Katie Holmes’ Seafood Faux Pas

At first blush Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' anniversary dinner might not seem like cause for alarm. But read this blurb from People and I think you'll see what caught my attention:

On Saturday night, the pair—who tied the knot in a lavish affair in Italy on Nov. 18, 2006—celebrated the milestone with a romantic Italian dinner at Boston's Bricco restaurant. Cruise, 47, surprised Holmes, 30, by renting out the entire second floor of the eatery, where the pair dined on house-made pasta, Chilean sea bass (Holmes's pick) and Wagyu steak (Cruise's choice).

Uh-oh, as any eco-foodie knows, while the flaky white meat of Chilean sea bass is delicious, the fish themselves aren't doing so hot due to overfishing. (Ok, fine, my first thought on reading it wasn't, "OMG, she ate what?!" but rather, "Huh, I didn't realize Tom was that much older than Katie. When she's 47 he's going to be 64.”) Anyhoo, my point isn't to berate the lovely actress. Anyone could seriously hurt their head trying to remember which fish are fine to eat and which are no-nos.

That's where a handy seafood guide comes in. Maybe it’s a little dorky to pull it out, but it's small, and even I can glance surreptitiously at it. I'm partial to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch pocket guide, which lists species to avoid, good alternatives, and best choices. You can also order a free guide to carry in your wallet from Blue Ocean Institute will mail you a free wallet guide, or you can download one for seafood or sushi from EDF (which also offers one for your phone). The International Seafood Guide has an enormous online database of pretty much every fish you might encounter with info on its health, and what impact eating it might potentially have on your health. If I’ve missed the one you prefer, please include it in the comment section.

Finally, here’s a bit about Chilean sea bass, which isn't endangered, from the knowledgeable folks at NOAA:

In 2000, more than 16,000 tons of Chilean sea bass were legally harvested in the Antarctic management area. Estimates vary, but there may be up to twice that amount taken illegally. Some Chilean sea bass fisheries are managed in a responsible manner, but there are some areas where the species has been and continues to be overfished.

Bon appetit!