Today I was invited to a Chinese influencer event with local importers Ocean Mama Seafood.
It was a casual affair hosted at their home offices on Annacis Island. There, they’re two in-house Chefs set about demonstrating the quality of Ocean Mama products, by way of their expertise and skill. A casual, standing room only, four course lunch featuring salmon and wagyu.
Our time began with Chef Echi, teaching us through example on how to filet salmon, which is currently in season. Here, we discuss the benefits of both fresh and farm salmon, and the need for both in BC markets. We would be sampling farmed Atlantic salmon today.
You can tell how fresh fish is by its scent, it shouldn’t smell fishy or leave a lingering odour. Freshness is visible though the gills, when it is nice and red, when the eyes of the fish are not dulled over and still shiny, and when you touch the meat it springs back. That is what you should be looking for when you pick your salmon, and our specialists even advised asking the fish monger to let you smell the fish before hand. Simply put, ironically, if it smells like fish, don’t buy it.
He plated the fish as is, sashimi style, given that all their fish is sashimi grade and quality. He even sliced up banana leaves to have as decoration.
He then prepared a couple platters of nigiri, teaching those who wanted to learn, his method for the perfect portion of fish over rice, with one hand and on tempo.
I learned that you want to leave a gap of air between fish, wasabi and rice. This move ensures that the pieces do not come out too dense, and the rice is still soft.
This was course one and two. Our third bite was the start of three wagyu courses, all prepared by Chef Poyan.
The first, Wagyu beef spring rolls. Dim sum quality fried spring rolls crafted by local Chinese seafood restaurant “The Deluxe Chinese Restaurant” in Richmond. This was a quick snack and meal solution, as it was easy to open the package and simply pour what you want to fry in hot oil. Just make sure the centre is fully cooked.
Next, we had Wagyu Bolognese, prepared by Chef Poyan. Here, the audience learned how easy it is to take any recipe where you would utilize a beef product and make it more luxurious with the fatty richness of waygu.
In this pasta dish it added a comforting soft gristle to the mix. Easily coating the noodles, alongside fresh tomato sauce. Both are then finished with freshly shaved parmesan cheese.
They import their Australian Wagyu carpaccio in once a month, wherein it is ready to go. All you need to do is open up the pack and present it, thus making this the ideal solution for an elevated dinner party.
This was dressed in a drizzle of white truffle oil, radish, red onions, fresh arugula, and salt and pepper to taste.
Then for dessert we had the Chinese delicacy of bird nest, in bottles and imported by Seafood Mama as a health drink.
The food was delicious and the causal setting made it all the more personal.
