Watch what you eat, it might not be what you think it is.

[jigfreak]

Watch what you eat, it might not be what you think it is.


Restaurants Accused Of Mislabeling Cheaper Ingredients As Pricier Fish

MIAMI -- The Miami Police Cafeteria is one of several South Florida restaurants cited for allegedly misrepresenting what they serve to the public.

The operators of the cafeteria on the third floor of the police department were fined $750 by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. An inspector noted the cafeteria serving a cheaper and lower quality fish called basa and passing it off as grouper.


From July to September 2008, 52 restaurants statewide, most here in South Florida, have been cited for misrepresentation.

Was it a mistake or bait and switch? The price differences are drastic.

At Sushi Thai in Deerfield Beach, a restaurant worker admitted to a state inspector that they were using tilapia and passing it off as red snapper because, "They are the same kind of fish," Local 10's Jeff Weinsier reported.


Mike Montella of Mr. Fish gourmet seafood in Pompano Beach said that is not true.


"It doesn’t taste nearly as good as snapper, and I’m surprised any restaurant would do that knowingly," Montella said.

At the Delaware Chicken Farm and Seafood Market, grouper is $12.95 per pound. At Mr. Fish, red snapper is $17.95 per pound.

Tilapia, basa and Asian catfish, which also is used as a substitute, are between $2 and $5 a pound.


Mislabeling seafood is against the law, and the state recently doubled the fines. In some cases, the cheaper basa are raised in the polluted waters of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia.

Experts told Local 10 that in most cases, cooked fish looks the same, making it difficult for you to really know what’s actually on your plate.


Click here for a list of restaurants that have been cited recently.

[rockhopper]

Ha ha when I saw the title I thought you might be talking about a chick. If it smells like fish, it's delish, smells like cologne leave it alone.

[williehookem]

^ I thought the same thing. False advertising!

[CharlieTuna]

Good story, I chuckled when I read this. Many years ago we were visiting friends in Sandusky Ohio. We fished Lake Erie for bass. I caught a 25lb carp on a worm. It was so unusual, the biggest carp I ever caught in my life, it caught me completely by surprise. I was so excited I almost lost it on the way in, what a fight!

We brought it back to the dock to take pictures. A gentleman came up to me and was very interested in that carp. He told us he would trade us a deluxe steak dinner in his restaurant for that carp. I agreed and we had a great dinner on him. Later I asked him what he would do with the carp. He had a few drinks in him, and told me they sold it to the unsuspecting public as swordfish. I would never have guessed that in a million years.