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PAUL WELLMAN
p. 43
FISH
breathe air from the surface into a swim bladder that is modified into a pseudo-lung. They eat fish and small mammals and will even defend their territory from humans, leaping from the water like acrobatic salmon and packing a mighty whack. According to Isaac Gherson, the CEO of the Amazone project, paiche are grown in specially created ponds in the Amazon rain forest where they are fed pellets made from Peruvian anchovies without other animal byproducts. They breed naturally and are grown at low densities. The ponds are continuously flushed with fresh, clean water from the Amazon. Worried about Fukushima radiation in your fish? You can’t get much farther away from Japan on this planet than the Amazon. The fish is popular as an ingredient in trendy Peruvian restaurants, such as Mo-Chica and, fittingly, Paiche in Los Angeles.“I love this fish,” said Chef Ricardo Zarate, who owns those two restaurants and recently opened the Blue Tavern on State Street in Santa Barbara. “It’s an amazing fish, like a mix between black cod and monkfish.” He serves it as ceviche (thin-sliced or carpaccio style), baked, or grilled (but don’t overcook). In my own kitchen, I dusted a zesty fish rub on one side of a fillet and bread crumbs on the other and then pan-seared it in a mix of olive oil and butter, 3 minutes per side. Then I finished it with a few minutes in the oven at 350°F. The fish was mild and tender. Garnish with a dab of Peruvian ají and sprig of cilantro. The paiche exported by Amazone are registered and certified as farmed fish and do not impact depleted wild populations. The company has been involved in projects (with the World Wildlife Fund) to restock paiche in their natural environment, thus benefiting native fishers who supply their nearby markets and might someday develop export markets. Cultivating paiche is a reasonable approach to encourage and support low-impact development that is sustainable to the health of the Amazon rain forest and its inhabitants. How do we protect ourselves, the rain forest, and the region’s farmers? Consider buying from certified reputable sources who guarantee that the product is farmed in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. ■ SEAFOOD SAVIOR? Whole Foods is now serving up paiche at its seafood counter, as held here by Danny the fishmonger.
WORTH THE DRIVE
HOTEL BARS
Fess Parker
Fun for All
Bourbon & Boone / Pork Tostadas Pairing ’til March 31
I
f you’ve forgotten that the Santa Barbara waterfront is home to a quietly cozy watering hole and patio with sweeping views, smiling service, and validated parking, it’s a good time to remember the Fess Parker DoubleTree’s hotel bar, known these days as The Set ( Cabrillo Blvd.; fpdtr.com; [800] 879-2929). As part of an ongoing hotel promotion to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the hit TV show Daniel Boone (starring, of course, Parker), the bar is now pouring the Bourbon & Boone, a mix of Cutler’s Artisan Spirits’ booze with sweet maple syrup, spicy muddled jalapeños, lemon juice, and soda water.“It’s a little sweet and little spicy at the same time,” explained the hotel’s Beth Olson, who recommends pairing it with the sweet and smokey pulled-pork tostadas on the menu, also existing in the amply spiced yet nicely sweet range. The package — which includes the drink and dish for two
along with a bottle of Fess Parker Winery wine and a room for $189 until April 30 — combines Boone’s Kentucky ancestry (the bourbon), Parker (he loved spice, and there’s even a Fess-style tuna melt on the menu), and Santa Barbara, for Cutler’s is made just a few blocks away in the Funk Zone. And speakDRINK UP: The Fess Parker Doubleing of that ’hood, the hotel Tree is now serving the Bourbon & is also offering the SIP & Boone cocktail, made from Cutler’s Artisan Spirits, jalapeños, maple SUP package: two-for-one syrup, and more. tastings at seven Funk Zone wineries and kayak or stand-up paddle board rentals for two plus a room for $169 until May 31. “You can literally walk to both things if you wanted,” said Olson of the resort’s proximity to both the Funk Zone and the Santa Barbara Harbor. The deals come on the heels of the hotel’s recent touch-up of every one of their 360 rooms, which they powered through in less than four months.“It was the world’s fastest renovation,” said Olson, but she was quick to note that while the hotel spent $7 million or so focused on the tourists, the Fess Parker is just as friendly to midday — Matt Kettmann locals as to its overnight customers.
COUTESY
A
slab of white meat behind the fish counter at Whole Foods caught my eye.“What’s that fish there?” I asked. “That’s paiche. You want a piece?” I was looking for something new, and with the Chilean sea bass and king salmon at over twice the price, I decided to give it a try. Good move: The paiche was delicious. Later I learned it is healthy and sustainable. Paiche (pronounced pie·chay) is raised in ponds in the Amazon rain forest by a Peruvian company named Amazone. Its product is imported by the U.S. company ArtisanFish and sourced by the green-buying fish brokers at Whole Foods. Paiche is raised without antibiotics, vaccines, or hormones and is free of mercury and metals. Containing 20 grams of protein per 100 gram serving, paiche is comparable to beef fillet and chicken breast but with a lot less fat (1 gram) and calories (89). Paiche is high in omega-3 oils with a favorable ratio to omega-6s (1:1). Compare that to another “white meat,” the pork chop, which has 19.3 grams of protein, 20 grams of fat, a poor omega ratio, and 260 calories. Thanks, but I’ll take the paiche. Arapaima gigas is one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world, with the biggest of the beasts stretching to 9 feet and weighing upward of 400 pounds. It is a prehistoric finfish, whose lineage branched off 220 million years ago in the late Triassic. Dinosaurs probably ate the ancestral paiche, and now the fish is even hunted by jaguars in the wild. An unusual feature of this torpedo-shaped fish is that they
MORE FOOD
SEE P. 61
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A Healthy Sustainable Fish for the Future by Kevin Bailey
@sbindyfood
/sbindyfood
PETER VANDENBELT
M¢
t the end of the long and curvy Jalama Road, where sharp gusts and cold breakers chip away at the corner of California, exists a world-famous hamburger stacked with lean beef, fresh-cut veggies, and pickle chips and slathered with secret sauce. This March marks the 35th anniversary of the Jalama Burger™, a simple comfort so coveted its creator trademarked it. “Yeah, that’s my wife, Kathy’s, invention,” says Don Eittreim, 79, owner of the Jalama Beach Store & Grill. Kathy Eittreim passed away early last year, leaving her husband of 58 years and one of their five children (plus various grandkids, of which they have nine) to run the small beachfront café and camping-supply store. “She talked me into buying this place back in 1978,” remembers Don. “She knew we could create something special out here.” Exposed to open ocean and all the weather that comes with it, Eittreim’s outpost is located at Jalama Beach County Park, roughly 20 miles from Lompoc and 60 from downtown Santa Barbara. For decades, Jalama has been a destination for surfers, windsurfers, beachcombers, fans of wildlife, and families who like adventuresome camping without severing all ties to civilization. Some days, Jalama’s bitter cold and blowing 50 knots with stinging rain. Others, it’s tranquil and azure with a view to the edge of the planet. Every day — except for Thanksgiving and Christmas — the grill is open, offering a sizable menu of breakfast, lunch, and early dinner. The burgers are its best sellers. Says Vaughn Montgomery, 36, whose family has been making weeklong holiday camping trips to Jalama every year since before he was born: “For a wave-beaten, sun-blinded, windblasted soul — still high from surfing and the long walk back to camp — to sit there on that still patio and sink into a Jalama Burger, especially with a can of cold beer, is enough to make the saltwater run out of your nose onto the lettuce and onion!” While a lengthy campout could very well turn an American standard into a transcendent meal, foodies on a mission need not commit to picturesque visions of nasal drainage to taste the Jalama Burger experience. There might be a secret to what’s inside, but this burger’s got day trip written all over it. — Keith Hamm
march 20, 2014
THE INDEPENDENt
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