Last night I went out for sushi, my favorite treat. I went through my usual sashimi choices and then opted for a roll claiming to be filled with crabmeat. Only one bite was needed to determine that I was indeed not eating crab at all, but its common substitute, surimi. Even though I did not technically receive what I ordered, I was unsurprised by the switch out. The truth is, fish substitutions are more common than you may think and
they go far beyond crab in sushi houses.
An article on MSN.com entitled “10 Things Your Restaurant Won’t Tell You,” reported that “consumers have less than a 50-50 shot of being served the fish they ordered.” Think you’re eating red snapper or grouper? Think again. Studies show that white fish is often replaced with inexpensive tilapia.
The Chicago Sun Times recently ran DNA tests on “red snapper” from 14 area restaurants. The Sun reported that “ Nine of the 14 samples were tilapia, four were sea bream.” But the fraud does not stop there.
Seafood is imported from all over the world. Menus often advertise “Alaskan salmon,” or “Maryland crab cakes,” but you may wind up eating something shipped from China or raised in on a farm in the Midwest.
With little FDA oversight, the problem remains on the plate of the consumer. So if eating a substituted (and often cheaper) fish than you ordered is of concern to you, inform your waiter. A nicer restaurant will have the chef confirm that what you are eating is truly what you ordered. Then again, the nicer restaurants already tend to monitor the quality of their ingredients.
To some diners, however, a fish by any other name is still just a fish. I can’t help but wonder how many will stick with that motto when they learn that Chilean Sea Bass is just a fancy name for the Patagonian Toothfish.
10 Things Your Restaurant Won't Tell You
Fish fraud: The menus said snapper, but it wasn't!
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