Our sommeliers and chefs have crafted delicious recipes and wine pairings that reflect the diversity of our country’s seafood and wine offerings.
Atlantic
Digby Scallops Carpaccio, Limoncello Gelle, Marinated Melon
Recipe by: Chef Michael Boragina, Executive Chef, The Bicycle Thief, Halifax
Photo by Perry Jackson
Sommelier: Alana Steele, Sommelier, The Bicycle Thief, Halifax
Pairing: 2012 L’Acadie Vineyards Prestige Brut Cuvée
Serves 4
Ingredients (limoncello gelle):
125 ml limoncello
60 ml sparkling wine
5 ml sugar
1 gelatin leaf
Ingredients (melon and scallops):
60 ml white wine vinegar
90 ml water
4 Serrano chili peppers
8 jumbo scallops (10-20 count)
60 ml dry white vermouth
60 ml fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 ripe melon, peeled, seeds removed
Sorrel, chives and flowers, to garnish
Directions: Start by making the limoncello gelle. In a small sauce pot, add limoncello and sparkling wine and 5 ml of sugar. When it comes to a light simmer and the sugar is completely dissolved, add your gelatin sheet and stir until fully incorporated. Pour it into a square mold, lined with parchment paper, let stand in the fridge at least 4 hours.
Next, make your marinated melon. In a bowl, combine white wine vinegar, water and remaining sugar. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. With a hand torch, or over an open flame, char your peppers until they have a black, bubbly exterior. Chop peppers into 5 to 6 pieces and put into pickling liquid. Let stand for 30 minutes. Using a knife cut, melon into circles out of the melon chunks, about 3 cm across. Thinly slice melon into round slices and lay flat in a dish. Strain pickling liquid over melon and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Place scallops in the freezer for 10 minutes, as this will aid in slicing. Mix the fresh lime juice and white vermouth and spoon over scallops just before serving, sprinkle with salt.
To plate, circle with melon, create an inner circle with scallops and place gelle in centre. Garnish with herbs and flowers.
Quebec
Sea Urchin and Razor Clam Spaghetti
Recipe by: Chef Ola Claesson, Auberge St.-Gabriel, Montreal
Photo by Jean Benoit Hinse
Sommelier: Jean Benoit Hinse, Auberge St.-Gabriel, Montreal
Pairing: 2016 Domaine du Nival Matière à Discussion Vidal
Serves 4
400 g fresh razor clams
80 g unsalted butter
2 cloves whole garlic
250 ml fresh sea urchin roe
3 egg yolks
80 g Quebec samphire
Espelette pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
300 g of spaghetti alla Chitarra
80 g Quebec organic parmesan, grated
1 bunch chives, chopped
1 lemon, zest
1/2 lemon, juice
45 g toasted breadcrumbs
White pepper
Directions: Place razor clams in a colander and continually run cold water over them to remove excess sand. Check the outside of the shells to make sure they aren’t broken; any damaged shells should be discarded. Steam the clams in a pot with a lid, with 80 ml of water in the bottom to create steam. Once they open, remove the clams and chill. Strain and keep the liquid. Once cold remove the “foot” of the clam and cut out the central dark intestinal tract, leaving only the firm white clam meat. Cut the white meat in slices on an angle and reserve.
Melt the butter and add the garlic cloves, cook on low heat until the garlic is completely soft. Put aside both garlic and butter for later. Meanwhile, in a blender add two-thirds of the sea urchin roe, the egg yolks and the razor clam cooking liquid, blend for 30 seconds. Add the confit garlic and half of the reserved butter and blend until smooth. You should have a smooth sauce. If it is too thick add more water. Season with pepper and, if needed, salt, and reserve. Add the lemon zest to the toasted breadcrumbs. Season with espelette pepper and salt, to taste.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, blanch the samphire for 15 seconds and refresh in ice water. Add salt to the water and cook the spaghetti al dente, as instructed on the package. In a bowl large enough to hold the pasta, add the sauce, the razor clams, samphire and the parmesan. Once the spaghetti is cooked strain the pasta but keep a bit of the cooking water. Add the spaghetti to the bowl with the sauce and toss with tongs making sure that the sauce covers the pasta evenly, if needed add a bit of the reserved cooking water, to make sure the sauce doesn’t get too thick.
Add the rest of the butter for richer dish, if desired. Add the lemon juice. Taste the spaghetti and add salt and pepper if needed. Divide in bowls and add the rest of the sea urchin roe on top of the pasta. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and chives on top and enjoy.
Ontario
Pan Seared Pickerel
Recipe by: Lee Arden Lewis, Chef & Owner, Jackson’s Fall Country Inn & Public House Restaurant, Milford, Ontario
Photo by Jamie Janx Johnston
Sommelier: John Szabo, Master Sommelier, Principle Critic WineAlign
Pairing: 2017 Huff Estates Prince Edward County Pinot Gris
Serves 2
2 225 g local skin-on pickerel fillets, rinsed, patted dry
4 ml kosher salt
2 ml freshly ground black pepper
Flour
45 ml all-purpose flour
25 ml pure canola oil, for frying
25 ml unsalted butter, for sauce
1 shallot, diced
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
50 ml dry white wine
Directions: Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper, pressing to coat. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When heated evenly, add the fillets skin side down, along with half the butter.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until crispy and browned, lightly pressing centre. Turn and cook for another 3 minutes. Drizzle oil, butter over the skin to crisp it. When it flakes easily it is done. Transfer to a plate.
Add remaining butter, shallot and lemon to the pan; cook for 45 to 60 seconds or until softened. Add wine and remove from heat. Spoon the sauce onto a serving platter, then place the fish skin side up on top of the sauce. Serve immediately. Accompany with a sunchoke and new potato mash and roasted heirloom carrots.
Prairies
Parmesan Baked Nothern Pike
Recipe by: Chef Michael Dacquisto, Executive Chef, Carne Italian Chophouse
Photo by Perry Jackson
Sommelier: Christopher Sprague, WOW! Hospitality
Pairing: Little Farm Rosé, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Serves 4
75 ml olive oil
30 ml lemon juice
125 ml fine dry breadcrumbs
125 ml Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
30 g basil, chopped
30 g parsley, chopped
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper, freshly cracked
680 g northern pike fillets
250 ml tomatoes, diced, seeded
30 ml capers, drained
60 ml dry white wine
30 ml butter, cubed
Directions: Mix olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper in another bowl. Slice pike into serving sized pieces. Dip in fish in olive oil and lemon mixture, and then breadcrumb mixture. Place fish in a single layer in a greased baking pan. Bake uncovered in a oven preheated to 500°F for 12 to 15 minutes. While fish is baking, place a saucepan over moderately high heat. Add tomatoes, capers and basil. Sauté briefly, and then add the white wine. Bring to a boil. Add the butter one cube at a time, stirring until the butter has just melted. Remove pan from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Serve sauce warm over the baked fish.
British Columbia
White Sturgeon, Cauliflower and Potato Soup
Recipe by: Chef Patrick Gayler, Terrace Chef, Mission Hill Family Estate, West Kelowna
Photo by Perry Jackson
Sommelier: Bram Bolwijn, Lead Sommelier, Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, West Kelowna
Pairing: Mission Hill Family Estate, Reserve, Chardonnay, 2016
Serves 4
Ingredients (soup):
30 g bacon fat
100 g butter
500 g cauliflower, thinly sliced
100 g leek whites, julienned
25 g garlic, thinly sliced
150 g Sieglinde potato, peeled, thinly sliced, rinsed, patted dry
75 ml chardonnay
750 ml milk
2 bay leaves
1 sprig tarragon
Pinch bonito flakes
Ingredients (sturgeon):
1 litre water
1 lemon, zest only
5 bay leaves toasted
50 g salt
50 g honey
500 g cleaned sturgeon filet, trimmed, sliced into 4 pieces
Directions: In a pot, melt the fat and butter. Add cauliflower, leeks and garlic and sauté on low until they begin to soften. Add in the potatoes, season lightly and continue to cook on low heat for several minutes. Deglaze with wine, add in milk and bay leaf. Cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender. Once tender, remove from heat, add the bonito flakes and tarragon. Then purée in a blender, adding more milk if needed to achieve soup consistency. Season the soup to taste and then hold warm while you are cooking the fish.
Start the night before by combining all the brine ingredients in a pot. Bring to a little simmer. When the honey has dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool overnight. Place sturgeon filets in the brine for 2 hours before using. Remove from brine and a use paper towel to dry off the fish. Season liberally with salt and pepper and brush with melted butter before baking in an oven preheated to 250°F, for 15 to 20 minutes or until fish is firm and just begins to flake.
