Fishing is a complete experience that encompasses much more than just baiting a line and dangling it in the water. The human spirit is fed by sprawling, pristine landscapes, solitude, and the satisfaction of preparing and cooking the fish you just fought from tumbling crystal clear waters.
The reward for all this is some of the finest tasting fish anywhere, complemented by the simplest of sauces.
Alberta has a well-deserved reputation among sportsmen for its fighting fish and mind-blowing scenery. But it’s the flavor of the fish that makes Wild Rose Country stand out as a world-class angling destination.
You can find some fishing holiday packages here. Read on for tasty fish dinner tips.
It’s Sweet and Simple
“If I prepare fish myself, if I catch a fresh fish, I like to fry it whole with butter and lemon,” says Alistair Barnes, executive chef for Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts. “And in the wild there are wild green onions. Fry that in the pan with fresh butter and finish it off with a bit of white wine for a sweeter flavor – there’s nothing better.”
Among some of the tastiest fish in the province are trout, pike and perch. Trout is fairly common in almost all of Alberta’s streams and is a great fighting fish. In fact, one of the best trout rivers in the world – the Bow River – flows right through the heart of Calgary, just minutes from the city’s international airport. Imagine hooking a big brown or rainbow trout and have it rip to your backing in seconds and tail walk out of the water. That’s fishing on the Bow, and just part of the experience that anglers have come to expect from the province’s waterways.
“You come for the fishing experience,” says John Gilchrist, accomplished author and Alberta’s foremost food and restaurant critic. “The idea of fish on the open fire at the riverside, it’s the all around experience.”
Alberta Water Boosts Taste
Edmonton, Alberta’s gateway to the North, is the provincial capital and jumping-off point to the pristine northern lakes made famous by their boreal forest solitude and great pike and perch fishing.
While the great open spaces and low angler densities might be aesthetically pleasing, it’s Alberta’s incredible water that makes the fish taste great.
“The thing about the fish in Alberta is the water,” says Gilchrist. “The fish grows in fresh, cold water that’s as clean as you could hope for. So if you have fish from the river it’s firm, flavorful and fresh. Trout from the Bow River and upstream of the Red Deer River, that’s the way the trout is supposed to be. It comes from fresh, cold mountain water.”
Colder Water, Firmer Flesh
The colder the water, the firmer the flesh. The texture is particularly noticeable when compared with warm-water fish like tuna and mackerel from places like Hawaii or South East Asia. But the cold water also affects the diet and flavor.
“It depends on what they eat,” says Martin Luthi, executive chef for the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. “In the wild they get a lot of shrimp so the fish get a nice orange color from feeding on shrimp.”
Alberta trout also has a natural neutral flavor. It doesn’t taste fishy and it comes from the water with this mild flavor.
“It tastes clean and fresh and then you add whatever you want, pepper, salt, Thai curry sauce, peppercorn sauce,” says Gilchrist. “A nice trout filleted at the side of the river and cooked in a cast iron pan with butter, salt and a little pepper, that’s the way it should be.”
Smoked-Fish Secrets
For those with the time and inclination, cooking fish on the open fire as the sun sets on the river is an unbeatable way to finish a day of angling. But for those who want the fish to keep a while longer, perhaps to take home or to destinations abroad, smoking is the best option.
All types of fish can be smoked. But the best smoked-fish recipes seem to be from fish that are a bit oily in nature. Lake trout, rainbow trout and other members of the Char family are often the best freshwater fish you can smoke.
Working with the Canadian Rocky Mountain Resort restaurants, Barnes tends to smoke bigger filets. First he cures it with an even mixture of salt and sugar, which draws out some of the moisture, he says. Then he heats the fish over oak, which is available just about anywhere.
“It’s usually hot smoke,” Barnes says. “But if you want the raw look, you have to do a cold smoke, which is a little more technical.” Check out these great tips for smoking fish.
Pike is particularly great for smoking because of its oily content. It’s also great for mousses, terrines and stuffing other fish. And it mixes well with eggs, cream and herbs and binds well to other products. It’s perfect for making pâtés, says Barnes.
Chef Barnes’ Easy Recipe
If you need a quick and easy meal or want to impress guests but don’t have much time, Barnes suggests this recipe.
Take onions, carrots and celery and dice them finely. Add them to a pan with melted butter, lay your filet on top of that and add a half-cup of white wine. Cover and bring to a light simmer until filet firms up a bit. Add ¼ cup of cream and teaspoon of mustard and simmer for another minute until the sauce thickens.
“That makes a great sauce, and then squeeze on some lemon if you want,” says Barnes. “It’s very simple.”
Get White Wine or Beer
The times have changed since food had to be paired with one drink or another. These days preference takes precedence and an ice-cold local Big Rock lager is a perfectly acceptable accompaniment for a riverside cookout.
However, in the world of fine cuisine, where delicate flavors are easily bruised, the chefs recommend a white-wine pairing.
“White wine is definitely preferred and it depends what you use,” says Luthi. “People often use citric flavorings so you want a wine that stands up to that. For pan fried preparation, also use white wine. There are no rules, so whatever someone prefers. Beer is also fine.”