CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As part of a strategy to protect Great Lakes fish by reducing the commercial fishing industry’s environmental impact, culinary students at Kendall College were challenged in a cook-off on Monday to come up with some creative ways to use all of the fish.
“We’re using a little bit of the belly, a little bit of the head and some parts of the tail, specifically for broth,” said program director Chef Wook Kang.
Using Walleye, Kang said the cook-off challenge recipes included croquettes, fish cakes, a rice pilaf and coconut curry.
The head-to-tail cook-off, organized by Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers (GSGP), banned the use of filets — typically the only part of the fish eaten by Americans. Instead, chefs were encouraged to use the other 60% of the fish, which historically has gone to waste.
Monday’s event was the latest effort in a push toward utilizing 100% of the fish caught in the Great Lakes. The so-called “100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge” has been 40 years in the making, with fish industry CEOs partnering with governors and premiers that already represent a $6 trillion economy if one includes Ontario and Quebec.
GSGP Executive Director David Naftzger said the current “wheel of production” often has wasted fish parts ending up in landfills or for use in animal feed.
“The future that we hope for is each fish being used for all of these purposes: nutritional supplements, different types of food products, fish leather, cosmetics, beverages [and] roe that can be used in a variety of ways,” he said.
A fish caught today might produce only a $12 filet, but with 21 companies making the 100% pledge by 2025, Naftzger said that same fish could lead to significantly more profit.
“One fish’s raw material can create $5,000 worth of value,” he said. “Real excited about the potential here.”
Naftzger seemed confident that it could become reality.
“I’m wearing a fish leather belt today,” he said. “It’s made with walleye, white fish and lake trout. Really nice looking, very durable. I also have a fish leather business card holder.”
More profit, he said, could lead to an economic boom for the actual commercial fisherman working on the Great Lakes.
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