Sea-cuterie board workshop with MSC fish

How about a Seafood Sea-Cuterie Board for a Party?

I went to the Restaurant Canada Show last week and while I was wondering around trying to see as much as I could on my second day and drooling over the food I stopped to check my messages because I was waiting to see where a friend was at the show.  She sent me a message asking if I was going to the Sea-cuterie board workshop and I didn't know anything about it so I went to the sustainable area of the show and saw my friend Matt Dean Pettit and asked him if he knew where it was so he told me it was at the other end of the show so I bolted over there to see what it was all about.  But when I got there I saw my friend and found out it was an invite only event but lucky me and they had a spot available so I got to sit in on the creative workshop with Chef Charlotte Langley who owns Scout Canning.  She is a well known Chef in the Toronto Restaurant Scene and has had her line of canned seafood products for a little while now.

She told us about Sustainable Seafood that was MSC certified and why that was important.

MSC stands for MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL.  Did you know that?

Did you also know that Seafood is the world's most traded food commodity - 10 times more than coffee.  Wow.

You want to look for the MSC logo on your seafood products. 

To be MSC certified the fisheries have to comply to 28 performance indicators.

They must follow:

1. Sustainable fish stocks
2. Minimizing environmental impacts
3. Effective management

The MSC blue fish label only applies to wild catch fisheries, no farmed fish or seafood.

Food fraud is a serious issue in the new economy where people will do whatever they can for market share.  MSC is traceable from ocean to plate.

• Approx. 30% of Seafood Sold Globally is Mislabelled

Why it's worth the effort to get MSC seafood and eat more fish.

• Seafood includes protein, omega-3's, B vitamins and minerals like iron and selenium. The healthy fats help lower the risk of heart disease.
• People who regularly eat fish are 20% less likely than their peers to have depression

Back to the fun part of the workshop.  We were provided this MSC stamped cutting board with a wooden bowl and an array of fish and seafood to style on our boards.  There was some delicious lobster salad, smoked salmon, baby shrimp, mackerel and garnishes like 2 sauces and pickled veggies, lettuce and crackers.  This was the end result of my sea-cuterie styled board.  We got to bring these boards home.  I ate the lobster salad in a sandwich when I got home.  It was delicious.

You can get MSC blue fish label products at Loblaws, Whole Foods, Seafront Fish Market, Costco, Walmart, Sobeys, Ikea and Fast food chains that carry are McDonalds and A&W locations across Canada.  Try the Cod burger at A&W it's fantastic and is only around for a short time.

For more information about MSC Blue Label Products visit their website at www.msc.org
and for more nutrition info check out www.seafoodnutrition.org

Follow on Social Media
#FeelGoodSeafood
@MSCbluefish

Hawaiian Poke comes North

 The new trend hitting Toronto is Poke Bowls.  They are popping up everywhere.  The latest Poke spot is NORTH POKE in Kensington Market.  I was invited to sample some of their authentic Hawaiian Poke Bowls.  I entered the tiny shop on Baldwin and was greeted by the owner also named Linda, who wanted to create an true Poke shop and more of a fish market place.  They receive their fish daily and prepare everything fresh and in limited quantities.  Fresh Tuna is very expensive so it makes sense to order only enough for the day to keep the costs down and the fish fresh.

North Poke owner Linda

 It's a tiny shop so a small group of bloggers and foodies were invited to try 3 different poke bowls and Musubi which is a Spam Sushi type of thing.

We sampled 3 poke bowls:

1. The Big Wave - Albacore Tuna, charred Jalapeno citrus dressing, black garlic, shallots and mayo.

2.  Hawaii Classic - Ahi Tuna, shoyu dressing, cucumber, onions, nori, toasted sesame, fried shallots, avocado, macadamia nuts, house aoili, green onions and seaweed salad.

3.  Waimea -  Salmon, togarashi aoili, avocado, edamame, pickled onion, seaweed salad and fried shallots.

I think this is also the order of my preference.  The Big Wave was light and creamy and a nice balance of flavours.

The great thing about North Poke is that it comes in 3 sizes.  A snack size, the regular size and the large size.  The prices range from just over $5 to about $15.

This is a great fast fresh lunch on the run.  Grab a bowl and go.  It's the perfect fast food.  They do all the chopping and assembling and you just eat and go.

The shop is tiny but very cute with little kitchy touches like ukelele's on the wall and Hawaiian inspired art.  This shop fits perfectly in the Kensington market area with diverse original foods that have a lot of whimsy in the spaces.  It's the cutest Poke shop that I have seen so far.

Check it out at:

North Poke
179 Baldwin Street,
Toronto, ON
info@northpoke.com
Twitter @NorthPokeTO
Instagram @NorthPoke