In the Pacific Northwest, where fresh seafood is abundant, I am generally frustrated with the fish selection in our grocery stores. However, on one shopping trip, I stumbled across a package of flash-frozen ahi tuna steaks. Remembering a Provencal preparation called ‘Thon à l’Oseille,’ or seared tuna with sorrel, I …

This recipe combines the best flavours of Provence in one dish – seafood, olives, fennel, and rosé. The very talented Gemma Wade crafted these ingredients into a delicious and almost-too-beautiful-to-eat Olive Tapenade Crusted Cod with Fennel Braised in Rosé. This dish was part of an Easter lunch menu that Gemma …

Sometimes you need a bit of inspiration for cooking; in this case, it happened to be a friend’s trip to Scandinavia. This easy recipe for poached Arctic Char embellishes a classic french beurre blanc sauce. What could be better than butter, white wine with an exotic twist of pear and …

The following salmon recipe was definitely market-inspired. I created the onion compote with tiny I’itoi (pronounced ee-EE-toy) onions an old-world crop.

Romesco sauce originates from the fishing community in Catalonia, Spain. A place where red peppers, garlic and a bit of piment are well-entrenched in the local cuisine.

Pastilla is a typical Moroccan dish, which we learned to make on our last culinary adventure to Marrakesh. Layers of pastry similar to phyllo wrap around a savoury filling of shredded chicken, spicy seafood or a vegetarian mixture. The traditional pastilla (bastilla or b’stilla) found in Marrakech is a sweet …

My variation on Salmon Wellington en Crôute includes other seafood (sole, scallops and shrimp), it was “born” out of necessity when we lived in Maine. Over the years, I have lightened-up the recipe ingredients a bit.

Aioli (aïoli) is a popular sauce in the South of France. Made with olive oil, potato and egg yolk, the recipe for this garlic mayonnaise follows. Le Grand Aioli describes the main course where the aioli sauce compliments a selection of seasonal vegetables and fish.

This pasta dish – saffron spaghetti with buttery scallops – was created out of what I found in Susan and Towny’s fridge when we visited recently. Now in fairness, she had some lovely East Coast scallops on hand, but it was all about the butter.

This dish of Sautéed Prawns is really quick to prepare, and delicious. Have your mise-en-place ready and in under five minutes, the shrimp are ready to eat.