2010 Celebrate Seafood Dinner Series April 13, 2010

Sustainable seafood is on the menu as the New England Aquarium continues its popular 2010 Celebrate Seafood Dinner Series bringing guests and local chefs together for evenings of eco-friendly dining.

“Fish populations around the world are declining due to many factors including pollution, fishing, and climate change,” said Aquarium Director of Conservation Lydia Bergen. “Not only are fish an important part of a healthy diet, they are vital to the world’s ecosystem-health. At the Aquarium, we are educating consumers and working with the seafood industry to support sustainable options today so that we can have healthy, productive oceans into the future.”

Initiated in 2007, the Aquarium’s Celebrate Seafood Dinner Series features a three-course sustainable seafood meal with wine pairings and cooking demonstrations in a fun, conversational format. Together, Aquarium Chef Tim Ridge and guest chefs lead cooking demonstrations while Bergen highlights each dish’s sustainability features. The dinners are held in the Aquarium’s Harbor View Café.

Following the kick off dinner held in January, five more events are planned for 2010. Each features a variety of familiar seafood choices along with less common options. Guests leave each dinner with tips on how to purchase sustainable seafood and recipes to make at home.

2010 Celebrate Seafood Dinner Schedule and Guest Chefs:

April 13 –Greg Griffie, executive chef at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel and chef at 606 Congress, both in Boston. Menu of farm-raised oysters, wild hook-caught haddock, wild Atlantic deep-sea red crab

June 22 –Michael Leviton, chef/owner of Lumiere in Newton. Menu of farm-raised queen conch, wild-caught Dungeness crab, wild-caught wreckfish
Aug. 24 –Jeffrey Fournier, chef/owner of 51 Lincoln in Newton. Menu of wild-caught striped bass, U.S. farm-raised barramundi, farm-raised clams

Oct. 5 –Chris Parsons, chef of Catch in Winchester. Menu of farm-raised Atlantic halibut, farm-raised Pacific oysters, wild-caught wahoo

Nov. 9 –Julia Brant, executive chef of Caliterra in Boston. Menu of farm-raised Arctic char, farm-raised caviar, wild-caught California spiny lobster

Tickets are $65 for members and $75 for non-members. All events start at 6:30 p.m. Call 617-973-5206 or logon to www.neaq.org to register and learn more about sustainable seafood.