EPISODE 1: MANITOBA
When we first came up with “The Chef’s Seal” series we had some simple but important goals:
– Introduce seal to a new audience
– Showcase the fantastic chefs and restaurants that have looked past the propaganda to embrace a truly Canadian protein
– Let those who are responsible for choosing the products explain (in their own words) why seal deserves a place on the menu
– Encourage our fellow Canadians to get out and try it for themselves
To help achieve this we turned to the chefs themselves to tell their “Seal Story.” You may notice a theme among these chefs: they are all young, they are all talented, and they have all embraced a “local food” mindset when it comes to selecting product. They don’t settle for items that don’t meet their standards or do not fit into their vision. Everything they use is carefully selected and we are proud they have chosen SeaDNA seal meat for their menus.
Delicious, incredibly nutritious and truly sustainable; seal has been a part of Canada’s story for generations. We believe it is time for seal to take a step forward and for our country to embrace and utilize this gift mother nature has bestowed upon us.
We also wanted folks in Montreal to be able to see this video series and then, most importantly, make plans to go experience seal. So, we will focus on one establishment for a month before moving on to the next. We hope this will allow you at home the time to support the restaurants here in Montreal that are embracing and elevating our unique Canadian food identity.
Please enjoy this video series and share as much as possible!
The Chef: Simon Mathys
Simon Mathys is one of the bright lights on the Montreal culinary scene. A graduate of the École Hôtelière de Laval, Mathys has spent time in kitchens in both Quebec and France including Daniel Vézina’s Laurie-Raphaël, Bar & Boeuf, Racines and Bistro Accords.
Now the head chef at Manitoba, Mathys has been putting his visionary stamp on this great Montreal establishment since January of 2017.
The Dish: Smoked Butter Seal Loin
Chef Mathys: “The dish lends from the history of Indigenous Canadians and how they ate seal. It’s not exactly how they ate it but it’s inspired by it. It is served almost raw, thinly sliced and it will be sprinkled with a smoked butter to replace the seal fat. Fresh seal fat is hard to get and less accessible, so we use smoked butter. I think that for customers to have a familiar taste, can help make seal easier to tame for the first time. It is served with a kind of dip, but it’s a dry dip. We use buckwheat and during the summer we have picked a lot of flowers and herbs that are found locally. So we have a summer and winter version. Both are prepared in a similar way and it’s I find – a good way to eat it.”
Ingredients: Seal Tataki, Smoked Butter, Roasted Buckwheat, Wood Sorrel, Daylily, Marigold, Dried Sagebrush, Fleur de Sel
(Click here for recipe details)
The Place: Manitoba
An intimate and sophisticated but casual atmosphere sets the scene for fantastic cuisine focused on local ingredients.
As Manitoba says on their website: “We wanted a taste of the forest in our plates, a taste of nature in our glasses, wood, rock, wind. But over all, we wanted to share in the simplicity of eating well, drinking well and having a good laugh together.”
Mission well accomplished.
Manitoba Restaurant
271 Rue Saint Zotique Ouest
Montreal, QC
(514) 270-8000
restaurantmanitoba.com
Hours:
Mon-Thu: 6 pm-1 pm
Fri & Sat: 6 pm-Midnight
For more information about SeaDNA Seal Products and the seal industry: www.seadna.ca.
SeaDNA Seal Meat is prepared in CFIA/HACCP approved facilities and can be sold in any retail establishment from coast to coast to coast. For inquiries: sales@seadna.ca.
