Getting local, with a little help from Ontario

By Mike Hawkins

  I know I should eat more seafood.

  Back when I was a kid, I had fish three times a week thanks to my Nova Scotia-born parents, and that was despite living eight hours north of Winnipeg.  Our suppers in Thompson were just as likely to be haddock, cod or mackeral as they were beef, chicken or spaghetti, which was a good thing.

  Living in Rothesay now, it's good to be reminded once in a while that we can get some of the best seafood on the planet anytime we want.  Recently it took a little nudge from a niece visiting from Ontario to remind me of that fact. Visiting from Mississauga, of course she'd want to sample some great seafood - the kind of stuff that costs a lot more in Ontario and usually isn't nearly as fresh.

  Over the course of a couple of days, we'd plow through oysters, mussels, scallops, lobster and a whole salmon. It was all very local to regional, all awesome and a real eye-opener to what we have available here in the Maritimes.

  And thankfully with high quality ingredients like these, preparation was a snap.  In one meal we had eight oysters - my daughter and niece eating three each - then followed that with a simple tomato-garlic-wine steam-bath for the mussels, gently re-heated lobster bits and pan-seared scallops.  Some seriously good fast food, and at only $30 for the spread, cheaper than actual fast food.

  For another meal, our niece wanted salmon so here, we didn't mess around.  We went in search of a whole Charlotte County Atlantic Salmon and found one for $36.  This would provide four healthy-sized filets from one side of the fish for one meal, plus lots more fish for chowder and some pseudo-smoked salmon that would cure in the fridge for a couple of days.

  As with the other seafood, preparation of a nice salmon filet was about as easy as cooking gets. In fact, I made sure we had everything else prepared before I cooked the salmon as that would be the fastest part of the dish.

  For our niece, everything hit the mark and I think the experience will change what goes through my kitchen in the future, which is a good thing.

Pan seared Atlantic Salmon filet

1 filet per person

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Vegetable oil as needed

Capers and fresh lemon for garnish

Heat a stainless steel pan over medium-high heat for several minutes. Meanwhile, season your filets well with salt and pepper on both sides.  Add the vegetable oil, just enough to cover the base of the pan.  When very hot, gently lay in your salmon, top side (presentation side) down.  It should sizzle and fry immediately - this means you're getting a good brown on the surface. Let it cook to golden brown for two or three minutes, then gently flip with a wide spatula.  Continue cooking for three or four minutes.  You're aiming for a medium-rare salmon, not well done.  A slight pink in the middle is perfect.  Transfer right to the plate, spoon on some capers and give each filet a squeeze of fresh lemon.