On a recent trip to the fish counter at Price Chopper, I noticed that corvina, a fish that I knew nothing about, was on sale.

Food is an adventure, and I like to try new things. I often pick the most complicated dish on a restaurant menu just to challenge the chef, which doesn't always work out in my favor. Sometimes it does, so I keep trying it.

However, fish is another matter. I'm a little squeamish about seafood's freshness to begin with, and in the last few years, I started feeling guilty about buying any wild fish without knowing its history -- it's country of origin; whether it could be contaminated; how it was caught and how sustainable the supplies are. Buying farm-raised fish can be even more complicated and frustrating.

It was late in the day when I was in the store, and the guy working the fish counter didn't know much about corvina other than to say that customers thought it was good. A sign above the counter said that it was of East Coast origin and caught by Americans. I felt lucky and bought the fish.

That night, I dipped the thick corvina fillets in egg and rolled them in panko breadcrumbs seasoned with garlic and fresh herbs and put them in a 375-degree oven. In about 15 minutes, the fish had browned nicely and looked delicious, but after another 5 minutes it was still barely done.

The fish had a wonderful flavor, but the texture was a bit tough, and although I'd kept it in the oven for 10 minutes longer than I had anticipated, it seemed that it could have done with a tad more cooking. I had the feeling that if I'd known more about the fish and had prepared it a few more times, it could have been better, perhaps even excellent.

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After a little research, I found out that corvina is a fish of many names in the drum or weakfish family; it is also called sea trout, spotted sea trout or gray trout, although it's not related to the trout family. It's also called white bass (no relation to bass family), black and red drum and croaker. And in Southern New England, it goes by the name squeteague.

Weakfish gets its name from the weak tissue around its mouth, which is easily torn and won't hold a hook. The species was a mainstay catch for Atlantic fishermen from the early 1800s until its stocks declined dramatically. (The harvest went from 113.1 million pounds in 1982 to 1.1 million pounds in 2008.) Although fishing management and better technology since the early 1990s have helped keep weakfish from being overfished, the species is still declining because of natural causes, says the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which coordinates conservation and management for the fisheries along the East Coast from Maine to Florida. Weakfish stocks are considered depleted, the commission says in a 2009 report.

However, other conservation groups, such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, say certain weakfish are plentiful -- for example, croaker, those fish that make croaking noises as you take them off the hook and flop around in the bottom of your cooler. Seafood Watch rates Atlantic croaker as a “Best Choice” on its sustainability chart.

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So, by eating the corvina, was I hastening the demise of a species headed rapidly for extinction? Or was it a terrifically sustainable choice?

Albridge Davis, who works in the seafood department at Price-Chopper and tries to keep up with the latest information about the seafood the store purchases, says the corvina is OK.

“It's a golden corvina, a cold-water fish from the western Atlantic. It has a flavor like a sea bass. We avoid fish that aren't sustainable. Even the Chilean sea bass we buy comes from a sustainable fishery in New Zealand,” Davis said.

(Chilean sea bass is another customer-confusing fish. Conservationist groups are split about its sustainability. Some say to avoid it completely, and others say it's OK to buy it if it has been harvested properly from New Zealand and other places where the fish are plentiful.)

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For customers who care about eating sustainable and healthy fish, making a purchase can be confusing, so four or five years ago, the Co-op Food Stores decided to make it easier, said Paul Hoffman, assistant director of merchandising.

“We had a lot of members who were interested in how the fish were caught, whether they were overfished, and mercury contamination. At first, we tried to find out the information and manage it on our own, but we couldn't keep up with it. The information changes all the time,” Hoffman said.

The Co-op turned to the FishWise program, a customer-friendly labeling system that was developed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Environmental Defense. The Co-op was the second retailer on the East Coast to be part of the program, Hoffman said. The other retailers in the East are in Maryland and Tennessee.

The Hanover, Lebanon and White River Junction stores use the labeling system, which costs about $150 per store every month, Hoffman said. At the heart of the FishWise program is consumer information on three color-coded labels -- green, yellow and red.

* Green indicates seafood that is a “best choice” with abundant, well-managed stocks that are caught or farmed in an environmentally friendly way.

* Yellow labels indicate fish with known concerns, but still considered “good alternatives.”

* Red labeled products are to be avoided “for now.” They are overfished or caught or farmed in ways that harm the environment or marine life.

An example of how confusing buying fish can be for both customers and retailers is swordfish, Hoffman said. Swordfish from Canada or the U.S. that is harpooned or caught on a handline gets a green label. Swordfish caught in the U.S., using other fishing methods gets a yellow label and imported swordfish gets a red label and should be avoided. “We only buy swordfish that has been harpooned in Canada or the United States,” he said.

“Some markets on the West Coast carry only green items, but they have more items available than we do. They have a lot of well-managed fisheries. Because of what our customers want, we feel that we have to carry both yellow and red items,” Hoffman said.

In addition to using the labels, the Co-op also gets to know its suppliers and buys from those who use more sustainable fishing methods.

Even with the labeling system, the situation can be confusing for retailers. FishWise revises its lists quarterly and keeps up with changes monthly, Hoffman said. “It's hard for us to keep up with it. Without FishWise, we couldn't do it.”

Even though the Co-op sells red-label items that are often less expensive because of how they were caught, it is hoped that customers will gain from the information and make wiser choices, said Jeff Lister, who manages the seafood counter at the Hanover store. “All we can try to do is educate our customers and let them make the choices. If the customers stop buying from the red label list, then we'll stop selling it, and that would be nice,” Lister said.

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However, one flaw in the FishWise system is that it doesn't cover everything, for instance, corvina doesn't make the list. So even if there had been labels at Price-Chopper, they wouldn't have helped. Although Price-Chopper, Shaw’s and Blood’s Seafood do not use the FishWise program, they do have knowledgeable people behind the counters who can be helpful. The best bet is to buy fish during the day when the people who know more about the fish are usually on duty. And Price-Chopper's Davis says he’d like to see some sort of labeling program at the store in the future.

In the meantime, I think I'll look for such alternatives to golden corvina as black sea bass, Pacific halibut, hook-and-line-caught haddock or Alaskan wild pollock. All those fish and others are listed on a printable pocket card that is available at “Seafood Watch” at montereybayaquarium.org.

For getting the cooking time right, Davis had a good tip.

“I always tell customers to use a meat thermometer. When the interior temperature of the fish reaches 140 degrees it will be a tad underdone, and at 145 degrees, it's perfect.”

Here are three recipes from well-known chefs Alton Brown, Suzanne Goin and Rick Bayless using sustainable seafood that is recommended by the Monterey Bay Aquarium:

“I love this recipe,” says Alton Brown, “because it's simple, attractive on the plate -- and, well, it tastes like wild salmon. Sweet, melony, briny, with hints of cucumber and citrus. This procedure was devised specifically for sockeye, and the specific textures and flavors that fine fish delivers.”

Wild-caught sockeye salmon from Alaska is on the Seafood Watch green “Best Choices” list. Serves four to six.

1 side of skin-on sockeye salmon, 1 ¹⁄₂ to 2 pounds, pin bones removed

¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Position a rack in the oven 3 inches from the broiler. Line a small sheet pan with aluminum foil and place the salmon on the pan.

Place the sugar, zest, salt and pepper into the bowl of a small food processor and process for 1 minute or until well combined. Evenly spread the mixture onto the salmon and allow it to sit for 45 minutes at room temperature.

Turn the oven to the high broiler setting for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, place the salmon in the oven and broil for 6 to 8 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish reaches an internal temperature of 131 degrees. Remove the salmon from the oven and allow to rest, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe is “a nice combination of flavors and textures,” says chef Rick Bayless. “You've got the meatiness of the chorizo with all its spices and tang, and then the richness of the scallops and creaminess of the potatoes.

“I don't like scallops that are very cooked,” he adds, “so I get the skillet really hot and sear them on the outside and still leave them slightly translucent on the inside -- that's where I think they shine texturally and flavor-wise.”

Wild-caught sea scallops from the U.S. Atlantic are on the Seafood Watch yellow “Good Alternatives” list. Serves six to eight as a soft taco filling or tapas.

1 pound red-skinned boiling potatoes (about 4 medium), cut into ½-inch pieces

Corn tortillas (optional)

For the potatoes: Half fill a 4-quart saucepan with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to boil. Add potatoes and simmer over medium heat until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain.

For the scallops: Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Heat a 12-inch skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. For best results, choose a skillet or griddle that is heavy and nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron.

Add oil and, when quite hot, add scallops in an uncrowded layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear, turning occasionally, until golden, about 2 minutes total. With high heat, the scallops will sear without overcooking. Scoop onto a wide plate.

To finish and serve: Place chorizo and green onions in skillet. Cook over medium heat, breaking up any clumps of chorizo, just until sausage has rendered its fat, 6--7 minutes.

Add drained potatoes and continue cooking, occasionally scraping up any sticky bits, until potatoes begin to look crusty-brown, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the scallops into pieces that resemble the diced potatoes.

When the potatoes are browned, add scallops. Mix everything together as the scallops heat for a minute or so.

Scoop the mixture into a serving bowl and set before guests. For tacos, serve with corn tortillas.

This vibrantly colored, full-flavored dish comes from Suzanne Goin's award-winning cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table. “Serve the spot prawns with salt and lemon and a big hunk of crusty bread,” she advises. “This is a messy feast, so choose guests who will enjoy participating in a primal feeding frenzy.” If you can't find spot prawns, use any sustainable fresh prawns or large shrimp sold in their shells.

Spot prawns from British Columbia are on the Seafood Watch green “Best Choices” list. Their populations are healthy and abundant.

Serves six

24 large prawns* (about 4 ½ pounds)

1 lemon, for juicing

Use kitchen scissors to cut the shells of the spot prawns down their backs, from the base of their heads to the tips of their tails. (Don't remove the shells.) If the prawns are wet, dry them with paper towels.

Heat two heavy-bottomed saute pans over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. (You will need to cook the prawns in batches to avoid overcrowding them.) Swirl 2 tablespoons of olive oil into each pan, and carefully place the prawns in the pans, on their sides.

Season each batch of prawns with ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt and some pepper. Pour another 2 tablespoons of oil into each pan, and cook about 5 minutes, until the shells get some color and the flesh begins to turn opaque on the first side.

Turn the prawns over, drizzle another 2 tablespoons of oil into each pan, and season the second side of each batch with ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook another 3 minutes or so, until the prawns are just cooked. (You can peek inside the cut shell to see that the flesh is completely opaque.)

Remove the prawns to a platter and turn the heat under both pans down to medium-low. Divide the shallots, thyme, and sliced chilies between the two pans. Season each pan with ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt and some pepper.

Cook 2 minutes, until the shallots are translucent, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the flavorful bits of shrimp. Divide the garlic between the pans and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the shallots and garlic are soft and just starting to color.

Turn the heat back up to high and add half the cherry tomatoes, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper to each pan. Taste for seasoning and cook a minute, stirring often.

Add half the prawns, sliced parsley, oregano and the two basils to each pan and roll the prawns in the cherry tomatoes to coat well. This final step really helps coat the prawns in the cherry tomato sauce.

Spoon the hot yellow tomato confit onto a large warm platter.

Arrange the prawns on the platter and squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice over them. Spoon the remaining cherry tomato sauce over the top. Serve with lots of crusty bread for sopping up the sauce and juices.

Notes: The spot prawns should be cleaned right before they're cooked.

When eating, get in there and eat with your hands--peel open those shrimps and suck on them! The prawns would also be great with steamed rice or over pasta.

* Other sustainable shrimp or prawns can be substituted.

Contact Warren Johnston at wjohnston@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.