24 Sep Video: Prince Edward Island Seafood with Chef Michael Smith
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CMN Video: Prince Edward Island Seafood with Chef Michael Smith
Chef Michael Smith joins Chef Mark for a discussion of the bountiful foods of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and shares 2 quick and easy recipes using the amazing fresh seafood of the province: Beer steamed mussels and Creamy dilled pasta with smoked salmon.
A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com
Prince Edward Island Smoked Salmon with Pasta and Simple Lemon Dill Cream Cheese Sauce
This is one of the most popular dishes on my table. Our friends love its bright, familiar flavours and we love how easy it is to make. You can toss steaming, wet, just cooked pasta with melting cream cheese to form an incredibly smooth luxurious sauce. The smoked salmon adds extravagance balanced by other familiar flavours: dill, lemon, onion, mustard and capers. A five star dish for sharing!
Serves 4
1 lb penne or your favourite shaped pasta like bowties, long pastas like spaghetti don’t work as well
1 cup room temperature cream cheese
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 heaping spoonful of Dijon mustard
1/4 cup capers
8 ounces smoked salmon, or more
sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Season it liberally with salt until tastes like a day at the beach on Prince Edward Island. As the pasta cooks it will absorb the salted water and become properly seasoned. Cook al dente, until the pasta is cooked through but still pleasantly chewy.
Scoop out some of the starchy cooking water. Drain the pasta but not quite all the way. Leave it a bit wet. Toss the pasta back into the pot along with a splash or two of the reserved water, perhaps a half-cup or so in total then immediately add the rest of the ingredients. While the pasta is still steaming hot it will easily melt the cream cheese and form a rich creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Simply Steamed Island Blue Mussels with Three Different Flavours
Mussels are super simple to cook and travel with their own built-in sauce base. They’re easy to steam and when you do, they release a flavourful broth that many connoisseurs swear is the best part. That broth can be flavoured any way you care too so mussels are also a great ingredient to free style with.
Serves 4
Five to six pounds of mussels, rinsed well with lots of cold running water
Choose 1 of the following three flavouring groups:
A 12 ounce bottle of your favourite local beer, a sliced onion, a tablespoon of butter
1 cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of curry powder
1 cup of whatever wine you’re drinking, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 tablespoon of butter
Wash the mussels very well and discard any that are open and wont close with a bit of gentle finger pressure.
Pour the liquid and other aromatic ingredients of your choice into a large pot with a tight fitting lid. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the mussels and cover with the lid. Shake the pot occasionally and cook until all the mussels have opened, ten minutes or so.
Spoon out the mussels into a serving bowl. Strain the remaining liquid to remove any broken shell or lingering sand in it. Serve with the mussels and lots of bread for soaking up the flavourful juice!
Recipes courtesy of Chef Michael Smith.
www.chefmichaelsmith.ca
