Cured Arctic char makes for a hearty Manitoba meal

Depressing as this notion may feel, fall on the Prairies is just around the corner.

On the bright side, you can find many varieties of fresh Manitoba produce, which can be turned into pantry preserves for winter, this month in downtown Winnipeg.

On Thursday, chef Quin Cook from Smith Restaurant teamed with CBC Manitoba for CBC Cooks Local, a cooking demonstration that takes place live at Portage Avenue and Edmonton Street, the location of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ's farmers market.

There is much more independent farming [from Manitoba farmers] coming into local restaurants.- Chef Quin Cook, Smith Restaurant

Chef Quin taught shoppers how to preserve the delicious and abundant Manitoba produce as he demonstrated a cured Arctic char recipe where the fish was paired with a medley of root vegetables.

Lead taste tester for Chef Cook was CBC Manitoba's Marcy Markusa, host of Information Radio on CBC Radio One, 89.3 FM / 990 AM​.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be purchased from vendors at the Downtown Winnipeg farmers market.

Cooking demonstrations take place live at 11:30 a.m. followed by a repeat demonstration at 12:30 p.m., but can also be watched via live stream on Facebook and at cbc.ca/manitoba.

Only one more Thursday in August remains for recipe demonstrations with downtown Winnipeg chefs at the market. 

A limited number of samples are available for tasting.

Cured Arctic char

Inspired by hearty meals from Manitoba's north, featuring salt-roasted beets, hummus, spicy mayonnaise spread and served on a baguette crostini.

Things to find at the market:

• Salt.
• Dill.
• Sugar.
• Beets.
• Lemon.
• Garlic.

Ingredients

• 1 Arctic char. Whole, skin-on, bones removed.
• ¼ cup kosher salt.
• 2 oz. fresh dill.
• ¼ cup granulated sugar.
• 2 oz. kombu (a type of Japanese kelp or seaweed).
• 2 lbs. beets.
• 1 cup chickpeas.
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil.
• 1 ½ tbsp. sesame seeds, blitzed into a paste.
• 1 lemon juice.
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed.
• 1 tbsp. cumin.
• 1 tbsp. sriracha.
• 1 cup mayonnaise.

Directions

Arctic char

1. Combine salt, sugar and dill. Fully encompass fillet with spice mix.
2. Wrap each fillet in kombu.
3. Let cure for two hours, remove from brine and rinse lightly with cold water.
4. Slice and enjoy.

Beets

1. Put enough kosher salt to cover the bottom an oven-safe dish, used to bake the beets.
2. Bake beets in the bed of salt at 375 F until they are easily pierced with a toothpick or fork. Cook time is approximately 45-90 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.
3. Let the beets cool enough so that the outside peel can be removed.
4. Dice beets into small cubes.

Hummus

1. Combine sesame seeds and olive oil, and puree until smooth.
2. Add all remaining ingredients in food processor and puree until smooth.
3. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

​​Spicy mayonnaise

1. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and sriracha until smooth.