Lunar New Year "Lo Hei"

Joanna Chu

As seen on Vancouver Sun. Recipe by Executive Chef of Fresh Ideas Start Here, Welbert Choi. 

Lo Hei, also called Yee Sang or “prosperity toss” is a raw fish salad enjoyed during Lunar New Year. Family usually gather around the table together while ingredients are being added to the plate. Then, they use chopsticks to toss the salad up – an auspicious way to “toss up good fortune” for wealth and long life.

Serves 4-6.

12 large slices of smoked salmon or one 200 g pack of smoked wild B.C. Sockeye Lox 

1 small daikon radish, peeled

1 small carrot, peeled

1 English cucumber

¼ small green cabbage

1 25-g bottle Tsumami Umami Seaweed Jam

5 tbsp. shallot oil

1 cup kimchee or pickled vegetable of choice

1 tbsp. sesame seed

3 tbsp. crispy crackers of choice

 ½ tsp. gold flakes

Julienne carrots, daikon radish, cucumber and green cabbage using a mandolin. Arrange vegetables on a large plate. Place shredded cabbage and kimchee in the middle.

Place smoked salmon on top of cabbage. Drizzle with shallot oil. Garnish with gold flakes, which can be found at specialty food stores, Tsumami Umami Seaweed Jam, sesame seeds and crackers.

 

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Seafood Feature: Fresh BC Sea Urchin

Joanna Chu
Fresh BC Sea Urchin or uni is now in season! A sustainable seafood that is harvested locally in BC waters, uni is loved for its unique umami flavours. We offer 2 types: Red and Green. Available in ready to eat trays.

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Lunar New Year Celebration Dish

Jenice Yu

When you go to a Chinese household or restaurant for CNY dinner, you will for sure see a whole fish dish on the table. Why? Well, there is a saying “年年有余(魚) - nian nian yo yu” which means “may you have surplus every year”.  The pronunciation for “fish” in the Chinese language resembles the word “surplus”, and since whole fish symbolizes luck, wealth and abundance, it is very important to have “leftovers” from the dish, typically the head and the tail.  It is also a tradition to not flip the fish over while eating which stemmed from back in the days when fishing was the major source of work and income for most families and flipping the fish would be equivalent to flipping the boat which is bad luck and a big NO NO!  Need not worry though, it is quite easy to just lift the whole bone or spine off of the meat when the fish is fully cooked.  

The common way of cooking the whole fish is steamed with garlic, ginger, green onions and soy sauce, but I am going to make it fun and different by frying a whole fresh rainbow trout from this local trout farm located in Langley, B.C.  The color and the scale pattern of rainbow trout remind me of a tiger, and 2022 is the year of the Tiger!  The fish is super crispy and juicy with a sweet and sour sauce that is simple, irresistible and versatile!  I mean who doesn’t like sweet and sour sauce! Let’s cook!

Crispy whole Fresh BC Rainbow Trout with Sweet and Sour Sauce (Serves 2-3)

Recipe by: Deseree Lo, Executive Chef

Ingredients:

1-1.5 lbs whole fresh rainbow trout available now in-store at Burnaby and Kitsilano FISH Market. This can also be substituted with frozen fillets - shop online here

For seasoning and preparing the fish:
Salt to season
1 tsp ground white Pepper
½ cup cornstarch for coating
4 cups Canola Oil for frying

For the stir-fry:
1 cup fresh pineapple, small diced
½ cup Onions, small diced
1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 cup Red Bell Peppers, seeded and small diced
1 cup Green Bell Peppers, seeded and small diced

 For the sauce:
½ cup Brown Sugar
2 tbsps Ketchup
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
½ cup Pineapple Juice, fresh or canned
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp Cornstarch
½ cup Water (more if needed to adjust consistency) 

For garnish:
Cilantro sprigs
Sliced green onions

Cooking Method:

In a large wok or a deep frying pan (preferably big enough for the fish), add the oil and turn the heat to medium to high until the oil temperature reaches 375 ͒ F.  While waiting for the oil to come up to temperature, we can prepare the fish for frying.  

Remove the scales from the fish, if needed, and rinse under cold water.  Pat dry with paper towels and set it on a cutting board.  With a sharp knife, make 5 evenly spaced (about ½ inch deep or just half way between the skin and the bones) bias cuts into both sides of the fish.  This is also known as scoring the skin.

Season the fish with salt and pepper, generously rub onto the skin, into the cuts and inside the belly.  Over a half sheet tray or a large plate, coat the entire fish with the cornstarch and gently dust off the excess.  When the oil reaches the desired temperature, carefully slide the fish away from you into the wok or pan.  Use a pair of tongs and a long spoon or fish spatula to assist you.  Please be careful.  Turn the heat down to medium so the fish won’t turn too dark before getting crispy. 

When the fish is submerged in oil, don’t move it so you are not removing the cornstarch off of the skin which is what makes it crispy.  Use the spoon to ladle the oil over the fish head or tail if the pot is not big enough.  When the bottom part of the fish is getting some nice golden brown color, carefully flip the fish over using the tongs or any other utensils.  Again, ladle the hot oil over the fish to help circulate the hot oil and get the parts that are not in the oil.

To make the sauce, first combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and set aside.  In a medium size saute pan with some oil over medium heat, add garlic, ginger, onions and both bell peppers and keep stirring for about .  When the onions are translucent, add the pineapple and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add the sauce mixture and let the sauce cook for about 5 minutes.  Turn the heat down to low/medium.  The sauce will now thicken.  Check the seasoning and adjust with water if the sauce is too thick.  Turn the heat off and set the sauce aside.

Check the fish.  It should be golden brown and crispy on both sides.  If the head and/or tail is not fried enough, you may move the fish to dip the tail or the head into the wok.  When the fish is ready, carefully remove from the pan and lay onto a sheet tray or plate with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.  Reheat the sauce if necessary.  

To finish - place the fish on a large oval plate and spoon the sauce over the fish.  I normally don’t pour all the sauce over the fish because I want the skin to remain crunchy so I serve the extra sauce in a bowl on the side.  Garnish with cilantro and green onions and you are good to go!  Don’t forget the rice.  




 

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Uni Carbonara

Jenice Yu

Pasta is definitely one of our favourite fall staples. And what better way to enjoy the traditional Spaghetti Carbonara than with our BC Red Uni while it's in season? Check out this must-try recipe Spaghetti Carbonara with BC Red Sea Urchin and Pancetta (serves 2), created by our very own Dez Lo, Executive Chef at FISH. 

Ingredients:
500 g cooked spaghetti or linguine
Note: If the sea urchin is frozen, fully thaw before cooking.  Set side 40 g for sauce and the rest as garnish)
2 tbs + 1 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
75 g diced or sliced pancetta or smoked bacon
10 g chopped garlic
2 eggs (beaten)
50 g grated Pecorino Romano 
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste and to season pasta water
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Directions:
1. In a large to medium pot, bring water to a boil with a few pinch of salt to season the water.  Cook pasta of your choice (dried pasta 8-10 minutes / fresh pasta 2-3 minutes).  Once the pasta is cooked, transfer them into a bowl and drizzle a little EVOO to prevent them from sticking.  Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and keep warm.  
2. Combine beaten egg, grated cheese and 40 g red uni roes in a bowl, mix well and set aside.
3. Heat a medium size non-stick pan or a skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp EVOO, add pancetta or bacon and slowly render the fat until brown and crispy.  
4. Add the chopped garlic and cook until golden brown (about 2 minutes & do not walk away as the garlic will burn easily and become bitter). Meanwhile, have the reserved cooked pasta, the egg mixture and pasta water ready and next to you as you will have to work quickly once you add them into the pan.
5. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the pasta and 1/2 of the reserved pasta water.  Use a pair of tongs and swirl the pasta and the water to emulsify with the bacon fat.  When you see the water start to bubble again, turn off the heat and quickly stir in the egg mixture.
6. Gently toss the pasta as the remaining heat is now cooking the egg mixture without making scrambled eggs. If necessary, add more pasta water until you reach your desired creamy consistency.  
7. Add the chopped parsley and season with fresh black pepper (generously) and salt.
8.  Garnish with the remaining sea urchin roes, some whole parsley leaves, more grated cheese and dig in!

 

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uni

Fresh Halibut Season

Adrian Ng
Halibut season is finally upon us! Wild, local and fresh whole fish, fillets, steaks and cheeks will be available in store from now until October. These beautiful 20+ pound fish are brought in daily to our Plant located on Mitchell Island.

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Spot Prawn Sale!

Freshideasstarthere Admin

For all store pick-ups from Wednesday June 24 to Friday June 26, get 10% off on live BC spot prawns!*

Use discount code "THANKYOU" at checkout for the discount.

Please place separate orders for non-spot prawn orders for your 15% off regular store pick-up discount. Only one discount code can be applied per order. 

Disclaimer: Orders with a discount code applied for spot prawns with pick-up dates other than the dates stated above (June 24-26) will be canceled. 

 

 

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We Deliver!

Freshideasstarthere Admin

Great News !  We deliver to Vancouver, Richmond, South Delta.  

Place your order before 8AM for same day delivery

Vancouver will expect their delivery 1-5pm
Richmond will expect their delivery 1-5pm
South Delta will expect their delivery 3-5pm

You will be contacted when delivery is arriving.  Please keep your phone on you during the delivery time.  We highly recommend putting away your purchases immediately in the freezer or refrigerate for best quality.  

We will begin deliveries to the Tri-cities and North Vancouver in the near future.  Stay tuned for announcement.  

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