By: Ria Rueda
“Bycatch” is a term for secondary fish caught on lines and nets set for big, commercial catch like snapper, grouper and shrimp. Oftentimes, volumes of fish go to waste, discarded by commercial fisherman because they can’t find buyers. Chef Happy Hatab in Atlanta takes a different view of bycatch: he purposefully selects these fish to diversify his menu. “After everyone picks off the typical commercial fish, you still have this incredible selection of other great fish leftover,” he says. “I think we need to use the full bounty of the sea and not be as wasteful.”
Chef Happy sources his fish from Halperns’ Purveyors of Steak & Seafood in Atlanta. This family-owned business has been operating since 1966 and has a modern take on selling fish to local restaurants. Chef Happy doesn’t go to their seafood market but rather selects his bycatch by reviewing pictures. Our Halperns sales rep, Edgewood Sullivan, texts chef photos and descriptions of the bycatch caught that week for chef’s consideration. If something is selected, Edgewood personally delivers the it to the restaurant. Bycatch species that have recently made it on the menu are squirrelfish, soapfish, lionsfish and angelfish.
Stay tuned to see what Chef Happy serves up for fish on his menu in the future. For now, check out these photos that illustrate this fish tale.
Left to right: Creole Fish, Jolthead Pony, Soapfish, Squirrelfish
Left to Right: Lionfish, one of Chef’s finished dishes, fish from the market.
