In Canada, the thermometer comes close every winter to what looks like, for us Europeans, absolute zero 🥶. To warm up, our Quebec cousins use a spicy and sweet maple-based mix that inspired our trapper's mulled wine mix and this delicious salmon recipe. Follow the caribou to the sugar shack, the Far North invites itself to the Quai Sud table!
The origin of our trapper salmon: sugar maple
In Canada, maple is everywhere, including on the flag 🍁. It was in what is now the province of Quebec that our ancestors discovered the use of maple sap by the Micmac people, on the shores of the St. Lawrence. Legend has it that the French, fond of maple syrup, would have wanted in the XNUMXthrd century to make it their official sugar, but it would have been supplanted by cane sugar, much easier to bring back from the West Indies (fewer icebergs to circumvent ❄)…
The sugar maple produces maple sap at the very end of winter, when temperatures become positive during the day. A cut is made in the trunk of a maple tree and the water is collected in a bucket. This water is then brought to a boil to obtain the famous maple syrup, and if you let it heat a little longer, it crystallizes and turns into maple sugar nuggets 🤩.
It is this delicious maple sugar that goes into the composition of trapper's mix, a kind of salty and spicy sugar which spice up marinades and grilled meats, and which warms bodies frozen by the Canadian cold. It also contains pepper, coriander and red pepper, all enhanced with onion and garlic. To complete its unique flavor, lemon zest and cranberries, Canada's star fruit, are sometimes added. A real delicacy from the Far North…
Quai Sud trapper's mulled wine mix
This original blend inspired us at Quai Sud. Our specialty being aromatic blends for spirits, we have therefore created a variation based on sweet spices, maple sugar and cranberries: trapper's mulled wine mix was born ✨! And then you're probably saying to yourself “But what is the relationship with the kitchen? » 🤔. Well, it's simple: a delicious product, it turns away! So you can enjoy our blend even when mulled wine season will be completed.
To give a little trapper side to our sweet mix, just add to your recipe the salty and spicy note it lacks: onion, garlic, pepper and coriander, or even a little pepper if you feel like it, and especially soy sauce to counterbalance the very sweet flavor. A little maple syrup to give texture, a little crunchy touch to sprinkle at the last moment, and you're master of the fusion food, en route for a gastronomic journey between Asia, America and Europe.
Trapper salmon recipe by Quai Sud
Our trapper "sauce" is suitable for both fish and meat, and it goes wonderfully with vegetables for a vegetarian version. It is used as a marinade before cooking in the oven, or to prepare grilled meats on the barbecue. If you prefer low-sweet accompaniments, we advise you to limit the amount of cane sugar contained in our mix for trapper's mulled wine in order to balance the flavors.
To make our delicious trapper salmon recipe for 4 people, you will need:
- 4 salmon steaks
- 1 bottle of Quai Sud trapper's mulled wine mix
- 10 cl of maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 big onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 cm fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- Sesame seeds or hazelnuts
- 1 pinch of cilantro
- Salt, pepper, chili
- In a saucepan, bring 10 cl of water to the boil with the mulled wine mix. Add the maple syrup and the soy sauce, reduce over high heat until you obtain a syrupy sauce. Cover and leave to infuse off the heat.
- Meanwhile, peel and crush the garlic clove. Cut the onion and ginger into small dice. Place everything in a baking dish with the salmon fillets brushed with rapeseed oil. Add salt and pepper.
- Strain the trapper sauce then pour it over the salmon. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes to release the flavours, then bake for 15 minutes at 180°C, activating the grill function.
- Just before serving, toast some sesame seeds or crushed hazelnuts in a pan. Sprinkle the salmon steaks… it's ready!
You can add a few coriander leaves and cranberries to bring a fresh note to your dish. Serve the salmon with a pan of vegetables and rice. Name of a caribou, how good! 😋
