Brooklyn Fish CSA, CSF and Fish Club

All images © Valery Rizzo

Last year I told you about the Brooklyn Honey CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) I joined, well this season I bought a half share of Brooklyn's first CSF (Community Supported Fishery) from Mermaid's Garden. Connecting fish eaters to fisherman, sustainable seafood enthusiasts Mark Usewicz, chef at Park Slope's Palo Santo and wife Bianca Picillo just launched the first weekly CSF in Brooklyn. 

CSF's seek to reconnect coastal communities to their food system, promote sustainable fishing practices, and strengthen relationships between fishermen and the people they feed. Members receive weekly shares of fresh local Long Island and New England fishes consisting of filleted fish with additional shellfish and whole fish options. All of their fish are caught by small boat fishermen using sustainable fishing methods and is available for weekly pickup in Park Slope, Red Hook and Clinton Hill. I think Mark and Bianca, also said they would be including some recipes on their site which I would be excited to try along with some herbs I'm growing in my backyard garden. See http://mermaidsgardennyc.com/ for more info. I am really excited!

There is also another fantastic fish CSA happening in Brooklyn later in the season, but this is the last week to join for 2012. It comes from Iliamna Fish Company, which is a family business that spends the summer fishing in Bristol Bay Alaska to bring you Wild Sockeye Salmon for one-time pick up in September, at Williamsburg's Brooklyn Kitchen of a twelve pound share of flash-frozen sockeye fillets. Iliamna was founded by Christopher Nicolson who is the winemaker at Red Hook Winery half of the year and a fisherman for the other half. Wine, fish and Brooklyn, what a life! Every time I talk about this CSA I am tempted to do this one as well! http://www.redsalmon.com/sharelocation.html for more info.

And then there is the third option I found out about at New Amsterdam Market's Gathering of the Fisheries. Gabe The Fish Babe, don't you just love the name, founded by Gabrielle Stommel, they are a seafood wholesaler that sells to restaurants in Brooklyn such as Roberta's, Buttermilk Channel, Romans, Rucola, Fort Defiance and more. They have a fairly new Fish Club, bringing individuals seasonal Rhode Island fish caught by the fishermen of Point Judith with the choice of a pick up location at Depanneur Gourmet Food Store in  Williamsburg Brookyn or delivered to your door. http://gabethefishbabe.com for more info.

By the way, these photos I took at New Amsterdam Market and more will be published in a soon to come Issue of Sweet Paul Magazine!