(smoked salmon stuffed with avocado and apple; pan roasted halibut with smoked tomato coulis, basil drizzle and fried basil leaf) 

CATCH: The Nova Scotia Seafood Festival at the Cunard Centre in Halifax was elegant, entertaining and delicious. Wandering around on a beautiful Saturday listening to classical music from the wine garden, followed by Maritime folk music while tasting every element of seafood from the East Coast, this is how I want to spend every weekend. Lighthouses and lobsters decorated almost every table, the true essence of Nova Scotia was everywhere.

The food was extraordinary. The mussels were perfectly seasoned, I sampled smoked salmon stuffed with avocado and apples, tried a mini lobster roll, devoured a stunning seafood crepe and had the best spicy crab cakes I have ever eaten thanks to the famous Five Fishermen restaurant. Yes, I was in my foodie element. I still have yet to slurp down a raw oyster, perhaps next year I will have enough courage to try one!

In attendance were restaurants, seafood producers, harvesters and even fishing vessels like L’Acadie 2000 which we took a tour of right outside the doors of the Cunard Centre. At the festival there were wine pairing events, oyster shucking competitions, demonstrations on preparing lobster and the Great Catch Chef Competition. 

(Me and Anthony; Chuck hamming it up with a lobster!)

The highlight of the day was watching Food Network Canada's Anthony Sedlak from The Main and Chuck Hughes from Chuck’s Day Off create their fantastic seafood-inspired dishes right before our eyes. Anthony made a pan roasted Atlantic salmon dish that smelled so delicious the entire crowd groaned and I will admit, I was one of the many wishing I could taste the final results. His buttered seared sea scallops were made with a sea of butter which he assured us was perfectly safe. Paula Deen would have been proud! Anthony’s passion for cooking and teaching could not be contained to the stage. After creating his butternut squash purée he jumped on to the floor in front of the stage and demonstrated different plating techniques. 

Chuck made a few cameos during Anthony demo and the two guys bantered and joked with each other. Chuck was Anthony’s sous chef at the end of the demonstration but during Chuck’s turn he got even with Anthony by naming the lobster he sacrificed in front of our eyes Sedlak. While making us laugh, Chuck made lobster poutine to showcase the best of Montreal and Nova Scotia. He also made a jerk crab with a crazy amount of jerk spice. Like Anthony, he shared these fabulous dishes with winners of trivia contests and I did envy the winners although I think the jerk crab would have killed me!

(spicy crab cakes, oysters waiting to be shucked, lobster slider)

I was fortunate to interview both Anthony and Chuck during the festival. Anthony, who had never been to the East Coast before, said his favourite seafood of all time are scallops which he referred to as “the gems of the sea.” Although Chuck had been to the East Coast before this was the first time he had ever been to Halifax. When we began to talk about seafood Chuck made it very clear that he was “here for lobster” and I do not blame him one bit! 

My day at CATCH was perfect: fantastic food, elegant and beautiful atmosphere, stunning people and I learned a lot more about seafood and the importance of the fishing industry for the East Coast. This was one of the best events I have ever been to and I will be back next year. 

Suzie Ridler is a foodie, writer, photographer and self-taught cook and baker. She creates joy through making food and sharing her kitchen stories on her blog. 

Related: