I think anyone who has had a great fish taco, and the decadent Baja fish taco in particular, has fallen in love with the complex interchange of simple flavours, crunchy textures, the dialogue of sweet and tangy, and the pure comfort of food that pleases the soul. Recreating it home without pulling out the deep-fryer, though, is a…
Scallops with Sorrel-Butter with Sweet Pea and Pancetta Dust
Life is filled not only with sweetness, but the tartness of it can also surprise … and reward. The Back Story: I know my most recent CSA Mystery was a tough one and even you had a chance to see the plant growing, I’m sure it didn’t make it any easier to identify. If you…
Salmon with Whisky Cherry Glaze
One of my very favourite ways to create recipes is while I’m shopping and as I take inspiration from the fresh, seasonal ingredients around me. Last weekend, I had already picked up four beautiful salmon steaks but I was stuck with what create. This time last year I was in a similar place and opted…
Maple-Teriyaki Pacific Salmon
If there has been one unifying ingredient as part of the Canadian Food Experience Project, it has been maple. This is not surprising given the prominence of this ingredient in our airport gift shops and the fact the leaf is emblazoned on our flag. It’s also not surprising, then, that it has shown up in…
Thai Green Curry Chicken with Coconut Shrimp
Sensuous and aromatic …. Aromatically sensuous. If you have ever questioned or just not understood the importance of aroma in food, this dish will be your moment of epiphany. If you ever wondered why some people react to smells and tastes as if someone was whispering wanton words in their ear, you’ll understand when you…
Salmon Steaks with Lemon and Dill
Fish tales beget fish recipes. I’m sure that is written somewhere profound. In preparing my latest entry, The Shore Lunch, for the Canadian Food Experience Project, I was craving fish. The dilemma, as you’ll deduce from the entry, is that I’m unable to find wild, fresh trout where I now live. Inspired by my dill,…
Grilled Prawns with Lime and Peaches
Some relationships are meant to be … some will be deep and lasting, intrinsic in their ties. Others will be friendships, casual acquaintances, passerbys even. Tomatoes and basil; peanut butter and chocolate; lobster and butter. These are intrinsic pairings. When the bok choy arrived in my CSA bin, I thought I had in my head…
Blackened Tilapia with Grilled Salsa
Tilapia is a relatively mild fish that oddly seems to attract both those that don’t particularly like fish and even those that love fish. With the commercial farming of tilapia, it has become ubiquitous in Canadian retailers and whether you approve of fish farming or not, it does at some level represent a more sustainable…
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Grilled Lemon
There is something ridiculously sensuous about scallops — they are buttery and soft … and when wrapped in the purity of a well-smoked, naturally cured slice of bacon, you go from sensuous to sinful again. There is a reason this is such a classic pairing — that and because it borders on mindlessly easy. Fact…
Grilled Halibut with Garlic Scape-Walnut Pesto
In addition to the fortune of fresh fava beans that showed up in this week’s CSA share, the other ingredient that thoroughly intrigued me were “scapes.” For those not familiar with what is a scape, it is the flower stem of the garlic. Remember, garlic is a bulb that grows in the soil and out…