With over 200,000 Kilometers of shoreline, Canada’s seafood is always in season.  Regional and seasonal dishes flow together like our rivers, streams, oceans, and lakes.  Shellfish, fresh, and saltwater seafood is abundant all year here in Canada.  Preparing the fish in the comfort of your home, boat, or cabin is painless when working with the proper tools. From steaming and grilling, to plating and cracking, Williams Food Equipment has everything you need. Let’s start off with a brag.  We have the largest lobster caught according to the Guinness World Record Book!  20.14kg is what this guy weighed in at in 1977.   Down south a few kilometers, Maine says they caught a 23.36kg big boy back in 1926.  All we know is we have the record, and the best lobster in the world! Lobsters are very interesting creatures.  They possibly can live forever!?  Their organs don’t degenerate.  Only getting eaten themselves by predators stops their clock from ticking.  With no brain, it is amazing these guys can live so long.  And, with no brain, comes no pain.  Feel free to throw them in the pot without guilt.  Lying them on their backs for a minute or two puts them to sleep if your conscience is getting the best of you. Since the lobster is the finest fare of all crustaceans, an explanation on cooking techniques is important.  1^st, purchase, or catch if legal, a live lobster.  The typical weight range for a nice lobster dinner is around 1.25 lbs., up to 6lbs if you are fortunate enough to obtain a biggie!  And, please know it’s all about the cooking time vs size of a lobster.  Many believe that a larger lobster is tougher.  This is a myth.  Proper cooking techniques will always ensure great food!

The four main styles of cooking lobster are:

1. Steaming
2. Boiling
3. Grilling
4. Blanching

Steaming and boiling require a Demeyere Industry 12 QT Stock Pot with Lid.  This pot is simply a must-have for all seasons.  The Silvinox finish guarantees this pot looks beautiful for its lifetime. To steam or boil, the preferred water source is where you caught the lobster.  Saltwater from the ocean is where it’s at!  If that is not an option, then add 2 tablespoons of salt per gallon if boiling.  Incorporating a tablespoon of Old Bay can’t hurt either. Boiling is great for more lobsters cooked at once.  They will come out more evenly cooked vs other methods.  Plus, the high heat cooks em’ quick!  Steaming the lobsters is less messy, can create more tender meat, preserves the “oceany” taste, and has a more accurate timing than boiling. Remember, in summer, the lobsters molt, so they have a thinner shell.  Winter, they have the hardest shell.  This is critical to your cooking times! The 3^rd option is grilling up some tails & claws on the BBQ during summer!  Marinades, butter, and that smoky taste make this one of the best outdoor meals on the planet.  Simply open with the Ricardo Seafood Scissors, brush with your favorite oil, butter, or marinade, and grill, shell side down for 7 minutes, until the meat is opaque. The last method is less common.  Blanching is used when the meat is needed another day, or for another dish.  It is the same as boiling, but you will need to pull your lobster from the pot within three minutes to preserve the freshness of the meat. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for no more than three days max. Enjoying your lobster is made trouble-free with Cuisinart 8 Piece Seafood Set.  For less than $20, your guests will love these classy utensils.  The Wusthof Lobster Forks are stunning!  And the Wusthof Lobster Prongs are some of the best we have ever used!  Plating your lobster in a Le Creuset 9” Caribbean Coupe Pasta Bowl will have everyone feeling they are down at the seashore, dining on an island. Walleye is awesome!  Fishing for these beautiful lake fish is more fun than one could dream.  The summer memories on the lake are engrained forever.  But, once you catch these critters, cooking them up is a blast.  Deep fried, pan-seared, and crispy baked are only a few great ways to prepare Walleye. “Unzipping” a Walleye is a special skill.  To unzip means removing the lateral-line bones in a skillful manner.  Cutting a small 45-degree divot at the tail on either side of the bones, then gently pulling down, will remove these little, irritating bones from your gorgeous fillet.  Any seafood can be a bit of a chore to work with…The Victorinox Black Fish Fillet Kit solves that problem.  With four knives, a sharpener, and a cutlery roll to carry the knives, makes this kit an essential addition to any angler. Deep fried Walleye is the best “fish n’ Chips” fish!  We love Cod too, but Walleye is something special when done correctly. Here is a traditional take on a summer classic:

DEEP FRIED WALLEYE

INGREDIENTS 8 Walleye fillets(unzipped!) 4 eggs, beaten 1 cup of AP flour 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, Old Bay, and black pepper 3 cups soda crackers 1 cup “Ritz” style butter crackers DIRECTIONS 1). Place the beaten eggs in one Browne Mixing Bowl.  The flour & spices in another bowl.  The crushed crackers go in a third bowl. 2). Dip the fish in the flour mix 1^st.  The eggs 2^nd.  Then the cracker crumbs last.  Allow to set on a cooling rack for couple of minutes to ensure proper sticking of the batter before frying. 3). Set your Breville Smart Fryer for 375 degrees.  Place fish a few pieces at a time into fryer until GBD (golden brown & delicious!).  This usually takes 5 minutes. 4). Serve with lemon wedges, fries, tarter and cocktail sauces, and some malt vinegar. Only two species of seafood were covered…We can go on and on with the rich bounty of shellfish, and ocean, river, and lake fish Canada have to offer.  We never even mentioned our Trout, Salmon, and Bass…That will be for another day.  Until then, fish, cook, and eat all that is good in the Great White North!