They say eating fish can make us smarter. But how smart is it to eat a lot of PCB- or mercury-laden fish?

Which one is organic -- wild caught salmon that has spent its life swimming freely in pristine Alaskan waters or farm-raised salmon that has spent its life swimming in a net? The answer may surprise you — even if it doesn't make much sense.

Ever wonder what your favorite Japanese restaurant does to make its chicken Katsu so crisp, or to add that little bit of crunch to spicy tuna sushi rolls? If you peeked into the kitchen, chances are you'd see a bag of panko breadcrumbs.

Panko breadcrumbs are as different from regular breadcrumbs as snowflakes are from sand. Made of specially baked wheat bread that's been crumbled into big flakes and then toasted, they are and have a lighter texture than your typical can of Progresso Bread Crumbs. When used in fried or baked foods, they are crisp and light, reminiscent of another Japanese favorite, tempura.

Make your next trip to the grocery store a fishing expedition. Resolve to eat less red meat this year and switch to seafood instead; excess meat consumption contributes to heart disease, while omega 3-rich fish can actually reduce the risk.

Think it's just an old fishwive's tale that fish is brain food? Recent studies have concluded that regular consumption of fish makes our brains function better. Except, of course, if you're eating too much mercury-laced tuna, which could impair your mental functioning.

I think of myself as half-Jewish even though I’m not, technically; my father’s parents were Jewish before they converted to Christian Science (don’t get me started) but according to Jewish tradition, unless your mother’s side of the family is Jewish, you’ve got no Jew in you at all. Not even a schmear.

President Bush has selected his nominee to head the Department of Interior, which manages about one-fifth of all the land in the United States and determines which portions of it should be available for resource extraction. As promised, he “looked to the West” and plucked Republican governor of Idaho and former Senator Dirk Kempthorne. The nominee is somewhat less controversial than others who were in the running for this position, and widely expected to be swiftly confirmed. But greens are hardly jumping for joy: Kempthorne is also widely expected to stay the course of the agency's industry-friendly policies under Bush.

I was lucky enough to marry a man who loves to make sushi, so I really shouldn’t complain about the fact that he inevitably buys too much fish.

Still, I’m the one who has to figure out what to do with day-old sushi grade tuna and salmon (I know, I know, life is hard.) So what can you do with six ounces of odd-sized chunks of fish?

My favorite solution is to make Bobby Flay’s fish tacos. The recipe calls for white fish, but I’ve used tuna, salmon, shrimp and even squid with consistently delicious results. And I use corn tortillas rather than flour; Whole Foods corn tortillas have a particularly pleasing corn-gritty quality. If you want to give your tacos a multiethnic twist, try napa cabbage or baby bok choy instead of the standard shredded white cabbage.

It’s a great way to salvage the sushi surplus.