Crystal,

Good for you giving salmon a try! Living on the east coast and after a salmon fishing trip to the west of Canada, I have been cooking, eating and loving salmon for quite some time. Salmon truly is a good starter fish for home cooks looking to give seafood a try. The marbling in the flesh really helps preserve moisture, in case you overcook it a little, adds lots of natural flavour and makes it a versatile fish for any cooking method. Recently I cooked some salmon very slowly on the BBQ, it was moist, and very flavourful with little effort. I hope you like it!

Cedar Planked Salmon with Bruschetta

Soak a cedar plank (available in the Sobeys seafood departments) submerged in water for 3 or 4 hours. When ready, preheat one side of your BBQ to medium high and the other side to medium low. Lightly oil the plank, and season the 4 salmon fillet portions well on both sides with salt and pepper before setting side by side on the plank. Be sure to leave a little breathing room between the portions. Top each salmon portion with 2 or 3 tbsps of fresh bruschetta. Set the plank on the medium low side of the BBQ, and cook with the lid closed until the salmon is cooked. It should take 20-25 minutes, but be sure to occasionally check your BBQ, if the plank is on fire, put the flames out with a little squirt of water from a spray bottle. When done, carefully set the smouldering plank on a metal baking tray to carry it into the house. You can add a little water to the baking tray to help extinguish and embers and smoke. Let the salmon cool for 3-4 minutes before serving it with a drizzle of olive oil and your favourite side dishes! Enjoy!

Avocado and Shrimp Summer Salad

I love the rich taste and smooth texture of avocados! They pair really well with all different kinds of ingredients, however, I like to make a really light summer inspired salad with avocado, shrimp and citrus on a bed of buttery bib lettuce.

Wash and dry one head of bib lettuce and arrange it on a platter or in a large salad bowl. Thinly slice 1 small red onion into rings and scatter them over top of the lettuce. In a bowl gently mix together: 2 diced ripe avocados, 1/2 lb of cooked 31/40 shrimp, 1 can of drained mandarin orange segments and 4-5 tbsps of Compliments Sensations Citrus Honey Poppyseed Vinaigrette. Gently spoon the ingredients over top of the lettuce. Garnish the salad with 2 thinly sliced green onions and ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds. Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a starter, enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Chef Ryan Skelton

G’day Kirk,

Thanks for your question. Generally speaking when it comes to stir frying it is best to stir fry the meat or seafood first. One of the reasons is in the beginning you can heat your pan to a higher temperature with a little oil and get better colour on the meat for flavour and also done to your liking, leaving behind some nice brown bits on the bottom of the pan that will add a wonderful flavour to your sauce at the end. Once this is done, remove the meat and stir fry the vegetables at a slightly lower temperature so they don’t burn.

If you add the vegetables and mushrooms, etc. to your meat, there can be excess moisture from the vegetables that will end up boiling the meat if added later, which will create a tough texture. By removing the meat and stir frying the vegetables on their own, you can then add the liquid ingredients to the vegetables to make your sauce with those nice brown bits adding a flavour boost, and then add the seared meat at the end to heat through in the sauce for perfect doneness and flavour.

I hope this answers your question. Happy Cooking and Woking!

Yours in food,
James