Have you noticed how fish collars are working their way onto local restaurant menus? Asian cooks have long featured fish scraps and, with with the snout-to-tail phenomena working its way through the species, we’re beginning to see new offerings.
But what exactly are fish collars? Well, when fillets are cut, you’re left with tail and the skeleton holding up bits of fatty meat. These trickier parts of the fish are cheaper than the highly coveted fillets, but they usually wind up on cutting room floors.
So, my suggestion is this: Strike up a conversation with market fishermen and -women to see if they’d consider bringing the collars into commerce. Parts of the fish usually never make it to market, but we as consumers can begin to squeeze more out of each catch.
For the WWNO Farmers Market Minute, this is Richard McCarthy.
