How to Make Sustainable Seafood Choices

Traveling has been a huge part of my life, largely thanks to my dad, which makes it a major source of inspiration in my kitchen.
I especially love traveling to destinations where I can indulge in local seafood. My recent trip to Tulum has no shortage of this – the ceviche was absolutely heavenly and I couldn’t wait to come home to try my own version of it.

However enjoying seafood on my travels and in my kitchen wouldn’t be possible without healthy oceans. I’m excited to be teaming up with MSC to celebrate World Oceans Day, a day to honor, help protect, and conserve our world’s shared ocean, and in doing so share the small gestures you can make to contribute to healthier oceans.

It’s easy take for granted the importance of the ocean but don’t forget that oceans

• Generate most of the oxygen we breathe
• Help feed us
• Regulate our climate
• Clean the water we drink

Two Easy Ways You Can Contribute to Healthier Oceans

Enjoy seafood

• It’s as simple as that! Seafood is a healthy source of protein that sustains the lives and livelihoods of billions of people around the world. It’s also delicious and our last major source of food that’s truly wild – so I definitely think it’s worth preserving.

Choose sustainable seafood

• If you are going to enjoy seafood you should enjoy seafood that’s good for you and the oceans too!
• MSC makes this really easy to do – just look for their MSC Blue Fish label on seafood products, it’s a label that indicates the seafood you’re purchasing is wild-caught and certified sustainable by the world’s most recognized seafood sustainability program
• By choosing MSC certified seafood you know you are supporting a well-managed, sustainable fishery that works hard to conserve the marine environment and ensures our oceans aren’t overfished.
• The label is easy to spot so the next time you are shopping for seafood, look for the MSC blue fish label and know that you are contributing towards healthier oceans

That is exactly what I did when preparing the recreate the awesome ceviche I tried in Tulum! Here’s how I did it:

Ceviche Recipe

This was my first time making ceviche and like I’ve said about other seafood dishes – it is a lot easier than you think! It’s fresh and light with a citrus punch which makes it the perfect appetizer or side dish for the summer!  

Ingredients 

• MSC certified cold water shrimp (comes frozen & cooked) you could also use other MSC certified seafood like halibut or sole.

• 1.5 cups of fresh lime juice

• 1 jalapeño

• 2-3 tablespoons of orange juice

• 1/4 red onion finely diced

• 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes diced 

• Salt

• Olive oil 

• Handful of chopped cilantro

• 1/2 cup finely diced cucumber 

• Avocado and radish for garnish

How to make ceviche

Use a dish with a large surface to make it easier to cover the fish with liquids. To start, defrost the cold water shrimp. Since it is already cooked it speeds up the recipe. Next, place the cold water shrimp in the dish and pour the lime juice and orange juice over top to cover the shrimp. You might have to add more lime juice to ensure they are fully covered (even more so important if you are working with raw fish!) Place in the fridge for 10 minutes (20 if you are using raw fish). 

Take it out of the fridge and add the rest of the ingredients – mix around to get the flavors mingling. Place back in the fridge for 10 minutes (again 20 mins of raw fridge).

Take out of the fridge and serve with tortilla chips and or on tortillas for ceviche tacos!

It’s such an easy recipe and perfect for a seafood fiesta in the summer.

Next time I’ll be trying with raw fish for sure!

Looking after the oceans and the resources they provide is more important now than ever before. By helping to keep our oceans healthy and full of fish, future generations will be able to enjoy seafood too!

*This post was done in partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council, however the opinions are 100% my own.