Fish eater v. meat eaters

Fresh organic beef from Australia at ShopRite in Rochelle Park.

Organic beef is on sale through Saturday for $5.99 a pound to $17.99 a pound.

Even though I'm the one who brings home the bacon -- and filet mignon, ground beef and lamb chops -- I eat only seafood. 

I can't think of a better or healthier meal than whole fish, jumbo shrimp or pasta with sardines, and all the other permutations of a seafood-based diet.

Fresh wild Pacific cod coated with bread crumbs and chili spices. Side dishes are boiled and mashed sweet potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil, and sauteed Brussels sprouts.

Dried and salted cod sauteed with cabbage, and served with fried breadfruit.

But when it comes to preparing meals at home, we co-exist nicely.

This week, I picked up fresh organic ground beef and London broil for the three meat eaters in the family ($5.99 a pound and $6.99 a pound).

Clayton's Organic Beef from Australia was introduced this week at ShopRite supermarkets.

My wife made three hamburgers from a 1-pound package of 85% lean ground beef, and she said everyone loved them.

I had leftover Pacific cod with bread crumbs and chili spices.

Fresh or dried and salted cod are two of my favorites. 

When boiled to eliminate some of the sodium and then cooked, the fish breaks apart in big, meaty flakes.

Atlantic cod is the fish that fed America for centuries before it was almost wiped out.

The fresh wild cod sold at Costco Wholesale is labeled "Pacific True Cod," and the salted cod or salt fish we've been buying lately is from Canada. 

At Corrado's, I found salted-cod packages underneath the pollock, left.

Prices for baccala are listed, but not for sea salt, a common problem at Corrado's.

We tried Alaskan salted pollock for about a year before my wife said she wanted to return to using salted cod, which is more expensive.

Corrado's in Clifton sells a 1-pound package of Canadian salted cod for $6.99, the lowest price I've found in North Jersey. Fairway Market in Paramus charges $8.99.

Today, at Corrado's, I was able to find only six packages of Atlantic Pearl salted cod, which we freeze (1578 Main Ave., Clifton; 973-340-0628).

Then, I drove a short distance and picked up 2 dozen cans of Moroccan sardines for 99 cents each at Fattal's Bakery in Paterson (975-77 Main St.; 973-742-7125).

Ackee and salt fish with organic brown rice was made in an electric cooker.

On Wednesday night, my wife used an electric cooker to prepare an unsual version of the Jamaican national dish -- ackee and salt fish -- with organic brown rice. 

Salted cod also can be boiled, flaked and used in pasta sauce, much as we do with drained cans of sardines.