Written by Talia of innBrooklyn.

I have found it increasingly easy to eat sustainably in recent years. I'm lucky to live in Brooklyn and we have great resources for local and organic food. It is no effort to sprinkle pasture raised cow's milk Parmesan over an heirloom tomato sauce on a bed of homemade organic pasta. I can get my shade grown caffeine fix and feed my sweet tooth with fair trade, artisanal chocolate. But when it comes to finding a way to eat ethical seafood, its another story. It sometimes seems impossible to keep track of what fish is sustainable, never mind where to get it. Every species has to be independently analyzed to determine whether it is endangered, to understand the local eco system and method of fishing, even to know about the fish's own diet. But don't despair, here are some tips so you can carrying on enjoying your nutrient rich, Omega-3 fatty acid endowed fish - along with a selection of favourite recipes from the blogosphere that will make the effort to search out sustainable seafood worthwhile!

Since the large predator fish like tuna and salmon have been fished to the point of extinction in the wild, it is much more sustainable to eat near the bottom of the food chain. A single pound of tuna needs a full seven pounds of smaller fish to feed it, so if we simply eat the sardines directly, we retain a significantly higher portion of biomass in the oceans. Also the predator fish have much higher concentrations of toxins, like mercury, in their flesh.

Personally, I think sardines are seriously underrated – a slice or two of toast, some butter and a can of sardines makes for a fabulously easy dinner, the comforting crunch of the buttery toast a perfect foil to the rich, smooth sardine spread. To take this simple snack to a new level, check out this delicious recipe for a dressed up, Malaysian style sardine sandwich.

While sardines may have been underrated there are other fish that have typically been considered luxury eats. When I was growing up shrimp (we called them prawns) were synonymous with decadence. Now though, those generic plastic trays filled with uniformly sized, uniformly bland, shrimp (with a side of chemically flavored cocktail sauce) are about as classy as an episode of The Simple Life. The wildcaught shrimp of my childhood have been replaced by farmed shrimp, almost all imported from Asia. The shrimp farms are generally rife with problems: outbreaks of disease that escape the farm confines, excessive use of chemicals and antibiotics, loss of natural habitat, especially mangrove forests, and tandem loss of livelihood for local fishing communities. Fortunately, there are still sources for sustainable shrimps, but they are significantly more costly. For me, the higher cost is easy to justify unrealistically cheap food almost always belies a hidden cost. So when you buy shrimp why not make something special like this prawn, chilli and coconut laska.

Like shrimp, farmed salmon is problematic. As a big salmon fan I have committed to enjoying only the delicious Wild Atlantic salmon which turns out to be more sustainable, but also much tastier - the rich, dark pink color heralds a richer, fuller flavor. For a great ode to wild salmon check out this delicious chile roasted salmon recipe.

Lest those last two paragraphs have led you to believe all farmed seafood is bad, I can assure you its not that simple: farmed oysters are generally a good choice, and growing oysters can actually have a positive impact on the environment by removing nitrogen from the water. Oyster farms have been included in several ocean restoration projects. So eat oysters with abandon, knowing they are a good seafood choice!

See, I told you it was complicated! I find one way to deal with the confusion is to rely on someone I trust, who knows more than I do. The fishmonger at our local farmer's market always gives good advice. Fortunately one of my favourite summer dishes is this versatile mexican ceviche which can be made with a wide variety of fish. Give this a try with whatever seafood is sustainable in your neighborhood and fantasize about your next Mexican kitesurfing vacation...

You can't always carry your local fisheries expert with you, and you certainly can't memorize the ins and outs of all available seafood. Fortunately, there are several great sources for pocket guides, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium regional guides and the Environmental Defense Fund pocket seafood selector. (If any of the international readers of food talk have similar resources for non US locations it would be great if you could add them to the comments section!). And, if you are the high tech type you can keep abrest of the latest in sustainable seafood with the free Blue Ocean Institute Fish phone app for iphones or their text message service.

I leave you then with lots sources to help you navigate the oceans, from me, 'so long, and thanks for all the fish'.

If you enjoyed this article on sustainable fish by Talia, read her sister article on her blog HERE xoxo