The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the ocean not-for-profit responsible for the world’s leading sustainable seafood ecolabel, has launched its Ocean Cookbook 2025. The free digital cookbook brings together chefs from all over the world to create a collection of healthy, delicious everyday recipes that tell a sustainability story about the seafood we all love.
On local soil (or water?), our very own Chef Naledi Toona has happily stepped into her role as MSC’s campaign ambassador for a third year in a row. The South African rendition of the cookbook features whitefish – that is hake, haddock and cape whiting as locally available whitefish alternatives found in South African supermarkets and sourced from the MSC certified hake trawl fishery.
The South African hake trawl fishery has been certified to the MSC’s Fisheries Standard since 2004 and was the first hake fishery in the world to meet this gold standard for fisheries sustainability.
With theme, ‘Good for You and the Ocean too’, the cookbook is the centerpiece of the MSC’s main awareness campaign at the start of the year, traditionally a time for healthy and more environmentally conscious eating. The Ocean Cookbook also highlights how easy it is to cook nutritious, sustainable and affordable seafood at home.
“The ocean is vital to human life on our planet. It feeds billions and supports the livelihoods of millions more. We rely on it for our oxygen intake, climate regulation, and it is home to such wonderful biodiversity. Through simple, everyday choices each of us can help protect the ocean into the future. One such small act is to support sustainable fishing practices by choosing products carrying the blue MSC label when shopping for seafood,” says Louanne Mostert, Marketing and Communications Manager for MSC.
Included in the choice of recipes are grilled fish kebabs and a mouthwatering fish burger by Swedes, Malin Nordblom and Stina Algulin; a fish potpie to feed the family by Polish chef, Madame Edith; a healthy spin on classic fish and chips by Kati Pohjanmaa, a Finish chef; and Chef Naledi’s popular and light hake tacos and coconut hake dishes.
“Cooking has always been an act of love for me and hake is such a versatile, sustainable and quick-to-cook ingredient. My entire family enjoys eating whitefish. I am proud to present the MSC’s Ocean Cookbook for a third year in a row. It conveys a message I resonate with and features recipes ideal as simple suppers, for school lunchboxes and more,” she adds.
To help raise the profile, the cookbook includes stunning photography from internationally renowned food photographer, David Loftus, who has worked with Jamie Oliver throughout his career. David Loftus is a great believer in sustainable fishing. “This goes way beyond food. It’s about the future of our Ocean. We need to step up to the plate right now… or we’re in deep water.”
Naledi Toona’s Spiced hake tacos recipe:
“Cooking has always been an act of love for me and hake is such a versatile, sustainable and quick to cook ingredient.”
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
- 3 pieces of MSC Certified hake medallions or fillets (or whitefish alternative like haddock or cod)
- 1 cup of flour (or whole-wheat or oat flour)
- 1 tablespoon of fish spice
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- Half teaspoon of turmeric
- Olive oil for cooking to taste
- 6-8 readymade mini whole-wheat (or corn) tortillas (or suitable alternative)
- 1 pack of readymade slaw mix (roughly 3650 gr – 2.5 cups) or you can make your own slaw using:
– 1 cup of green cabbage, thinly sliced
– 1 cup of purple cabbage, thinly sliced
– Half a cup of carrots, shredded
- Optional: Handful of coriander and/or baby spinach leaves
- For the sauce use:
– 1 cup of reduced oil mayonnaise or cream cheese
– 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
– 3 sprigs garlic chives or spring onions
Method:
- Prepare the fish: Cut hake medallions into bite-sized pieces.
- Season and coat: In a bowl, mix flour with fish spice, turmeric, and paprika. Toss the hake pieces in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
- Cook the fish: Heat a little oil in a wide pan. Add the hake pieces, cooking for about 5 minutes, turning halfway until golden. Drain on paper towels.
- Make the slaw: Finely shred cabbage using a mandoline, food processor, or make thin slices with a knife. Grate the carrots on the larger side of a box grater. You can also save time using a pre-made slaw and if you have leftovers, you can use it for a side dish or as a topping on another meal, reducing food waste.
- Mix the dressing: In a bowl, whisk mayo, soy sauce, and sprigs. Add the slaw mix to the dressing and stir to combine.
- Present it: Place the mini tortillas on a board. Spread the slaw mix on each, topping with a few hake pieces. Fold in half. Before serving, you can toast the tortilla on a hot dry pan to give it more crunch.
Chef top tip: This taco recipe is versatile. The tortillas can be substituted for a spinach or beetroot base tortilla. For a twist packed with health benefits, add sliced avocado and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
When shopping for your ingredients, look for seafood with the MSC blue label, to ensure you are helping to protect the ocean environment for future generations.
The Ocean Cookbook 2025 is available as a free, digital cookbook on the MSC’s website:
https://www.msc.org/sa-ocean-cookbook-2025 and is featured in most food magazines now
on sale in-store.
