MAY 2007 — VOLUME 5 ISSUE 6
Delicacies from the deep
Fish is the perfect dish to satisfy smaller summer appetites.
Succulent, melt-in-your-mouth fresh fillets dressed with a zesty glaze are exquisite washed down with a glass of crisp white wine—refreshing at the end of a long summer day.
And scorching temperatures provide the perfect excuse to eat out rather than slaving over a hot stove or barbecue. Light, healthy and versatile fish is a favourite of many chefs who throughout the summer months focus their attention on a multitude of cleverly creative fish-based dishes. Such is the case for Ryan Clark, chef and owner of Bistro 326 in Kamloops. Clark and his team offer a weekly fish special through a novel menu item called the Fish Monger, where colourfully-presented B.C. fish like coconut-glazed wild sockeye salmon on a mound of black Thai rice is featured.
“Fish is fun, you can prepare it in lots of different ways, and being in B.C. we can get it fresh out of Vancouver,” Clark explains.
But, lurking behind the popularity of fish are conservation and management issues surrounding sought-after species—something that’s instigated constant discussion, and for the Vancouver Aquarium, a conscientious concept called Ocean Wise. Ocean Wise is an initiative that began in 2005, encouraging restaurants to use sustainable seafood, and has recently been adopted by Ian Riddick, executive chef at Mantles Restaurant in the Delta Sun Peaks Resort.
Riddick is impressed with the Ocean Wise Program, saying it’s a neat concept the Delta’s proud to be using, as the highlight is seasonal B.C. products such as the sablefish on the menu this summer. For this fish, which he notes has a beautiful, buttery mild flavour, he’s devised a light and appetizing soup, where the fish, along with seasonings and potato puree, is blended to form a dumpling-like croquette, served table-side in a bright, spring green watercress and spinach soup.
“It has a little bite to it from the cress,” says Riddick. “But overall it’s a very smooth silky dish.”
This summer go wild and catch the wave—try a fish dish that’s not only healthy for you, but also Ocean Wise.
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