The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global not-for-profit dedicated to sustainable seafood, has unveiled its Ocean Cookbook 2025. This free digital cookbook brings together chefs from around the world to showcase healthy, delicious, and sustainable seafood recipes that tell the story of ocean-friendly eating.
On home shores, South Africa’s very own Chef Naledi Toona returns as the MSC’s campaign ambassador for the third consecutive year. The local edition of the cookbook spotlights whitefish, including hake, haddock, and cape whiting, all of which are readily available in South African supermarkets and sourced from the MSC-certified hake trawl fishery. Notably, South Africa’s hake trawl fishery became the first in the world to meet the MSC’s gold standard for fisheries sustainability back in 2004.
With its theme, “Good for You and the Ocean Too”, the cookbook anchors the MSC’s annual awareness campaign at the start of the year, when many embrace healthier, more eco-conscious eating habits. The Ocean Cookbook 2025 demonstrates how easy it is to create affordable, nutritious, and sustainable seafood dishes at home.
“The ocean is vital to life on Earth. It feeds billions, supports the livelihoods of millions, regulates our climate, provides oxygen, and harbors extraordinary biodiversity. By making small, everyday choices—like purchasing seafood with the blue MSC label—we can help protect our ocean for the future,” says Louanne Mostert, MSC’s Marketing and Communications Manager.
This year’s recipe collection includes grilled fish kebabs and a mouthwatering fish burger from Swedish chefs Malin Nordblom and Stina Algulin, a hearty fish potpie by Polish chef Madame Edith, and a healthy twist on classic fish and chips from Finnish chef Kati Pohjanmaa. Chef Naledi also shares her popular recipes for light hake tacos and fragrant coconut hake, perfect for quick suppers or school lunchboxes.
“Cooking is my love language, and hake is such a versatile, sustainable, and quick-to-cook ingredient. My whole family enjoys whitefish dishes, and I’m proud to present the MSC’s Ocean Cookbook for a third year. It’s a project close to my heart, filled with simple, wholesome recipes for everyone,” she says.
Adding visual flair, the cookbook features stunning photography by renowned food photographer David Loftus, best known for his work with Jamie Oliver. A passionate advocate for sustainable fishing, Loftus emphasizes, “This is about more than food—it’s about the future of our ocean. We need to act now, or we’re in deep water.”
The Ocean Cookbook 2025 is available as a free download on the MSC website: www.msc.org/sa-ocean-cookbook-2025, and is currently featured in leading food magazines nationwide.
