| By Brian Kahn and Kate Krader Seattle restaurant The Walrus and the Carpenter is known for its fresh oysters that showcase the terroir — or more accurately, merroir — of the waters in which they were raised. But starting in August, the restaurant will be serving fish that doesn’t have a merroir at all because it’s been grown from cells in a lab. The Walrus and the Carpenter will be the third restaurant in the world to serve startup Wildtype’s lab-grown salmon. Renee Erickson, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind the restaurant, first came across lab-raised fish a few years ago. Her first reaction, which she shared at Bloomberg Green Seattle this week: “Most people’s perception of it is weird, and it is weird.”  Wildtype’s salmon served on a bagel. Photo courtesy of Wildtype Wildtype takes cells from Pacific salmon that are then grown in tanks that look akin to those used to brew beer. The company adds a mix of nutrients similar to what wild fish eat. The cells are harvested and then mixed with other ingredients to make filets that look just like salmon. The company received US Food and Drug Administration clearance in June, making it the first lab-raised seafood to be deemed safe for public consumption. The cultivated salmon is designed to be served raw, cured or smoked. Two places are already serving it. Kann, which specializes in Haitian food in Portland, Oregon, plates it with grilled watermelon and pickled strawberries. Meanwhile, OTOKO in Austin serves it as part of a Japanese omakase. Erickson is currently planning to serve the fish in a leche de tigre, a marinade used in South American ceviche. Farm-raised salmon is a multi-billion-dollar business, but it takes a heavy toll on the environment. Salmon are fed fish meal, which leads to overfishing of smaller species. Fish can also escape farms, spreading diseases to wild populations. Wild salmon, meanwhile, are under threat from issues including unsustainable catches and rising ocean and river temperatures. Lab-raised fish sidestep these issues, though cultivating cells is an energy-intensive process. Some research into other types of cultivated meat has found emissions could be higher than farm-raised counterparts, though it remains a burgeoning area of research. Wildtype’s fish has a lower carbon impact than farm-raised and wild-caught fish, according to an analysis the company shared with Bloomberg Green, though co-founders Arye Elfenbein and Justin Kolbeck stressed it’s a best guess based on limited scale and the company would revisit the analysis as it grows. Lab-grown meat has faced opposition. Seven states have banned the sale of it and a dozen more are considering bans, according to an analysis compiled by BloombergNEF. That includes a ban in Texas, where OTOKO is based, that goes into effect in September. The company will pull its fish from the menu to comply, though “we did not intend this to be a limited-time offer,” said Kolbeck, who is also chief executive officer. Wildtype currently has the capacity to supply 50 restaurants “if we’re super efficient,” and will soon announce two more venues adding its salmon to the menu in San Francisco and Washington, DC. The fish also remains expensive. Erickson said Wildtype’s salmon currently runs about $190 per pound. That makes it anywhere from four to six times more expensive than sushi-grade salmon. Other lab-grown meats have failed to take off. Good Meat and Upside Foods have received FDA approval for their chicken, but aren’t permanently on the menu anywhere. Erickson said she hopes that lab-grown fish can become more widespread. “If you get a sushi bowl or poke bowl, most people don’t know or care where that fish comes from at all, and you probably don’t want to know,” she said. “Replacing some of that with something not causing damage like I’ve seen here in the Northwest — that would be amazing.” | 
