Cured Arctic char makes for a hearty Manitoba meal

Depressing as thisnotion 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 beturned into pantry preserves forwinter, this month in downtown Winnipeg.

On Thursday, chef Quin Cook from Smith Restaurant teamedwith 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 taughtshoppers how to preserve the delicious and abundant Manitoba produce as he demonstrateda cured Arctic char recipe where the fish waspaired with a medley ofroot vegetables.

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

Many of the ingredientsin thisrecipe can be purchased from vendors at the Downtown Winnipeg farmers market.

Cooking demonstrations take placelive at 11:30 a.m. followed by a repeat demonstration at 12:30 p.m., but can also bewatchedvia live stream onFacebookand atcbc.ca/manitoba.

Onlyonemore Thursday in August remains for recipe demonstrations with downtown Winnipeg chefs at themarket.

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.
• cup kosher salt.
• 2 oz.fresh dill.
• cupgranulated sugar.
• 2 oz.kombu (a type of Japanese kelp or seaweed).
• 2 lbs. beets.
• 1 cup chickpeas.
• 2-3tbsp. olive oil.
• 1 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 twohours, 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-safedish, 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 srirachauntil smooth.