In search of 'Canadian food' part 1 - Introduction and salmon

Picture 1 Barbecued salmon with mixed vegetable rice, butter sauteed greens and barbecue sauce

How do you define the food of a nation as vast as Canada? In British Columbia alone we have rain forests, beaches, rocky mountains, deserts, urban landscapes and countryside, all encompassed into an area 4 times the size of Great Britain. Walk down my street and you will find restaurants from Africa, China, Thailand, Ukraine, France, Malaysia, Vietnam, Italy and Japan. There are more even, too many to mention. But even though we have such a smorgasbord of tastes to feast from, we still have many fine Canadian restaurants serving what is labelled as Pacific North Western cuisine. The people who live in this city hail from all walks of life and all corners of the globe and the cuisines reflect this, fusing itself at times and staying true to its roots at others.

Vodka and beet smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers

The truth is that Vancouver may have some difficulty defining itself, as our proximity to the Pacific ocean also means that we are quite isolated from the other major cities of Canada. I believe Vancouver sometimes feels disconnected to its parent country, especially if we consider that our closest large Canadian city is Victoria on Vancouver Island, separated by an expanse of ocean and high ferry prices. This is why the 2010 Vancouver Olympics struck such a chord with people. It united the city once again with its nation through an outpouring of patriotism rarely seen. Suddenly, Vancouver remembered it was Canadian.

Maybe one reason for this is the fact that our closest major city is Seattle, and if we continue on down the North Western states, Portland and then San Francisco and LA. These cities all share a cultural identity, they are all in the USA. Vancouver is often coined as the San Francisco of Canada and we share much in common with that magnificent city. We share a similar location and climate (very much warmer than the rest of Canada) and also both boast the same great sea food.

Picture 2 Grilled salmon (broiled) with wilted kale, salsa and mustard cream sauce

As a British expat living in Canada for 7 years, I can name perhaps 3 or 4 dishes that I would consider Canadian. Poutine, hailing from Quebec is a curious combination of fries, topped with cheese curds, and finished off with a ladle of hot poultry gravy. This dish is akin to the kebab in the UK, something you eat late at night after a few too many beverages. The cheese curds melt into satisfying cheese strings with the addition of the hot gravy, which, if you spill on your clothes, is strong enough to remind you of your late night misdemeanor the next day.

However, I consider this more of a Canadian traditional dish than food which is indigenous to the country. After all, we can get potatoes, cheese and gravy anywhere, it is the arrangement that is Canadian. It would be interesting to discover some foods that are as natural to Canada as lemon grass is to Thai cooking, being used extensively because it is native to that part of the World. Vancouver does boast a very sustainable attitude to food, many restaurants serving food from within the 100 mile philosophy and woe betide any restaurant serving fish which cannot be obtained from the ocean lying just beyond our shores.

All this brings me to Salmon. A true native fish, our waterways are full of them.

Picture 3 Salmon with new potatoes, asparagus and shallot and white wine sauce

Looking through my recipe notebooks from my time in Canada, it struck me how much salmon has featured in my cooking here. I don't recall ever cooking salmon in the UK and would never eat the tinned variety, the smell alone being extremely unpleasant to me. Therefore, the versatility and general delicious-ness of this fish has been revealed to me through its sheer abundance in Canada. Is salmon the quintessential Canadian fish, synonymous with the ocean and the streams and lakes? It is certainly evident wherever you choose to eat here, from salmon burgers in beach concession stands to backyard barbecues and high end restaurants where it may be lovingly poached in olive oil and served with a myriad of luscious sauces. I have seen recipes for salmon jerky, candied salmon, barbecued salmon and salmon with a miso paste glaze. My friend once cooked a vast piece on the barbecue and served it with a citrus sauce made from blueberries. The sharpness cut across the rich, oily fish beautifully. I never imagined that there were so many varieties; Coho, Sockeye, Chinook, each with its own texture and taste, ranging from delicate pink flakes to dark red meaty steaks. Justly named 'The King of Fish'.

Vodka and beet smoked salmon

How to define the taste of salmon? All oily fish has a strong but not unpleasant character. The taste that is uniquely fish, that sea touched whisper of salt, is evident in salmon and perhaps heightened by the meatiness of the flesh. Slightly sweet and toothsome, it has a satisfying mouth feel like steak, but lacks the chewiness. Although it has a strong personality, it can be used as a blank canvas to soak up or play second fiddle to a whole host of sauces, side dishes and preparations, as you can see from my own recipes. Once tinned, in my opinion, the oiliness of salmon takes over and renders it rancid. I can't think of any food I detest more than tinned salmon. One smell and I am off salmon again until another fresh fillet or whole fish comes my way.

Sockeye salmon

Salmon is extremely important to the First Nations people of Canada, being the staple for many and an important tool for culture, trading and sustenance.This is still very evident today when you visit towns with a high First Nation population, like Lytton in BC. Every year they have a river festival featuring a salmon barbecue and this year we were lucky enough to see someone fishing in the traditional way. I can only imagine that he was there for hours. We watched him for 20 minutes, laboriously dragging his net through the water over and over against the fast current. Nothing came his way as we watched and I wonder if he caught anything that day. It seems like you have to be incredibly lucky to catch a salmon just at that point and also incredibly careful not to fall in to the rapids. (He was roped to the rocks as you can see).

Man fishing the traditional way at Lytton, BC

Canada has many iconic ingredients such as maple syrup and Dungeness crab and I will post about them at a later date, but, for me, salmon is the most important true Canadian food. This country's ability to make me love something I barely noticed before is truly impressive, like going to the UK indifferent about tea and returning with a true passion for it.

Recipes: Picture1 - barbecued salmon with couscous, vegetables and barbecue sauce.

Chinese Barbecued Salmon

Marinade

2 tbsp peanut oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp chopped onions

3/4 tsp brown sugar

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1/8 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and pour over 2 pieces of salmon. Cover, refrigerate and marinade for 4 - 6 hours.

When ready to cook, remove from the marinade, scrape off excess (don't throw it away, you need it for the sauce), and grill on a barbecue or under a grill (broiler) for about 10 minutes until cooked well and the skin crispy.

Couscous

1/2 cup couscous

1/4 cup hot chicken stock

1/4 large onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1/2 stick celery, sliced

1 chili, sliced

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 handful of mixed greens such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, shredded

1 tsp Harissa

salt, pepper

(This was the original recipe I made, the picture shows brown and white rice, but I wanted to share the couscous recipe with you).

Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over the hot stock, stir well. Cover and allow to stand for 5 - 10 minutes.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a frying pan and gently saute the onion, carrot, celery, chili, mushrooms and greens until wilted and soft.

Fluff up the couscous with a fork and add the vegetables, Harissa and a little salt and pepper.

Vegetable topping

1 leek, white part only, shredded

1/2 zucchini, sliced finely

6 asparagus spears, halved

2 tbsp butter

olive oil

handful chopped mint

salt and pepper

Melt the butter and oil in a pan slowly and add the vegetables. Braise over gentle heat, covered, until they are soft.

Add the mint and season and cook for a few more minutes to allow the mint to wilt and mingle with the other flavours.

The sauce was made from reducing the marinade over low heat in a pan until hot and adding 1/2 cup cream. I also added some baby Swiss chard leaves and a few sprigs of purple sprouting broccoli from my 'garden'.

Recipe: Picture 2 - Grilled salmon with kale, wholegrain mustard sauce and salsa topping.

Kale

1 cup kale, shredded

Boil kale in salted water for about 15 minutes until soft. Drain and let some moisture evaporate. Season with a little oil or butter and some salt and pepper.

The salmon was simply seasoned and grilled (broiled) until just cooked and crispy.

Salsa

6 orange cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 yellow pepper, sliced thinly

1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 small chili, sliced
pinch of salt
small handful of chopped mint
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Mix everything together and allow to stand, covered, in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Wholegrain mustard sauce
1/2 cup cream
1/8 tsp chicken stock paste or a small crumble of a stock cube
1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Mix together over low heat in a pan and allow to thicken slightly.

Recipe - picture 3. Salmon with new potatoes, asparagus and white wine, cream sauce

Sauce
2 shallots, diced
2/5 cup of Vermouth
pinch of saffron
1/4 chicken stock cube
1 tsp capers
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp butter

Saute the shallots in the butter and oil over a low - medium heat in a pan.
Add the Vermouth and stock and simmer gently for around 20 minutes to mellow and sweeten the alcohol.
Add the cream. saffron,  butter and capers and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Continue to simmer until thick and glossy.

A piece of sockeye, gutted by yours truly (with a considerable amount of help from Neil), baked in a bed of herbs.

Recipe : Salmon wrapped in a bed of herbs

1 large piece salmon
1 shallot, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
juice of half a lemon, other half finely sliced
1 bay leaf, broken into pieces
salt and pepper
1/4 cup Vermouth
1 tsp butter
2 large handful fennel

Place 1/2 the fennel in a baking dish, lay the salmon on top.
Cover the salmon with the lemon slices, shallot, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper and pour over the lemon juice and Vermouth. Dot with the butter.

Cover the fish entirely with the remaining fennel and wrap tightly in foil.

Bake at 350oF for about 25 minutes until tender and fragrant. Remove from the fennel before serving.


Other posts that feature salmon: (Click on the link)

Salmon gutting

Dishwasher salmon