Maritime Recipes

Here is a collection of Maritime recipes popular in the Annapolis Valley. We, in the Maritimes are sometimes referred to as unique and so we also have some unique recipes. This is a good thing.

Living so close to the water it is only natural that from the very first fishing was a big part of our life. After all that is one of the things that enticed the first settlers to come here, the over abundance of fish to be found in our waters. We had the biggest cod stocks known around plus haddock, flounder, tuna, hake, pollock, catfish, plus numerous other species.

It was also discovered that we had plenty of shellfish also like lobster, clams, mussels, scallops, crabs, and shrimp. It did not take them long to discover how good these all tasted.

Did you know that at one time lobster was considered a poor-mans food and only the poor fishermen would eat it. It was almost given away when brought up by mistake in the nets. Now it is sought after all over in the finest restaurants.

Not only was fish and shellfish abundant here in the valley. Wild berries and fruits grew very well here in the fertile soil. Apples, pears, peaches, plums and cherries were all planted in orchards and did very well. Everywhere there were blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries growing.

Also abundant was wild game like deer, moose and bear. Supplemented with fresh garden vegetables food was plentiful here.

But how do you serve it so it does not always taste the same? That was easily solved by many women here as they came up with new maritime recipes; which were handed down generation to generation.

On these pages I would like to share some of these great maritime recipes with you. I have written down some of my favorite Maritime recipes and hopefully others will share theirs to give you a nice variety of good maritime recipes. If you are interested in sharing your special recipes with us just go to the section it best fits in and you will find an area to write your story at the bottom of the page.

I have broken these recipes up into several categories. These include:

Shellfish Hints

Sometimes when you are brought up used to something, you forget other people may not know what you know. Therefore I have come up with a few hints for you when handling and cooking shellfish.

Lobster - Cook your lobsters as soon as is convenient after purchasing them, and keep them alive until you cook them. Do not put live lobster in fresh water. If you have to keep them for awhile wrapping them in wet seaweed is best next to putting them in natural salt water. (You may add some ice cubes to the seaweed to keep them cool.) You can also keep them in a cool dark place for a few hours.
When cooking the lobster fill the pot about quarter full, add some salt and bring to a rapid boil. Emerge the lobsters into the water. Some people will cut the spinal cord at the base of the head to kill them first.
Boil the lobster for approximately 20 minutes untill the lobster are a bright red / orange. Be careful not to cook for too long as it will toughen the meat.
Clams & Mussels - Do not store your clams and mussels in the shell on ice or in fresh water. You can store them in the refrigerator with a cloth over them for up to 24 hours. Before cooking check to make sure the clams or mussels are still alive. You can tell by if the shells are closed or if they close up when touched.
If they are shucked then you can store them in a container filled with the juice left over from shucking them. Make sure the lid is sealed tight and put in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator or by putting the container in a bowl of cold water. Do not thaw at room temperature and do not refreeze them unless cooked.
To cook your clams or mussels fill pot about a quarter full and bring to a rapid boil. Best if you can use a steamer, however we have put them right in the water. Cover and cook until the shells open up. Discard the shells and remove the head skin on clams or the "black hair" on mussels. They both are great served in melted butter or margarine. Some people will also dip them in cider vinegar for a great taste.
Crabs - Live crabs will only last a short time out of the water, so cook as soon as possible. You can store the crabs the same way as clams and mussels, but do not keep longer than 12 hours before cooking. Make sure the crabs are still alive before cooking them.
You can store the whole cooked crabs in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If you are keeping them any longer than that put them into plastic bags, suck out the air, seal and put in the freezer.

I hope you enjoy your seafood while you are in the Annapolis Valley. I love all types of seafood myself and really miss it while I am out of province.

Remember if you have a special Maritime recipe you do not mind sharing with us we would love to try it out.

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