The WWF Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) programme is a vital part of the food landscape of South Africa as it works towards building knowledge and understanding of the complex task of sustainably sourcing seafood from our surrounding oceans and water sources.
Last week, six South African chefs were awarded the WWF-SASSI Trailblazer status for their commitment to the use of sustainable seafood and championing sustainable seafood practices in their restaurants.
The 2020 WWF-SASSI Trailblazer recipients are:
Chef Andrew Atkinson Shalati
Chef Neill Anthony La Mouette
Chef Judi Fourie Pilcrow & Cleaver
Chef Jamie Friedberg Between Us
Chef Christina Semczyszyn Tjing Tjing
Chef Jess Van Dyk Protege
The chefs were chosen on the basis of the following factors which has rigorous criteria:
- The restaurant’s seafood sustainability policy.
- The effectiveness of their communication of their seafood sustainability practices to their customers, employees and suppliers.
- Their level of engagement in communicating their seafood sustainability practices to a wider audience.
- The ‘Trailblazer factor’ – chefs and restaurants going the extra mile in promoting and supporting seafood sustainability.
“Chefs serve as the gatekeepers for the food and hospitality industry and so play a critical role in leading market forces, influencing popular taste and promoting ocean-friendly seafood. Chefs that lead the way in sustainability are true ocean stewards.
Fish are friends…and food
To further my knowledge and appreciation of SASSI and the effort these Chefs put into their work, I was sent a hamper of goodies along with a recipe from winning Chef Neill Anthony so that I could create a dish without having to leave home…or get out of my pjs 😉
The hamper included green listed seafood, mussels, hake, yellowtail and rainbow trout, Funky Ouma seasoning, Atlas Trading curry mix, fresh produce and Spier wine.
The Recipe
Ingredients
300g of your fish selection
3 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
Thumb size of ginger
2 tablespoons of Indian curry mix (fresh from Atlas Trading)
1 tin of coconut milk
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 lime
Tablespoon of coconut oil
Method
Peel and finely slice the shallots
Mash the garlic
Grate the ginger
Cut fish into chunks, bite size
Leave mussels till the end
Heat coconut oil
Add spices
Add in shallots, garlic and ginger
Add in coconut milk
Stir and bubble
Add tomatoes
Simmer for 10 minutes
Add in fish – Simmer for 6 minutes or until cooked through and the sauce has reduced
Finally add defrosted mussels, stir till heated through, should be less than 2 mins
Add juice of lime
Serve with rice and scatter some coriander on top
We used the hake and mussels and I’m looking for a recipe that will let the rainbrow trout sing…
The end result?
A delicious curry that didn’t overpower the seafood; warm, rich flavors complemented by a glass of Spier wine.
I wish I could share the aromas of the dish through this blog post!
Thanks to the following brands for their involvement in this hamper:
@oceanjewelsfish – Julie Carter is an ardent support of SASSI. This business delivers fish every week in Cape Town and surrounding areas.
@funkyouma – A family business and supporters of SASSI. I think you will agree their salt products are fab.
@spierwinefarm – This wine farm consistently supports sustainability. Their wines are fab and we are very grateful that each year they support the Trailblazer Awards. They are also a WWF – SA Conservation Champion.
About WWF
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations, with almost six million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
WWF South Africa
WWF South Africa is a national office that is part of the WWF network. We are a local NGO that for 50 years has worked towards the aim of inspiring all South Africans to live in harmony with nature, for the benefit of our country and the well-being of all our people.
WWF stands for the World Wide Fund for Nature
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