Canadian ViewersMonterey Bay Aquarium, Rick Moonen Support U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish:
Food Network Celebrity Alton Brown is Special Guest
MONTEREY, Calif. -- Popular chef Rick Moonen knows a good thing when he sees it, especially when it's good for the planet and the palate. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium's annual Cooking for Solutions Moonen, executive chef of rm seafood at the Mandalay Bay Resorts in Las Vegas, featured his Thai-Style Catfish Lettuce Wraps recipe. More than 8,000 people, including top chefs and consumers concerned with sustainable seafood choices, attended the event.
Chef Moonen recently touted the benefits of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where he prepared his now-famous Catfish Sloppy Joes recipe. Esquire magazine also highlighted Moonen's sandwich in its March 2008 feature The Esquire Encyclopedia of Sandwiches.
At Cooking for Solutions, he explained the versatility of the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish.
"I came up with a sloppy joe idea one day after I tasted catfish. It's not the kind of fish that pulls apart. It stays nice and meaty and firm," Moonen said.
"U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish has been featured at the Aquarium's Cooking for Solutions event for several years," said Moonen. "It's listed on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch list as a 'Best Choice,' so it's not only great tasting, but also a great sustainable choice for chefs to utilize."
Moonen said he came to know and appreciate not only the versatility and mild flavor of the fish, but also the sustainable farming practices the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry utilizes through its relationship with Monterey Bay Aquarium. Moonen was also a speaker at the aquarium's Cooking for Solutions.
The Catfish Institute has served as a sponsor of the event for the past two years as a way of educating consumers about the earth-friendly aspects of its domestic catfish product.
This year's event featured Alton Brown, star of Food Network's Good Eats and host of the network's Iron Chef America series. Activities included forums on sustainability, celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, as well as samplings of deliciously prepared sustainable foods.
"We are very pleased that Chef Moonen understands the benefits and value of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish," said Roger Barlow, president of The Catfish Institute. "Combine this event with his exposure in Esquire and on Oprah, and Chef Moonen has easily convinced thousands – if not millions – of people that U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish is truly a great choice for healthy, earth-friendly seafood. I believe our sponsorship of the Cooking for Solutions event will continue to enlighten the nation's chefs to the benefits of our product."
The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans. For more information about the aquarium and its programs, visit www.montereybayaqarium.org.
View two Chef Moonen's featured recipes here:
Rick Moonen's Thai-Style U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Lettuce Wraps
Rick Moonen's U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Sloppy Joes
U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Sloppy Joes and footage can be viewed on Oprah's website, www.Oprah.com.
The Catfish Institute was founded in 1986 by catfish feed mills and their producer members with the goal of raising consumer awareness about the benefits of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish.
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