Kitchen Scoop

Shiny, dark globes beckon me like a sea siren calls out to lost sailors. Supposedly pitted, I munch down on my first olive and crack! Not the pit, my tooth.

A few days later I'm sitting in the dentist chair, head cocked back at an awkward angle, mouth open wider than it should be and "Mr. Thirsty" is hooked in the corner of my lip. Miserable barely begins to describe it. But then I close my eyes, rememeber the suculent and briney flavor and decide it was all worth it. But dang, that's one expensive olive!

Please tell me you've done something similar! Was it worth it?

One of our more confusing food choices is whether to buy farmed or wild-caught salmon. Environmental issues come into play, as do health benefits. Wild-caught salmon has a higher and more potent form of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart and why you’re urged to eat fatty fish three times a week.

Salmon that is farmed in ocean pens, (as opposed to tanks on land), often harm the environment.

So what is a responsible cook to choose? We like the advice from the Seafood Watch list of the Monterey Bay Acquarium in California (click here) to either buy wild-caught Alaska salmon or U.S. tank-raised Coho or Silver salmon. The only problem is finding a store that labels the fish that carefully!

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