This weekend, Friday, August 27-Sunday, August 29, the Wild Salmon Celebration enters it's fifth year of celebrating wild BC salmon. Last year due to COVID-19 restrictions we updated the event from a one-day event to a weekend celebration across BC. We love being able to showcase BC Chefs in their own spaces! Each chef and restaurant participating have put their spin on wild BC salmon for your taste buds to enjoy! And the weekend would not be possible without the support of the BC Salmon Marketing Council.
Before diving into the first 5 of 10 participating restaurants we wanted to share an excerpt from Co-Founder & CTS Advisor Sid Cross's post about wild BC salmon earlier this summer:
Most of us know the 5 main species of salmon listed by me in order of my personal preference:
- CHINOOK: Also called King, Spring, or Tyee. These are the biggest salmon with full rich delicious special tasting oils highest in Omega-3. They are becoming more and more difficult to find for sale in the retail market.
- SOCKEYE: Most readily available species. Deepest red colour and firm flesh but rather tricky to cook so still remain moist and are not dried out. Also have lots of heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. Photos show the look of a deep coloured fillet and our 2.6 kg (or 5 3/4 lbs) whole Sockeye.
- COHO: Called Silver and versatile fine textured use.
- CHUM: More frequently being called Keta. Paler red and milder taste.
- PINK: Rose quite light pink colour with a softer texture and delicate flavours. Sometimes called Humpback (develops more when spawning).
A small overview of the chefs, restaurants and menu items you can try this weekend. Please note that safety protocols are in place and the dishes are priced independently at each restaurant.
Head to White Rock on Friday or Saturday to enjoy Chef Josiah Tam's dish at Barrique Kitchen & Wine Bar (15223 Pacific Ave, White Rock, BC)
You'll have two nights to enjoy his Pan Roasted Salmon, Zaklan Farms Veg, Confit and Crispy Leeks, Preserved Lemon Beurre Blanc as Barrique is closed on Sundays!
Chef Tam has a great focus on work/life balance for himself and his team but it just means you'll have Sunday night to visit another restaurant or try a BC wild salmon recipe for yourself at home!
Next up is the dynamic duo of Chefs Roger Ma & Alex Chen from Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar (845 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC) located in the Sutton Place hotel.
Chef Chen is a classically trained chef with a true taste for high-pressure culinary competitions. Alex led Team Canada to a top-10 finish at the 2013 Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France prior to opening Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar in 2014. And then after went on to claim top spot in both the 2015 and ’17 editions of the annual Gold Medal Plates regional championships in Victoria, BC, as well as the gold medal at the national 2018 Canadian Culinary Championships.
It should be no surprise then that Chef Ma has also had success in competition. Roger claimed the top prize at the 2015 Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise™ Chowder Chowdown from a field of 14 chefs and in 2016, Roger earned a podium finish at the Bocuse d'Or national finals and won the Vancouver Curry Cup. And most recently, in February 2020, Ma took top prize at the Culinary Championships of Canada surrounded by a boisterous cheering section of family and friends!
Dine at Boulevard this weekend and enjoy their Charcoal Grilled Wild Coho. Crispy Warba Potatoes, Smoked Sour Cream, Summer Squash Succotash, House Pickles, BBQ Cabbage Sauce to celebrate wild salmon from these fierce and mighty competition chefs.
The third chef participating in this year's event is Chef Vish Mayekar from Caffe La Tana (635 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC)!
Vish has been on the CTS radar for a few years now having received scholarships from our scholarship program which he ran with! Vish is also a proud member of the National Culinary Olympic team Canada and is looking forward to representing Canada along with his team on the world stage over the next few years.
Pop on over to Caffe La Tana and try his Wild Salmon Gravlax, Compressed Artisan Tomatoes, Caper Leaves, Focaccia Crisp & Tarragon Cream. You'll be able to brag about enjoying his dishes as he continues to excel in the culinary field.
Heading to Whistler for the weekend? Celebrate with us and Chef James Walt at IL Caminetto (4242 Village Stroll, Whistler, BC).
Chef Walt is one of the country’s leading chefs, a cookbook author and a “farm-to-table” pioneer, James Walt continues to inspire his guests, creating compelling regional cuisine based on local, sustainable ingredients.
So you know his Wild BC Coho Salmon Crudo, Grilled Okanagan Peach Salsa, Apricot Agrodolce, Good Field Farm Fasil + Black Olives will hit the spot.
On the Island you can visit Chef Ken Nakano at Inn at Laurel Point and Aura Waterfront Restaurant + Patio (680 Montreal St, Victoria, BC).
Chef Ken is the CTS Scholarship chair and an active board member, most recently being a demo chef for the (Virtual) Spot Prawn Festival in May/June, so we're thrilled he was able to participate again to celebrate BC wild salmon's versatility! Enjoy his Alder Smoked Coho Salmon. Corn & Wild Rice Succotash, Crispy Shoyu Genmai Tea while you soak up the Island vibes.
Supporting BC Wild Salmon supports the BC economy and is a sustainable food option--there are lots of fishermen around the province you can connect with and it's a product that is versatile and easy to cook!
Please be aware the each restaurant has set their own prices and hours so confirming directly with them before heading into the restaurants is a great plan! We also highly encourage reservations where possible to secure your table with COVID-19 restrictions still in place.
If you feel safer staying at home or want to try something new the BC Salmon Marketing Council has some fantastic recipes you can try! Recipes.
Big shout out to Organic Ocean Seafood for safe delivery of the Coho Salmon for this year's festival.
Look for details on the other 5 chefs, restaurants in our second blog post on Wednesday!