DURHAM, N.H. — June 15, 2014 — Skate wing tacos, redfish tempura, miso soup with kelp were among many unconventional menu items served to University of New Hampshire students and guests April 16 at the Holloway Commons Dining Hall, raising awareness about underutilized fish species found off the Seacoast.
Slow Fish of UNH, an offshoot of a worldwide movement, is thought to be one of the first programs of its kind in the country on a college campus.
Last fall, students from Slow Food UNH coordinated a pilot program at UNH. This included a “Slow Fish Workshop” where 20 students learned how to filet and cook with seven different “under-loved” species of fish. The workshop was featured on NH Chronicle and served as the driving force behind the adoption of the program this spring at UNH.
Katy Allen is a sophomore from Lyme and the UNH Slow Food president. “The pilot program allows us to raise the awareness of students to ‘odd’ fish and hopefully the dishes will gain in popularity, which will mean the program has worked,” said Allen.
Students dined with David Goethel, a local fisherman with more than 40 years at sea. He is captain of the “Ellen Diane,”a fishing vessel out of Hampton Harbor.
Goethel that evening reminisced about the famous late chef Julia Child: “She was one of the pioneers of creating a need for underutilized species when she prepared dishes using monk fish. Now, monk fish is a popular dish.”
Goethel is eager to see the Slow Fish program succeed because it means more opportunity for him to sell more of the fish caught with his day-boat dragger. Typically, skate and red fish would be a nuisance and thrown back.
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