A Responsible Consumer''s Guide to Buying Whitefish

Whitefish sure have come a long way from their days as food for everyone from the whole family to the family''s sled dogs. You see, Alaskans have been literally surviving thanks to these plentiful fish since the beginning of the state, and long before that, too. But for most States-side dwellers who live on the continent, whitefish hasn''t been a popular item on the menu. With recent decimation of other fish populations, though, and a huge skyrocketing of popularity for fresh Alaskan salmon, the culinary and eco-concious world is looking to Alaska for tips and ideas for what they should start eating next.

This whitefish buyer''s guide will introduce the basic history of the fish, as well as provide some helpful tips for your next shopping trip, as well as some recipe suggestions. One of the major benefits for frugal shoppers is that whitefish tastes great when mixed with salmon in dishes, but is substantially cheaper due to its huge population and relatively simple breedin g practices (there''s no upstream swimming and near-death experiences for this type of fish). In addition to tasting great, the combination of the colors of salmon meat and whitefish meat is aesthetically pleasing, too.

A hugely popular way of serving whitefish is to combine it with salmon meat. One simple recipe is to press together minced whitefish and salmon meat, combine it with some carrots, leeks, and eggs, salt to taste, and then fry the cakes in a well-oiled pan. A number of different dipping sauces can be made for the side, and the dish goes well on family dinner tables or elaborate spreads at parties. The whitefish buyer''s guide that''s part of the aquarium watch program assures consumers that whitefish is nowhere near being overfished, so there''s no reason to not trot this recipe out at every opportunity.

Most shoppers aren''t aware that there are actually multiple types of whitefish. The broad and humpback whitefish are often known as "true whitefish" a nd are found in numerous rivers all over Alaska, but especially over in the Yukon. They are popular for sports fishermen and are frequently the type of whitefish that make it to dinner tables all across the country. The smaller least cisco, which bares resemblance to herring, is fished near Bristol Bay and frequently caught by spears and hooks. They are more important as food to other fish, but are also caught and sold as food.

Perhaps the most popular type of whitefish you don''t even know as whitefish: Bering cisco is larger, meatier, and often sold under the name "white trout," though this whitefish buyer''s guide lists them as what they truly are. The fish usually get much larger than other types of whitefish, and are perfect for simple, hearty dishes, as well for using in soup.

For shoppers unaccustomed to purchasing whitefish, it''s best to head to a grocery store where you can be sure that fish products come in from Alaska, where the whitefish population is ple ntiful, the waters clean, and the quality of fish significantly higher. Many different watchdog groups publish different guides to responsible consumption of fish, and the whitefish buyer''s guide of the latest editions all lists the different species of whitefish as safe and responsible to consume, if it''s from Alaska. Make sure to do your research, and not only will the meal you put on the table be delicious, it will be the most healthy type of seafood possible to serve, too.