Sockeye Salmon

Growing up on Vancouver Island, on the West Coast of Canada, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to have access to amazing seafood. It just did not mean that much to me, as I had “better” things to do with my time – sports, girls, sleep, hanging with buddies (not necessarily in that order). Now 25 years later I wish I would have paid a little more attention to the trips to Goldstream park in the Fall with my Dad to watch the spawning salmon. I was content being with my dad and really did not care so much about the amazing spectacle that was happening right in front of my eyes; of course hind sight is 20/20. Even though my dad explained the process of spawning salmon to me over and over, I didn’t really understand nor did I really care about this wonder of nature. Goldstream Park is home to Chum, and in some years Coho, Chinook and Spring Salmon.

Salmon has had many problems over the years and most a result of human mistakes. For many years, the salmon population suffered due to bad fish farm practices on Northwest Vancouver Island (Campbell River). The young wild fish (Fry) had to swim through the fish farm areas as they headed back to sea; during which they were infected by sea lice which killed vast numbers of the young fish. Today, these practices are guided by stricter regulations and there has been a concerted effort to save the salmon population. I hope it’s not too late.

As a chef, the Sockeye Salmon season (about four months in late spring to early summer) is a special time because this fish reminds me of “home”. I am a big fan of Sockeye, because it is the most flavorful and flexible of all the salmon. The texture of Sockeye Salmon makes it perfect for grilling and smoking. I just had to use my new BBQ for this salmon recipe challenge, but you can easily create this recipe in your oven. What makes this recipe so tasty and easy is that all the ingredients are cooked together and the flavors are trapped inside the package that you create. There are so many flavor combinations you can create with this dish, so be creative! Hopefully this recipe will trigger you to discover and create delicious new dishes.

Next up on my reading list is a book that deals with the depletion of our wild fish stocks, Four Fish by Paul Greenberg. This link leads to a review of this book.

Memorial Day Weekend

Being a Canadian living in the USA, I feel it is important to participate in all things American. There are not many differences between the two countries, but there are a few and Memorial Day is one of them. Since being a part of the Navy Seals Foundation Charity Event a couple of weeks ago (I was auctioned off to cook dinner for 8 and raised $4400), I have been feeling extremely patriotic, so we decided to spend Memorial Day with friends. We have just moved into our new home that has a great little back yard, perfect for BBQs. Inspired, I purchased a new grill (had to build it, something I am not usually very good at, but I did succeed) and started thinking about what to cook for our Monday dinner. One of the menu items I knew we had to have was Rhubarb Upside-down Cake (I am on an upside down cake kick right now) for dessert. Rhubarb is definitely one of my favourite fruits to cook with, as I am a huge fan of sweet and tart together; rhubarb is a perfect ingredient to achieve this, so don’t be afraid to use it. There are so many great uses for rhubarb and I think it’s an under used ingredient; I’ve also challenged my little sis to a “rhubarb challenge”!

Off to the La Jolla Farmer’s Market I went to find my rhubarb, when I also came across some beautiful plums I could add to the recipe. For the rest of the meal, I decided on beautiful grass-fed ribeye steaks (from a local butcher), beet salad with hazelnuts and goat cheese, mixed greens with a lemon and olive oil vinaigrette, and a delicious quinoa salad. The great thing about upside down cake is that the name makes the dish sound more difficult than it really is, but once you have a base recipe you can really add any fruit to this dish and it it will be wonderful. Another great fruit to use this time of year would be apricots. It was an amazing afternoon, spent with close friends Robert, Amy & Gigi.
The weather was perfect and we all enjoyed some pretty tasty food and drinks!

We owe it all to the many men and women who have protected our freedom past, present and future.

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