The second issue of the popular Ocean Wise Cookbook was released last week with even more recipes using sustainable seafood.
The book follows on the success of Ocean Wise Cookbook: Seafood Recipes that are Good for the Planet, published in 2010. Both books were compiled and edited by Vancouver-based writer and former caterer Jane Mundy, who said while it was tough to find enough recipes to fill the first volume, that certainly was not the case with Ocean Wise Cookbook 2.
Ocean Wise is a nation-wide conservation program created to help businesses and their customers make environmentally friendly choices. The Ocean Wise symbol next to a seafood item at a restaurant or shop assures shoppers that option is deemed sustainable. The program, founded by the Vancouver Aquarium and the now defunct C Restaurant in Vancouver in 2005, launched nationally in 2009.
The Ocean Wise Cookbook 2 includes recipes from some of the best chefs in the country, including Warren Barr of the Wickaninnish Inn, Jason Bangerter of Langdon Hall and Ned Bell of YEW Restaurant and Bar located in the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. The Fairmont Hotel is also credited with embracing the program in its infancy. The new cookbook features 40 species of seafood, from oysters to octopus, pink salmon to sturgeon and a few seaweed recipes. According to Mundy, kelp is the new kale. Many chefs submitted recipes featuring seafood and fish they sourced locally, such as P.E.I. mussels and Lake Erie pickerel. Keep in mind one of the best conservation methods is to diversify by eating many kinds of sustainable fish.
And while the cookbook doesn’t hit the shelves and online book stores until July 6, Mundy provided the Courier with a recipe to share. As well, the Courier is giving away a signed copy of the cookbook to the 10th reader to email me at [email protected] and answer the following question: What is the number one problem facing the world’s oceans? The winner, who will be announced July 3, must be able to pick the cookbook up at the Courier’s office on West Fifth Avenue.
Ocean Wise Dungeness Crab Tacos with Radish Sprouts
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Substitutions: Maple syrup is a great substitute for the honey.
Tacos:
Juice and zest of 1 lemon, divided
2 Tbsp (30 mL) miso paste
2 Tbsp (30 mL) Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp (30 mL) honey
1 cup (250 mL) canola oil
1 ripe avocado
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh cooked Ocean Wise Dungeness crab
6 crispy wonton shells
Set aside 1 tsp (5 mL) of lemon juice for the avocado. Mix remaining lemon juice with lemon zest, miso paste, mustard, honey, and canola oil in a blender to make the dressing. Mash avocado with a fork. Season with 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Mix about 1/4 cup (60 mL) dressing into the Ocean Wise crab meat and taste, adjusting as needed. Refrigerate the remaining dressing for up to two weeks — it’s great on salads.
To serve:
2 radishes, thinly shaved
1/2 cup (125 mL) radish sprouts
Put crab-meat mixture into the wonton shells until they’re bursting with crab. Spoon the avocado mixture onto a plate and place assembled tacos on top. Garnish with radish slices and sprouts.
Pairing Suggestion: Tom Firth: Tantalus Old Vine Riesling.
For more information and recipes visit oceanwise.ca.
