Sunday, August 30, 2015

Vacation Cooking, Canada Style

Getting back from vacation is tough, particulary when we ate so well when were were gone! I usually try to cook farm to table - this week we cooked ocean to table! We had such a great time with family in British Colombia, Canada. The weather was wonderful - sunny, not too hot and not too much wind - perfect weather for fishing! We really packed it in and were busy all week. Here are some of the dishes we made...


We dug up some clams in no time! We went to a place that is usually under water other than specific low tides. My aunt says that with the tides changing so much that they only are able to dig clams a few times per year, so I have to say I feel pretty lucky we were there during this time.


The clams needed to spit out their grit, so they hung out in the water for 24 hours. Next they need to be cleaned. My step dad doesn't really seem too enthused for this job.


That's a whole mess of clams!! In the massive pan went granulated garlic, butter, parsley and wine (no need for salt).


What you can't see is the lovely liquid and the bread for dipping! What was left (which surprisingly there wasn't much) was cooked down for a pot of chowder later.


Next, on to oysters. We went out to the oyster lease for ours. Up in this area, people can purchase a lease that lasts for 100 years or so and they can seed the oyster beds and live off the profits. This lease is a friend of a friend's so we just pay for what we harvest.


The hunter and his catch.


Getting them open can be a bit tricky, but we have a master over here!


These are some massive oysters. We decided to get the large ones because they had to be cooked. Due to the warm water, there is risk for salmonella and so no raw seafood for us. Guess we will just have to settle for BBQ'd oysters, oh darn...


We went for a simple, creamy dressing of mayo, parmesan cheese and lemon.


When you have oysters this fresh, you don't need much! (BTW, the other sauce was barbeque sauce, cheese, lime, bacon and mojito seasoning for my uncle, who hates mayo - I didn't get a chance to taste it, but it sure smelled good!)


We not only had gifts from the ocean, we also were fortunate enough to forage for some apples (after the bear and crows that is - seriously there are loads of animals around the property and the caretaker said they watched the bear up on his hind legs eat the apples from the tree the day before), blackberries and rhubarb from my aunt's garden. The drought has also hit this part of the country and it was pretty slim pickings for the berries - it started raining as we were leaving so I'm hoping the berries that were left will plump up.


The rhubarb and some berries were turned into a sauce for the salmon.


The apples and the rest of the berries were made into this giant apple berry crisp. We served it with whipped cream and it was gone!


Last order of cooking buisness is a Coho salmon my step dad caught while we were out trolling. 


The BBQ came in handy again with this beautiful fish. My uncle has a special rub he uses - it's a mix of things so I'm not all together sure what he put on there...he has it down to a science and it was super tasty.


My uncle expertly delivering the fish to the grill.


Cooked to perfection! It was delicious with the rhubarb berry sauce.


Everyone enjoying our lunch al fresco - my aunt, mom and step dad. 

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