Prime Salmon
I don’t know what is more exciting. That Angelo’s 677 Prime has made a commitment to sustainable seafood and gotten farmed Atlantic salmon off their menu, OR that Steve Barnes thinks it’s a newsworthy enough story to write up on his Table Hopping blog.
The whole thing just makes me very happy.
There are now three menu items under the “Ocean Collection” section of the menu that are all tagged as “sustainable seafood.”
Seared Wild King Salmon | $26
baked on a think cedar sheet, sweet potato chorizo & shrimp hash, fennel radish slaw, champagne butter
Seared Pinot Noir Lacquered Halibut | $35
creamed leeks & lobster, fava beans, asparagus, fingerling potatoes
Tuscan Ahi Tuna | $29
Herb breadcrumb crusted, tomato, olive, pecorino, potato & bread panzanella salad, lightly wilted arugula, basil pesto, aged balsamic, triple garlic aioli
It’s the preparation for the halibut that really speaks to me.
But really I’m most excited that the farmed Atlantic salmon is gone. Kaput. It has no business being on any restaurant’s menu, much less the menu at a fine dining restaurant. And given that 677 Prime is firmly ensconced in the upper echelon of Albany fine dining, hopefully this move will have reverberations on menus throughout the region.
A man can dream. And my dream is that one day farmed Atlantic salmon will not be found on a menu anywhere in the city of Albany. Every time a restaurant drops it from the menu, an angel earns its wings.
Thank you, Angelo’s 677 Prime.
FUSSYlittleBLOG 
Being a foodie myself, I like your website. It is very informative altho I do not agree with you on everything . . . I do agree with you on most things. For example, King Salmon is the best of all the salmons! But as for farmed raised Atlantic Salmon . . . not all of it is bad. And some of it is very good for you.
Not all fisheries that raise Atlantic salmon are bad! It all started when the Environmental Working Group (EWG) was hired to say bad things about farmed salmon. They are not really environmentalists, but more like publicists. They are alarmist that use wording that will scare people. They took a study of three salmon from Ireland that was a little high in PCBs and applied it to the whole industry. Then they feed that info to different news people. EWG even had people believing color was being injected into the salmon. Keratin is a protein that is added to the feed for color . . . same protien that is found in carrots.
Salmon farms know that to grow healthy fish, they need a healthy ocean. The industry and the environment are entirely interwoven.The farms have made many improvements over the years. Salmon farming is the most strictly regulated agricultural industry in British Columbia, and their farmers are committed to making environmentally and economically responsible choices. There are groups that say bad things about the aquaculture industry, and they have a hidden agenda . . . and usually it is all about money. Many aquaculture farms are committed to sustainability, and produce quality, healthy product. You might be able to find a few poorly run farms, but do not apply that to the whole aquaculture industry. Some of the WILD fish is caught by fishermen that are not committed to sustainability. But it does not mean that all are like that. There is more information about farmed salmon here: http://www.salmonoftheamericas.com/home/
The reason I know so much about this subject, is I was a fishmonger for more then 16 years. Not only did I sell seafood, but I made it a point to learn as much as I could about seafood. Personally I believe farmed salmon from Canada is safe to eat, it is good for you, and it taste great when cooked right. Also the farms there are committed to making responsible environmental choices. Please don’t get me wrong, when King Salmon and Coho Salmon are fresh and in season . . . . I love them!