Oceans For Tomorrow

Last week I had the pleasure of attending Cooking School at the Atlantic Superstore

in conjunction with Oceans for Tomorrow Week celebrating sustainable seafood.  

Loblaws (owners of Atlantic Superstore) were the first major food retailer in Canada to commit to sourcing 100% of the seafood sold in their stores from sustainable sources by the end of 2013.  This includes all fresh, frozen, and canned seafood as well as products that contain seafood as an ingredient.  As the country’s largest buyer and seller of seafood, this decision will make a big difference in encouraging responsible fishing and protecting the health and vitality of the oceans.

As part of the event, they had invited a representative from Clearwater Seafoods  to talk about their fishing practices.  It was pretty cool because they didn’t just send any representative, they sent a captain from one of their two Nova Scotian scallop rigs.  It was really interesting to hear about how they have a processing plant right on board and it only takes 90 minutes from the time they bring the nets on board to the time the scallops are processed through the plant and frozen.

Next we moved on to the cooking portion of the class!  We had Jamie from Privett House in Wolfville as our chef which was pretty awesome.  He prepared for us two recipes, a Chili Lemongrass Poached Hoki and Seared Sea Scallops with Pancetta and Pea Puree

The finished plate:

The food was delicious, and I was really impressed at how quickly they were able to plate up so many meals (there were approx. 30 of us in the class).  

I had heard about the cooking school in the past, mostly by seeing the calendar on display in the store, but I really had no idea what to expect.  I had a great time, and a wonderful meal and would strongly urge you to check out your local Superstore for these classes.  They cost $10, but at the end of the class you get a $10 PC Gift card!  It’s a fabulous deal and a great way to learn about new products, and meet some new people!

And if you are wondering about the cost of the foods, each dish had a 1/2 portion of Hoki which is sold in a 2 pack for I believe $4.99, and the Nova Scotian Sea Scallops come in a larger bag and are somewhere in the $15 (maybe $16.99?) range.  Certainly not over priced for a product that goes from ocean to freezer in less than 90 minutes (ensuring it’s freshness) and is fished in a responsible manner.

I strongly urge you to check out both the cooking school and of course the seafood products at Loblaws/Superstore – you won’t be disappointed!

Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity attend this class free of charge as part of the media on behalf of the Atlantic Superstore.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are 100% my own.