Wild BC Salmon with Culinary Luminaries at Luxe Appliance Studio
In this post we were gathered at Luxe Appliance Studio, a kitchen showroom, that also doubles as a working kitchen for chefs to host demos, do photo shoots, and showcase their cuisine amongst premium luxury appliances.
Luxe opened November of 2023, and is also affectionately known as a Chef’s playground with brands like Bosch, Thermador, and Gaggenau at their finger tips. All within 8 different kitchens, across 8,500 square feet, displaying over 200 appliances from the above 3 brands. In truth this is an educational centre and they don’t sell anything. Instead, they see plenty of designers in architects visiting for inspiration.
We got a quick tour after the evening’s session and discovered hideaway stove tops, exhaust fans that pop out of counters, and fridges created to help preserve produce.
Therefore this was the perfect setting to host the BC Salmon Marketing Council and this event celebrating one of Canada’s premium seafood products: wild BC salmon.
The goal of this workshop was to increase the awareness of BC salmon, to have people reaching for it the next time they need a dinner solution.
Salmon that is “born and nourished in the pristine waters of British Columbia’s coast and interior, wild BC salmon is harvested by local fishermen using sustainable fishing methods that ensure both the delicious taste and long-term health of the resource by protecting their natural habitat. The result? A highly nutritious and delicious protein that has earned a well-deserved international reputation.” (As taken from the BC Salmon Marketing Council)
And in anticipation of the opening of salmon season they have partnered up with two of B.C.’s most celebrated chefs Robert Clark C.M. and Julian Bond of Aramé Consulting, to co-host an immersive cooking demonstration to mark the occasion today.
As guests trickled in, we were greeted with a glass of Phantom Creek’s 2022 Rose. Lovely as is with notes of green strawberry, although with the small bites below I found it clashed and became acrid with its higher level of acidity.
I was eager to have a glass of their 2022 Cabernet Franc instead. This was a full bodied red whose oaky and woodsy notes paired well with the rich flavours of the salmon forward small bites below.
The evening was held to recognize small artisan fisheries, with the support of Oceanwise. We met the the CEO of Organic Ocean, an advocate for sustainable seafood and heard from the salmon marketing board. They spoke to cost saving and sustainable methods including selling frozen instead of fresh seafood to restaurants and distributors to eliminate waste. The longevity and the quality of the product remains if killed, bled, and frozen properly. Such as with the case of today’s salmon catch that was soon to be diner. Fun fact: Canada also sells salmon globally to Michelin Star restaurants in Singapore.
For those unfamiliar, OceanWise is an ocean sustainable program. They work with businesses who sell seafood, be it as is or in supplements and/or pet food. They do an assessment to see where that business is on the sustainability chart, starting with one item and one score and progressing to 100% for everything.
Wild salmon is known to be one of the healthiest proteins in the world, with very little bad fats, it helps brain health, heart health, and immune health. With all the above classifications, it has the makings of a super food.
There are 5 species of wild BC salmon, although consumers are typically in the market for only two. So we would focus our attention on the undervalued pink salmon today, less sought after due to its lighter orange hue. Although just as tasty and the group didn’t see any difference.
For canapés we started a Salmon Rillette, cooked low and slow at 100 degrees before being mashed into a paste with sour cream, horseradish, and chives. Served on a dry Ryvita cracker to add a crunchy texture, offering a nice base to really enjoy the whipped texture of the salmon on. A delicious spread that would be great on a bagel for breakfast as well.
The Salmon Puff Pastry with kelp was their twist on a beef Wellington, and my favourite bite of the night. The richness of salmon coupled with a sumptuous crispy and buttery wrap, then topped with an herbed pesto and fresh cream: splendid.
There were also cups of salmon ceviche. Once again a nice contrast of soften fish and crispy shell, but flavoured with orange and cilantro for a refreshing bite.
With wine in hand, we then gathered in close to watch our comedic chef duo teach us some tips on preparing salmon. Salmon done 3 ways for our grazing table dinner. Starting with carving up the whole from frozen salmon and ending with a candied version for dessert.
Our salmon was day old since its catching. We noted how well the fisherman who caught it, killed and cleaned it of all its guts. I won’t be going through with now each dish is made, but instead offer the tips on preparing salmon that I learned throughout this demonstration. I would even get a chance a participate as well, as when they needed someone to help paint on the sauce for the salmon, and I was quick to shoot my hand up to volunteer.
Seasoning your fish ahead of time draws out moisture.
You can tell the freshness of your fish by how flexible its pieces are when you slice it.
Cast iron on an induction is ideal for cooking your fish. You add olive oil to the fish, instead of drizzling it on the pan. Then you pre-heat the pan thoroughly before placing your salmon on it to avoid it sticking.
If you are serving fish with skin on, the skin side goes down first. This is so that its stays nice and crispy for your presentation.
When curing you want to over season your salmon and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes, then you rinse off the excess salt before handling it.
The secret to making perfect risotto is stirring consistently to break up the starches.
The menu included lovely pink fillets, simply seasoned with salt and pepper then grilled on a regular pan and on a cast iron grill pan with ridges.
This would eventually be topped with kelp and a herb sauce to finish.
I helped to smear dressing on these salmon fillets, a thick coating of lemon mustard sauce before they were baked in the oven.
To finish they were topped with juilenne squash and onion.
There were even sides the likes of a stewed cabbage, baked and smashed herbed potato, and grilled crisp asparagus.
We then gathered around the grazing table for a free for all salmon feast.
And for dessert we had candied salmon served on a grilled pineapple spear, spiced with chilli, and further sweetened with maple syrup for a delicious treat.
Hands down, this is the best way I have had smoked salmon. Especially with the added smoke show with liquid nitrogen.
This definitely got my creative juices flowing for future salmon preparation. So the next time I am at the local fish counter, I can make a difference with my purchase by asking for Wild BC Salmon.
Luxe Appliance Studio
30 E 6th Ave Unit 101, Vancouver, BC V5T 1J3
