Macgregors Seafood Notes

Because Toronto isn't a coastal city, local seafood traditions can be hard to come by. Or are they? Being such a multicultural city, a good part of our food traditions are transplants from our citizens various native countries. You want an authentic Spanish coastal experience - Boquerones (white anchovy fillets), Mojama (a traditional cured tuna loin), Bottarga (pressed and salted and dried tuna roe) - no problem, in fact it's pretty easy. That's what makes Toronto utterly unique among our our large cosmopolitan brothers. No other place on the planet is as diverse and multicultural as our fair city, and with that comes easy access to a gold mine of traditional food experiences.
Great, but where does that leave local seafood traditions? Well, ask around and you'll start to see that they exist - and while it may not seem as exotic as say the first sign of Wild Salmon running up the Copper River in Alaska, there are indeed local seasonal seafood traditions that are quite good. What does my mom remember growing up at the cottage in the summer - Pickerel fillets, cooked in a cast iron skillet with pancake batter. What did I just have for dinner at one of Toronto's best new restaurants Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner - Ontario Lake Trout. Don't get me wrong, I'm the first to indulge in wild exotic seafood from around the globe. In fact, I've built somewhat of a name around bringing in fresh chilled seafood from Australia and New Zealand - absolutely as far away as possible. But, a lot has to be said of regional and seasonal seafood from your own back door.
Lake Trout comes into season every Spring. What's unique about a lot of Ontario fresh water lakes is that they are phenomenally deep - 400+ feet isn't uncommon, and at those depths in the Spring, water temperatures are hovering around 0 degrees. The Trout pack serious insulative fat which translates into a rich buttery texture. You catch these fish using down rigging long lines. Whereas most people are used to the bright orange/red flesh of a farm raised Rainbow Trout, the natural flesh color of Wild Lake Trout is a lot paler - but not lacking flavor. At Jamie Kennedy the other night I started my meal with a local Asparagus salad, and then the Lake Trout. Often times when you're out in one Toronto's many white tablecloth restaurants it's a global meal - sometimes even down to a Salt from France. But this experience was Regional, Seasonal & every bit as unique and rewarding.
As our world continues to get smaller, we tend to look in our own backyard last. Sometimes we'd rather buy Organic Salmon from Ireland because somehow we feel better about it (what about the Diesel fuel to get it here?). While there is a world of rich experiences in Seafood from all over the world - and I encourage people to try it, there are also wonderful seasonal seafood traditions right where we live that deserves some of your attention too.