Read this blog post (the oceans will thank you)

On the heels of another great event put on by the Vancouver Aquarium -- this one the Ocean Wise Tides of Change taster at Luma restaurant in Toronto, I got to thinking, as I do whenever the Ocean Wise crew comes to town, that we should all really be doing more.
For starters, I should be eating only sustainable fish and seafood, and in turn, should be developing more recipes to share with you that put tasty sustainable heroes at the centre of the plate. I’ve also put the Chatelaine test kitchen on notice, and going ahead we’re going to develop dishes using responsibly sourced fish and seafood products as much as possible.

I’ve been a longtime admirer of the cause. Having an Unsung Heroes dinner with David Suzuki a few years back was a great example of highlighting both the importance and the deliciousness of some virtually ignored species. After all, change has got to taste great or there will be no change. 

So, whether I’m bloodworming in Yarmouth or trying to understand what sustainable certification really means, or am taking the plunge in the icy waters of Norway, I’m always on the hunt for new and exciting oceanic treats.

The good news is, so far, the news is good: There are innovators out there bringing new species back from the brink and raising them in new, smart ways. 

Leafing through the handout from the Ocean Wise event at Luma, I learned that an estimated 90% of all large, predatory fish are gone from the world’s oceans and that we’re eating more seafood than ever before. At the same time, it’s heartening to know that 91% of Canadians want their seafood to be sustainable, and that Canada-wide purveyors are answering the call (sort of like Aquaman?) 

In Toronto there’s Hooked, Fishbar, The One that Got Away, and Off the Hook, while Vancouver has Blue Water Café (which gets top marks for its annual special Unsung Heroes menu), and Go Fish, while Victoria has Red Fish, Blue Fish – to name just a few. Ocean Wise has over 450 Canada-wide partners, so finding good eats shouldn’t be difficult: Just download the free Ocean Wise app to start making smart buying choices (or go to oceanwise.ca), and you’ll see that there’s much to learn and eat. 

And right now, that’s exactly what enjoying great fish and seafood boils down to. Education is key to successful sustainable cooking and eating.

Vietnamese caramelized salmon

For the past two years I’ve been writing features for a Chatelaine magazine series called Cooking in Canada, whereby I visit families from different ethnicities across the country and learn about their journey to Canada while we shop for food and then cook up a storm. So far I’ve done Mexican Mennonites in Norfolk County, Lebanese in Ottawa, Vietnamese in Montreal, Indian in Vancouver, and next up is the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan in Golden Lake (though obviously, they were here first.)

The Quebec-based story called "Missing Saigon" included the simplest and most delicious recipes of the bunch. Makes sense, seeing as my subject, Lilly Nguyen, is a new cookbook author. While chatting over lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown where we had been collecting our ingredients, Lilly casually said something that totally choked me up.

In explaining Canada’s open arms policy to the Boat People in the 1970s, Lilly said of her then-new home, the city of Montreal with its now 27,000-strong Vietnamese community, that word quickly spread about how welcoming Canada was, and thousands of Vietnamese followed: “I know some friends who were adopted by Quebecers, and others who were taken in by friends and neighbours," she says. "They just said, ‘we’re going to help you.’”

I wish the Canada of today were a little more like it was back then.

This traditional Vietnamese dish, which Lilly put her own Can-con spin on with the salmon and maple syrup, was first printed in Chatelaine magazine. I’ve made it many times and it’s awesome. Just watch for bones in the salmon steaks.

Lilly’s Vietnamese caramel and pepper fish (Ca Kho tieu)

Prep 5 min Refrigerate 30 min Cook 30 min Makes 2 servings

2 salmon steaks, at least 1 in (2.5 cm) thick

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar

4 tsp (20 mL) maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) water

1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) vegetable or olive oil

1 tbsp (15 mL) fish sauce

3/4 tsp (4 mL) hot red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) cracked black pepper

1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) fried shallots

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped cilantro

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1. Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Place fish on a plate or in a dish. Evenly sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) sugar. Turn fish and sprinkle with another 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) sugar. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 30 min.

2. When ready to cook, stir remaining tbsp (15 mL) sugar with maple syrup and water in a large frying pan (not non-stick) set over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to bubble, stir in oil, fish sauce, pepper flakes and garlic. Reduce heat to medium. Add coated salmon. Sprinkle half of pepper over fish. Turn fish, then sprinkle with remaining pepper. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered and turning fish halfway through and stirring sauce often, until caramelized, 25 to 30 min.

3. Remove to warm plates and sprinkle with fried shallots, cilantro and green onion. Delicious with rice. (Actually, the rice is a must.)

Chocolate almond toffee bars

These are Anna Olson’s Chocolate Almond Toffee Bars by way of a video on the Chatelaine web site. They're a variation on the Hello Dolly or my mom’s Goody Bars, which I’ve been eating my whole life. But these are a little different because they’ve got a thick oaty base and double the toppings, yet that old baking staple – a can of sweetened condensed milk -- remains a must. They’re super rich so be sure to cut them into small squares.

This is a six-minute recipe. Honestly, the hardest part is waiting for them to cool.

ANNA OLSON’S CHOCOLATE ALMOND TOFFEE BARS

Makes 8 -inch (2 L) pan (25 squares)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) rolled oats

1/2 cup (125 mL) graham cracker crumbs

1/4 tsp (1 mL) fine salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup (250 mL) Skor toffee bits

1 cup (250 mL) chocolate chips

1 cup (250 mL) sliced almonds

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line an 8-inch (2 L) square pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the sides of the pan.

Stir the oats, graham crumbs and salt in a bowl to combine, then stir in the melted butter. Press the crumbly oat mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle Skor bits evenly on top, followed by chocolate chips and sliced almonds. Pour condensed milk evenly over pan (it will sink in as it bakes) and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling. Cool to room temperature in the pan, then chill for at least 4 hours before slicing into bars. Store toffee bars in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Spoiler alert

I skipped out on on a couple of events during my conference in Richmond yesterday, to head to Little India in Vancouver to cook with a lovely family; part of a series of features I'm doing for Chatelaine called Cooking in Canada. 

So far I've made chicken soup and enchiladas with some Mexican Mennonites in Norfolk County, amazing chicken and rice, tomato salad and cheese pastries with Pamela, a charming Lebanese woman in Ottawa, next month's issue will feature a couple of the delish Vietnamese dishes that I made with Lilly in Montreal, and pretty soon, some of the gob smacking dishes that the mother and daughter duo of Swaran and Rimple taught me how to make yesterday will appear in the magazine. 

By early afternoon, our Indian feast was ready to eat.