seafood suppliers does Black Restaurant Group work with? Are you looking for new suppliers or seafood species?
Gimbar: We are always looking for new suppliers, but with a careful eye. We have great relationships with our local purveyors like Congressional Seafood and local farmers like Barren Island Oysters, and we respect those relationships which have been built through years of business. They understand where we are coming from and what we are looking for as far as quality and sustainability. So, while we are always on the lookout for new and exciting product, we are very selective on who we go into business with and do not do so until conducting our own research.
