Serious About Seafood

BY GHM STAFF

Michael Howell is a renowned Canadian chef and vocal advocate for sustainable seafood and ethical eating. His cooking career has taken him all across North America, and his latest restaurant, Tempest, is in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, one of the hottest food and wine regions in the country. Now in its tenth year, Tempest is among the most well known restaurants in Canada.

Michael is also the leader of Slow Food Nova Scotia, part of Slow Food International, a 100,000-member global organization centered on the belief that we need to consume and support good, clean, fair food, produced ethically and with respect for the earth. Earlier this year, Michael also received the distinguished Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the government of Canada for his contributions to the country in the food movement.

Chef Michael has a special passion for seafood, and he credits it largely to his DNA— both his father and grandfather plied the North Atlantic as professional fshermen— and the fact that he spent his childhood on the shores of Nova Scotia. As a young man, though, Michael chose acting as an early career. After graduating from Dalhousie University, he worked in Toronto as an actor and director, but got his frst taste of the restaurant world while waiting tables to supplement his income. After nearly a decade, the newly married Howell moved to Chicago and decided it was time for a change.

He entered the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and after graduation, he began building his culinary career, working in well-regarded restaurants in Chicago, Detroit, Boston and New York before moving to the Bahamas in 1999. For three years, while serving as executive chef at the Green Turtle Club, his fnely honed skills were unleashed on a fresh and plentiful supply of local seafood, and the GTC was recognized as the “Best Restaurant in the Bahamas” by the Nassau Wine and Food Society.

Having recently sold Tempest, Chef Michael is heading back to the Green Turtle Club (greenturtleclub.com), where he will spend several months each year as the consulting executive chef, creating new seafood delicacies. His cookbook, Atlantic Seafood, is available from Nimbus Publishing (nimbus.ca). Chef Michael Howell | Green Turtle Club | Bahamas

The Fishery in San Diego

Seared Tuna with Saffron, Tomato and Ol ive Oil Ragout

Ragout

½ tsp (2 ml) safron threads 4 ripe tomatoes, seeded and quartered 2 roasted red peppers, peeled and seeded 2 marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped 1 red onion, sliced 4 green or black olives, pitted and roughly chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice ½ cup (100 ml) white wine ½ cup (100 ml) extra virgin olive oil 6 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced Salt and pepper, to taste Combine all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, then simmer 5 minutes, or until tomatoes and onions are softened. Reserve warm.

Seared Tuna

2 lbs (900 g) centre-cut tuna loin, cut into six portions, about ¾” (2 cm) thick Salt and pepper, to taste 1½ cups (300 ml) + 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil 6 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Rub the tuna loin pieces with 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of the olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Marinate for 1 hour. In a heavy, cast iron pan, over high heat, sear the tuna until it is browned and almost crispy on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Remove from heat. Do not overcook. Cut each tuna portion in half, exposing the rare center and crispy crust. Arrange the pieces in the middle of a plate. Add the basil to the ragout, reheat briefy, and then drizzle the sauce over the fsh and around the plate. Serve immediately.

Linguini w ith Lit tlenecks and Garl ic

16 oz (500 g) fresh linguini or other long pasta 1 tsp (5 ml) + 1 tsp (5 ml) + 2 tsp (10 ml) extra virgin olive oil 8 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp (5 ml) chile fakes 2¼ lbs (1 kg) fresh littleneck or mahogany clams (or other small hard shell clams), washed thoroughly 1 cup (200 ml) white wine 1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice 1 large fresh, ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and diced 3 Tbsp (45 ml) chopped Italian parsley

Fill a large pot with salted water and 1 tsp (5 ml) of olive oil. Add the linguini and boil until cooked. Al dente (frm, but not hard) consistency is desired, as you will cook the pasta some more with the clams. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, but reserve 2 cups of the cooking water. Toss the noodles with 1 tsp (5 ml) of olive oil to keep them from sticking and reserve them nearby in a large metal bowl. In a large skillet able to hold the pasta, warm the remaining 2 tsp (10 ml) of olive oil and add the garlic, chile fakes, and clams, and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly for 3-4 minutes, or until the clams just start to open. Add the wine and lemon juice and cover the skillet with a lid or foil. Steam the clams for 1-2 minutes, or until they are open, whichever comes frst. Be careful not to overcook them. Remove the lid; add the cooked pasta, tomato, and parsley and enough of the reserved pasta water to make a loose broth. Stir in the remaining olive oil, add salt and pepper as desired, and divide immediately among 6 plates or bowls. Pour any of the broth remaining in the skillet over the pasta. Italians do not typically add parmigiano or Parmesan cheese to seafood dishes, but should you desire, please do so.

Spicy Car ibbean Crab Cakes

2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive or vegetable oil 1 shallot, peeled and chopped 1 medium red pepper, fnely diced 1 medium yellow pepper, fnely diced 1 large jalapeno or red fnger pepper, chopped and seeds removed (or left in depending on heat preference) 1 small red onion, peeled and fnely diced ¾” (2 cm) ginger, peeled and fnely chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 lb (500 g) cooked lump rock crab or snow crabmeat 4 Tbsp (60 ml) chopped cilantro 1 cup (250 ml) mayonnaise 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Dijon mustard 1 cup (200 ml) ripe mango, fnely diced Liberal dashes of Caribbean hot sauce, or Tabasco Salt and pepper, to taste 2 cups (500 ml) + ½ cup (100 ml) panko or regular breadcrumbs

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot, peppers, hot pepper, red onion and ginger. Sweat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove to a large bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, reserving ½ cup (100 ml) of breadcrumbs. Fold the crab cake mixture gently, trying not to break up the lumps of crabmeat too much. After the mixture is thoroughly combined, refrigerate for one hour. Remove the crab cake mixture from the fridge. Spread the remaining 100 ml of breadcrumbs on a cookie sheet. Form the crab mixture into balls slightly larger than golf balls, and then fatten them out so that each cake resembles a small hockey puck. Dredge all sides in the breadcrumbs. (You can reserve the crab cakes for cooking later, as they can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) There are 2 options for cooking the cakes: You can bake them in a 425°F (220°C) oven for 12-15 minutes, fipping them after 8 minutes, or you can pan-fry or deep-fry the cakes in 360°F (180°C) oil until golden brown and crunchy, about 3 minutes.