Canada Day is about celebrating what makes us wonderful – and delicious! From stone fruit on the West coast to the juicy scallops out East, it’s easy to stack your menu with the best from this great land.
The appetizer: grilled sea scallops
The place: Atlantic Canada
The taste: If there’s one thing that Maritimers know, it’s good seafood. Fresh, sweet and tasting of the ocean, grilled scallops are a catch when turned on the grill. Simply season, skewer and grill on each side for two minutes. If you’re feeling decadent, wrap them in bacon for a flavour bomb.
The cocktail: grilled peaches
The place: B.C.
The taste: July in the Okanagan Valley means one thing: peach season! Sweet, juicy and tasting of sunshine, pop them on the grill to gently caramelize their sugars, then douse them with sparkling white wine for a drink that will become your new summer sipper.
The salad: tomatoes
The place: Ontario
The taste: The simpler, the better, sweet summer tomatoes need very little embellishment. Slice them thick, drizzle lightly with olive oil and coarse salt and have some crusty bread handy to sop up the juices.
The beef: steak, burgers and kabobs
The place: Alberta
The taste: Lean, grain-fed and raised close to home, Alberta beef is the undisputed king of the summer grill. Marinated flank steak is a meaty main that feeds a crowd and makes an even better sandwich the next day.
The veg: fresh-shucked corn
The place: the Prairies
The taste: Sweet, crisp and begging to be rolled in butter, corn is an essential summer tradition. Whether you roast, boil or grill it with the husk still on, you’re not likely to have leftovers the next day, but if you do, make a salad of it with a bit of mayo and plenty of lime zest and paprika.
The dessert: wild blueberries
The place: Quebec
The taste: Small, sweet and grown close to the ground, these jewels bring big flavour. Baked into a crumble or cobbler and sided with ice cream, they make a delicious end to your cross-country food tour.