By Flavor & The Menu
September 10, 2019

Jamie Malone has been using farmed seafood for as long as she has been a chef. While working at a sustainable seafood restaurant early in her career, a trip to Norway reinforced her relationship with farmed seafood. There, she learned about farmed halibut. “It really opened my eyes to what is possible with farmed seafood,” she says.

“At the Grand Cafe, we serve a gorgeous farmed bass, both as a crudo and cooked. The fish is very delicate and speaks for itself, so we keep the preparations very clean.” The striped bass crudo is finished with olive oil and grapefruit, while the entrée version is served over vegetables with a broth of smoked onion dashi poured overtop.

Malone relies on guest-server interactions for educating consumers on its suppliers, and sources. “Our servers are really educated on sourcing, so it creates opportunity for a lovely discussion,” she says. This knowledge base—as well as her reputation for serving sustainably sourced products—imparts great trust from her guests.

Malone says this level of confidence has helped make guests comfortable with farmed seafood. “Our guests have come to trust that I am very careful about sourcing, and as a result, we don’t really get pushback about serving farmed seafood.”