They’re called trash fish— the bycatch fishermen catch when angling for something whose name sells. Part of the reason fishermen catch so many of them and discard them is that they grow quickly and reproduce in great quantities. Which is another way of saying… they’re sustainable and can’t be easily overfished. Paul Fehribach of Big Jones is joining with Chefs Collaborative, Fortune Fish and Gourmet and nine other chefs to put on a dinner showing how these trash fish— from smelt to dogfish to speckled trout— can be used in a sustainable, tasty meal.
The other chefs include Paul Kahan (Blackbird), Erling Wu-Bower (Avec), Bruce Sherman (North Pond), Paul Virant (Perennial Virant), Mike and Pat Sheerin (The Trenchermen), Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris (Prairie Grass Cafe) and Laura Piper (Trattoria No. 10); the evening starts with cocktails at 6 p.m. and an eight-course, family-style dinner at 7 p.m. It’s $125 including tax and gratuity, with a portion benefiting Chefs Collaborative; go here for tickets.
