IN 2005 Slow Food International held a meeting called Slow Fish which brought together small scale fishers, chefs and seafood companies to discuss how people could still continue using seafood without compromising responsibility. Three solutions were highlighted.

1. Support small scale inshore fishing and ancient methods of processing and preserving which are sustainable and produce outstanding products which are form part of cultural identity.
2. To consume fish lower on the food chain, such as smaller spinier fish that have long been part of the Mediterranean coastal cuisine
3. Supporting traditional low impact types of fish farming, such as oyster farming and low density fresh water pool systems that produce a tastier product than industrial counterparts.

In April 2009 the fourth edition of Slow Fish was held in Genoa and part of the Slow Food international challenge to all Slow Food convivia, Slow Food members, food communities, praesidia, cooks, academics and young people in the Terra Madre network is to organise small activities dedicated to sustainable fish. We are also asked to send recipes afterwards which will be used to create an online cookbook of good clean and fair fish and seafood from around the world.

The challenge instructions:

1. Find the fish: Avoid endangered fish such as bluefin tuna, Atlantic or farmed salmon, tropical shrimps, swordfish. Choose a local fish, i.e caught in seas or rivers near to you. This fish must be of the minimum size to reproduce (fish such as Orange Roughy reach the age of reproduction at 20 years). Fish must be caught in the right season, i.e. outside its period of reproduction.

2. Find a recipe: A traditional recipe or a recipe invented by you, which might become the tradition of tomorrow.

3. Cook this fish at home, in your restaurant or canteen: share it with friends, customers, journalists etc. Explain to your table companions why you have chosen this fish and why you ignored other species.

4. Send us the information you have collected about this fish: (its characteristics, how, where and when it is caught..) and your recipe—and if possible, a photo, or other material such as children’s drawing, a drawing of the fish, fishermen’s tales etc.

There are three months – May, June & July and up to August 15th for you to send your recipes to communication@slowfood.com
So we look forward to hearing from you.

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