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Think Outside the Can: Inside Out Salmon Sushi Roll

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:58:34 +0000

By Melissa Iwai, Cross-posted from The Hungry Artist

I was recently invited by Greenpeace to enter their “Think Outside the Can” recipe contest. They launched the contest to raise awareness on the destructive and irresponsible tuna fishing practices of large companies, such as Chicken of the Sea. The hope is that by raising awareness, these companies will realize their customers care about environmental practices.

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Want to help us Think Outside the Can? Share your tuna free recipe with us and you could win a $250 gift card to Williams-Sonoma! Show your support for sustainable fishing and be canned tuna-free. First 25 contest entries win a free Greenpeace Mug! It’s also a great way to get the fame and recognition your blog deserves!

By helping us Think Outside the Can, you’ll be telling Big Tuna that sustainability is possible, and that it’s past time for them to stop ripping up our oceans.

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My recipe uses an alternative to tuna– canned Wild Alaskan Salmon. Salmon caught in Alaska is abundant and the fishing processes used are not damaging to the environment. This Seafood Guide is helpful to determine whether or not the seafood you are buying is eco-friendly or not.

The salmon salad I make has an Asian flair with roasted sesame oil and wasabi mayonnaise. In Japanese convenient stores, tuna salad used in rice balls (onigiri) is common, and I thought I’d do a sushi roll (makizushi) version and replace the tuna with salmon. You could also just use it in a sandwich or on crackers of course!

First, cover a sushi rolling mat with saran (I had forgotten to do this in the photo! The saran makes life easier). Then place roasted dried seaweed (nori) sheet on top. Cover with a layer of seasoned rice using a spoon or paddle. I dip the back in water while pressing which keeps the rice from sticking to it. Sprinkle the rice with roasted sesame seeds.

Flip the whole thing over so that the nori is facing up. This is where the saran comes in handy!

Note: Make sure the mat is oriented so that the long side is facing you as in this photo! I failed to do this in the previous photos.

Put a strip of the salmon salad in the middle with a sprig of green onion. Then, using the roller, roll up tightly from the bottom. Cover the filling with the bottom of the nori and rice and slowly continue to roll, gradually removing saran as you go (so that it doesn’t get caught inside). At the top 3/4″ of the nori, wet with a bit of water with your finger and finish the roll. The water will seal the ends together.

All rolled up

Then cut the roll in half, then cut the halves into fourths, so you have eight pieces per roll.

I actually prefer the taste of the salmon used this way than tuna!

Salmon Salad

2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise

1-2 teaspoons of wasabi paste, to taste

6 oz can of Wild Alaskan salmon

1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil

kosher salt

black pepper

Mix mayonnaise and wasabi paste together in a small bowl and set aside.
Drain salmon and break up flesh with a fork in a bowl.
Add mayonnaise mixture and sesame oil to salmon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix until incorporated.

Inside Out Salmon Sushi Roll

(Note: Japanese rice, nori, and black sesame seeds are usually available in Asian stores or the International section in grocery stores. Sushi rollers are available in Japanese markets or here.)

2 ½ cups cooked white rice (made from 1 cup uncooked rice)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 ½ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 sheets nori (dried roasted seaweed)

2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds (black or white)

Salmon salad (see above)

1 scallion, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

While rice is cooking, whisk together rice vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
Put freshly cooked rice into a large bowl and sprinkle with rice vinegar mixture. Mix with a wooden paddle or spoon while fanning the rice.
Cover a sushi roller with a piece of saran wrap. Orient the mat so that the long side is facing you. Place a sheet of nori on top.
Spread half of the sushi rice on top in a thin layer, using a spoon. Dip the back of the spoon in water to prevent rice from sticking while you press down on the rice.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds on top. Flip over so that the nori is face up.
Spread ½ of the salmon salad in center and top with green onion. Roll the sushi by first covering the filling with the bottom part of the sheet and rice and gently pulling towards you so that the roll is tight. Then slowly continue to roll while removing saran wrap. When you get to the top, wet the top ¾ inch of margin of the nori with a bit of water with your finger and finish the roll. The water will seal the ends together.
Cut the roll in half, then cut the halves into fourths. Make another roll in the same manner with the remaining salmon salad.

Yield: 16 pieces from 2 rolls.

By Melissa Iwai, Cross-posted from The Hungry Artist

Join Greenpeace at the 99% Spring

mnicol — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:39:46 +0000

Next week, supporters like you will be meeting up in churches, neighbor’s homes and community centers to tell the story of the 99%, learn the history of non-violent direct action, and use that knowledge to take action on campaigns to fight corporate power.

Inspired by Occupy Wall Street and the fight for workers in Madison, Wisconsin, the 99% will rise up this spring. In the span of just one week, from April 9-15, 100,000 people will be trained to tell the story of the 99%, learn the history of non-violent direct action, and use that knowledge to take action on campaigns to win change. This is an amazing opportunity to meet your neighbors, hear what issues are important to them, and create a plan to work together to fight the root causes of environmental destruction.

Greenpeace has partnered with the 99% Spring to help build community among activists and build a stronger movement to fight for the issues of the 99%. I’ll be taking part April 9-15th, and I hope you will too.

Click here, enter your zipcode and register for a training near you.

For the 99%,
Mary

It’s Time to Think Outside the Can

Casson Trenor — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:26:08 +0000

Vegan "Tuna" Salad Sandwich!

When my partners and I set out to start a restaurant in San Francisco, we had a novel idea: to give people the opportunity to savor the beauty and delicacy of Japanese cuisine while at the same time protecting the fragile biodiversity of the world’s oceans. We immersed ourselves in the art of sustainable sushi, came up with a remarkable number of delectable alternatives environmentally dubious choices like bluefin tuna, eel, and hamachi — and in the process became a major cuisine destination for the Bay Area.

It is possible — in fact, it is imperative — to find ways to enjoy the foods we love without destroying the oceans. Unfortunately, this lesson is lost on some of the major seafood brands like Chicken of the Sea. These companies continue to employ destructive fishing practices such as fish aggregating devices (FADs) and conventional longlines, despite the overwhelming evidence that they are ripping up the oceans.

The saddest part of all of this is that these companies know better. We all know how unnecessary this kind of behaviour really is. The major tuna suppliers in the UK are doing just fine even though they have all committed to ending the use of FADs. Even Safeway, the conventional retail giant here in the US, has recently announced that its private label tuna will be FAD free in a matter of months.

Sustainable tuna is possible, but until companies like Chicken of the Sea change their ways , we have to think outside the can. And we need your help! So we’ve launched a recipe contest as a way to come up with alternatives to tuna classics. We’re working with food gurus from across the spectrum, such as Sarah Kramer (How It All Vegan), Jaden Hair (Steamy Kitchen), Jerry James Stone (TreeHugger), and Shaina Olmanson (Food for My Family) to identify innovative and delicious ways to enjoy sustainable and healthy meals.

We’ve seen great recipes submitted already–the photo above is for a delicious vegan “tuna” salad sandwich from Meals; For Moderns–but we need more!

Our oceans need people to take the challenge of a “FAD-free diet” until Chicken of the Sea changes. So if you have a great recipe for a Chickpea of the Sea mock tuna salad, a mackeral melt, or even a tempeh picatta, then submit your recipe here!

First prize winners will get a $250 Williams-Sonoma gift card, and second prize winners will get a $50 W-S card, and all the featured recipes will get the fame and recognition they’re (obviously) due.

By helping us Think Outside the Can, you’ll be telling Big Tuna that sustainability is possible, and that it’s past time for them to stop ripping up our oceans.

Greenpeace staff blocked from entering South Korea as Government cracks down on nuclear opposition

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:21:16 +0000

Greenpeace Press Release

Seoul, South Korea, 2 April, 2012: Three Greenpeace senior staff members accompanying the organisation’s International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo were today denied entry and deported from South Korea, highlighting the Government’s growing willingness to suppress voices speaking out against its nuclear energy expansion ambitions.

With the environmental organisation’s ship M/Y Esperanza due to tour South Korea in mid April to launch its local Energy [R]evolution and no-nuclear campaign (1), Naidoo and Greenpeace East Asia Executive Director Mario Damato were visiting the country to promote the launch. The two were also to meet with the Mayor of Seoul Park Woon Soon, the Mayor of Incheon Song Young Gil, local politicians, media, and other NGOs. However, Damato and two other staff were stopped at immigration, and will be deported at 8pm today despite Naidoo being granted entry.

“Yet again we see that democracy and nuclear power don’t mix. The nuclear industry cannot stand public scrutiny, and the people of South Korea should be asking themselves what do the industry and government have to hide? What conversation would my colleagues from Greenpeace start that is so challenging that they deserve to be banned from the country? Are they concerned about Greenpeace’s finding in Fukushima and Chernobyl? Or is it our critique of nuclear economics?” said Naidoo.

The deportation of Damato and two senior Greenpeace staff overseeing development of its Seoul office (2) is the latest in a string of moves by authorities to quash criticism of its nuclear expansion plans. The first occurred in August, 2011, when following a Greenpeace announcement that it would be opening an office in Seoul, the Government declared it would be spending an additional 10 billion won ($9 million US) promoting nuclear energy (3).

“Our deportation is a wakeup call for the people of South Korea of what they can expect if their country expands its already unhealthy reliance on nuclear power and allows this kind of crackdown to continue,” said Damato from the detention centre inside Seoul’s Incheon International Airport. “It is absolutely unacceptable for the authorities to shrink the democratic space and pressure legitimate voices of concern. We will resist any attempt to silence us.”

Greenpeace is demanding a meeting with the relevant government authorities regarding the deportation of its senior staff members.

“Japan is now suffering the huge economic, environmental and social costs of gambling with nuclear power. South Korea cannot afford to go down the same path,” said Naidoo. “Greenpeace urges the Korean government to listen to the lessons of Fukushima (4), and to invest in a truly clean, safe, and sustainable energy scenario as laid out in Greenpeace’s Energy Revolution.”

Notes:

1) The Energy Revolution is a science-based energy outlook that provides a detailed practical blueprint for cutting carbon emissions while achieving economic growth by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and energy efficiency. A special Energy [R]evolution report for Korea will be launched during the Korea “Hope Energy Ship Tour”.

For international version: http://www.energyblueprint.info

2) The three Greenpeace senior staff who were deported are:

i) Dr. Mario Damato, Malta/ EU passport holder, Executive Director of Greenpeace East Asia, Representative of Greenpeace in Korea.

i) Fung Ka Keung, British National (Overseas) passport holder, Organisation Support and Regional Development Director, Greenpeace East Asia.

ii) Rashid Kang, Malaysian passport holder, Organisational Development Manager for Greenpeace Seoul.

3) “The announcement that it would open its Korean office and anti-nuclear protests seemed enough to make the authorities here watchful of future Greenpeace actions. According to local news media, the Korea Nuclear Energy Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy will seek to set aside 10 billion won ($9.3 million) next year to beef up the publicity of nuclear energy safety.”

4) Lessons from Fukushima report including executive summary.

Captain’s Blog: The Warrior sets sails on the Amazon

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:40:51 +0000

Blogpost by Pete Willcox, Captain of the Rainbow Warrior

It’s 10.30 at night. I am fighting a cold, and feel like a hammered horseshoe. I look out from behind my curtain and say, “Give it a rest”. Angelo, our third mate quickly retreats. This is the Italian Stallion’s first trip with Greenpeace. He is too handsome for words, and his hard work and cheerful nature have won over every one of the crew. He has been part of the Italian action team for years and teaches climbing. There’s just one thing: he has never crewed on a sailboat before. And while he is a long way from being an experienced sailor he has figured out when to give me a shout.

I cannot lie in bed. Ten minutes later I take the two steps out of my cabin to the bridge. It is a black cloudy night. The radar screens and ECDIS (electronically chart display) light up the bridge too well. All you can see out of the window is your face looking back at you.

But I look at the wind instruments and sure enough the apparent wind (the true wind plus the boat’s speed and direction) is 50 degrees off the port bow. It is only blowing eight knots true. Normally this would hardly be enough to bother with but the apparent wind speed is 16 knots because of the four knot current behind us. I get a little excited and say lets set the jib and main staysail. We should set the fisherman and the main but we blew out the main last month and I am going to be conservative and take it easy. Age has its advantages.

We put on the spreader lights and set the sails. It takes about ten minutes. Then I go back into the bridge and feather the propeller. We turn off the white steaming lights indicating we are motoring and turn on the red over green, which means we are a sailing vessel. I am happy to see that we do this about ten minutes before a cruise ship floats by going up river.

It is black night. The only light is the glow of Santarem, about thirty miles downstream where we are going. And we are only making four knots through the water. But with the current we are making eight knots over the ground, which is enough to keep us on schedule. The only excitement comes from trying to stay off the riverbanks on the leeward side. I imagine calling up the office and asking them to hire a tugboat. We come up another ten degrees.

I am not relaxed. The pilot who had been happily dozing after dinner was woken by all the commotion and does not look like he is impressed but at least he is awake. We are a couple of cables from the banks (a cable is 200 meters). It’s okay. It only takes about 15 seconds to unfeather the propeller and engage the engine.

After half an hour I go and lie down. Dressed, ready to go.

After a couple more hours we need to come up. It’s now 1 AM and as we are about to move the clocks forward an hour we all have to get up in 3.5 hours to park the boat.

It’s been fun. Well, kind of. But none of us like motoring when we should be sailing.

Pete Willcox is the captain of the Rainbow Warrior, currently in Brazil sailing through the heart of the Amazon. He was was captain of the first Rainbow Warrior when it was bombed in 1985 by the French secret service.