Sushi has become a part of the American diet.
For example, the supermarket chain Kroger sells over 40 million pieces of sushi a year at its 2,719 locations nationwide.
But some of us may wonder if it is OK to consume this much seafood.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, global seafood consumption increased by 228% between 1961 and 2018. And we are projected to consume 18% more by 2030.
Farmed seafood has become more available to keep up with the elevated demand. The global aquaculture production from 1990 to 2018 rose by 527% versus the global capture of seafood during the same period grew only by 14%.
However, while aquaculture can help us avoid issues such as overfishing and slaughtered bycatch, it is not a desirable solution for serious environmental pollution and diseases that can spread to wild fish.
Can we eat sushi sustainably?
The answer is yes, according to Hajime Sato who is the chef and owner of Sozai near Detroit, Michigan.
He has been known for keenly pursuing sustainability for the last 14 years, which is very challenging for a sushi chef. But his efforts have been widely recognized. For instance, Sato became one of the five nominees for the 2023 James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef Award. The Awards are often called the Academy Awards for culinary professionals, so you can tell how powerful Sato’s voice is.
“We have no choice. When I give a lecture to school kids about sushi and seafood, I first apologize to them for the previous generations having screwed up so badly with the environment. Now they have to take all the burdens long after we die,” he says.
In 2009, Sato decided to serve only sustainable seafood at his restaurant. “When I was teaching how to make sushi to the public, my students would ask me, “Why do you use this fish? Is this sustainable?” I grew to feel so inappropriate to offer my customers seafood that could hurt the environment.”
If I Can Serve Sustainable Sushi In Detroit, Anyone Can Do It
Sato uses several criteria to evaluate the sustainability of seafood, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and The U.S. government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
With his constantly updated knowledge, Sato serves carefully selected seafood at his restaurant Sozai. For example, he never put bluefin tuna on his menu, which is a highly sought-after delicacy and can fetch a very high price at fish markets. As a result, the species has become close to endangered; also, bluefin tuna is such a top predator in the marine food chain that overfishing creates a significant imbalance in the ocean environment.
How does he manage to serve great sushi to satisfy demanding diners?
The key is Omakase.
Omakase means “leave it to the chef”. It is a popular style of menu in Japan, which also suggests the trustworthy relationships between the chef and customers.
With Omakase, you don’t know what you are having but that is the whole point of ordering it.
“Omakase probably is the best way not only to eat sustainably but to discover your new favorite sushi items,” says Sato.
“For Omakase, chefs serve only the most delicious seafood from the market that day. You become so satisfied that you forget you did not get your regular favorite items.”
Seafood is so seasonal and regional that there is always something new, even for Sato. “For instance, if I go to Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, sushi restaurants there offer many types of fish I have never tasted before. I would like my customers to experience the same excitement.”
But even with Omakase menus, it is not easy to stay fully sustainable. Most sushi chefs rely on major seafood distributors that carry a wide range of standard ingredients to minimize administrative tasks; also, these distributors cannot only sell sustainable seafood to stay in business. As a result, the supply of sustainable products is quite limited.
Then, how does Sato procure sustainable seafood?
“By painstakingly searching for different sources. Some fishermen hear about me—there is a guy who is always looking for something unusual that nobody else buys. So they contact me and say, ‘Do you want this?’ and I often say yes. But my wife, who does all the paperwork, hates me because I have this one type of fish from this vendor and another. Unfortunately, this is the only way I can serve what I want to serve responsibly,” he laughs.
“Detroit is a very difficult place to get high-quality seafood in general, compared to other bigger coastal cities like Seattle, L.A. and New York. If I can serve sustainable sushi here, anyone can do it. If you are a sushi chef, just try and you will make a meaningful difference for the next generations.”
Delicious And Sustainable Seafood You Should Try
You may not believe that bluefin tuna used to be thrown away.
During the Edo period in Japan, now-the-most-prized tuna was the least popular fish. The shoguns and samurais preferred other types of fish like seabass, icefish and bonito, because Japanese people did not like fatty food like tuna belly back then (the arrival of the Western diet changed their palate later). Tuna, in particular otoro and chutoro, used to be discarded or used as fertilizer,
Then in the mid-19th century, the Japanese government issued strict sumptuary edicts. Tuna suddenly became a handy item for sushi vendors to follow the new law. Also, a sushi chef invented a new recipe for making tuna more delicious (now it is called zuke, or soy-marinated tuna), which made the low-grade fish a delectable star.
Sato believes that Hikarimono can be the next bluefin tuna and serves plenty of it at Sozai.
Hikarimono is a type of fish that has a sparkling silver skin like kohada, saba, iwashi and sanma. They are quintessential items for the classic sushi experience in Japan, but due to their highly perishable nature and the lack of good reputation, it is not widely available outside of the country.
Japanese people treasure Hikarimono for its extremely rich umami. “It is high in omega-3 fatty acids and has a much lower level of mercury than other popular fish,” says Sato.
He uses striped jack, or shima-aji from Florida, for example. “It is one of the most coveted species in Japan but American fishermen treat it as garbage. There are so many species like shima-aji that we should appreciate in our domestic market.”
Sato’s efforts are truly valuable and inspiring but he cannot move the needle alone.
“I hope other sushi chefs will join me to increase demand for sustainable seafood, which can trigger a larger and stable supply by seafood purveyors. That is the only way for the future generations to keep enjoying sushi,” says Sato.
According to the World Economic Forum, Generation Z is seriously concerned about the planet’s well-being and influences others to make sustainability-first buying decisions.
For seafood purveyors, it may be mandatory to boost sustainable seafood supply as Sato wishes.
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