This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show - easy BBQ Salmon

This morning I had the pleasure of presenting the following recipes on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with Kerän Sanders. This will make a wonderful Father's Day BBQ meal. Don't over cook it!

There is beautiful wild caught Sockeye Salmon now available at Gimli Fish at three locations in Winnipeg.

Maple Mustard Marinade for Salmon

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbs chopped tarragon
salt and pepper,to taste

Mix ingredients and spread over salmon fillet. Cover and chill for a few hours. Grill over high heat for 8 to 15 minutes, or until opaque, depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Morel Mushroom Sauce

1-2 tbs melted butter
drizzle olive oil
2 cups fresh morels, whole or sliced
2-3 shallots, minced
drizzle olive oil
a few drops truffle oil (optional)
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté shallots in a pan on medium high heat with the olive oil and cook through until translucent. Add the morels and stir until cooked through. Deglaze the pan with a bit of the white wine. Add the cream and cook until reduces. Add the remaining white wine and reduce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cedar Plank Smokey Salmon - another option

1 cedar plank – soaked for a few hours* (one cooking method, optional)
1 large wild caught salmon filet*
1 cup Lapsong Suchon tea **– steep strongly
1 drizzle sesame oil
1 heaping tsp. Ground ginger
1 drizzle chili oil
1/4 cup Mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tbs. Sugar or honey
1/8 tsp. Ground white pepper

Mix last 8 ingredients in a bowl. Place salmon fillet on a platter and pour marinade over fish. Wrap and chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Preheat outdoor BBQ to medium-high heat. Place cedar plank on middle of grill and close the cover. Allow to smoke for 3-4 minutes. Turn plank over and place salmon fillet in the middle of plank. Close grill and let cook up to 15-20 minutes or until fillet is done, depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Garnish with scallion flowers (Green onions cut and put in cold water to make flower shapes).

Enjoy and try with a Morel Mushroom Sauce!

This Morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show - Imam Baldi

This morning I had the pleasure of presenting this classic Turkish eggplant dish on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with Kerän Sanders. I used the small Indian eggplants with a lovely result.

Please enjoy this classic Turkish dish, Imam Baldi, or, the Imam fainted dead away. I've prepared it with less olive oil by grilling them on the BBQ instead of frying them, thus, hopefully, keeping the Imam quite alive and well.




4 baby globe eggplants or Japanese (peel off 3 slices of outer skin length-wise around the eggplant)
olive oil (for frying and flavour)
Rich tomato sauce (recipe follows)
cilantro (optional)

Grill the eggplants over a hot grill with three strips of peel cut off of each eggplant and drizzled with olive oil. Turn and keep cooking until the eggplant is soft. Remove from heat and split open the eggplants with a sharp knife and let them rest. Spoon the rich tomato sauce into each eggplant.

Rich Tomato Sauce

1 tin crushed tomatoes (organic fire roasted is nicest)
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup red wine (optional, try orange juice for a fresh Summer flavour)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp brown sugar (to reduce acid of tomatoes)

Preheat oven to 350°F. On the stove top, preheat olive oil in sauté pan. Carefully brown egplants on all sides. This takes some time. One option is to prepare the eggplant on a BBQ by drizzling olive oil over the eggplants prior to grilling. Remove eggplants from pan and place in a baking dish. Let eggplants rest. Split open the eggplants and spoon in the rich tomato sauce into each eggplant. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and drizzle with good olive oil. Bake for up to 30 minutes. Imam Baldi can be enjoyed hot, cold or room temperature. Serve with bread.

Enjoy!