Coast to Coast with Club House® for Chefs: East Coast Edition Episode 2

Club House® for Chefs Coast to Coast Tour hit up the shores of Halifax for an exploration of eastern culinary styles and Nova Scotian-inspired dish collaborations. Missed the last stops? Enjoy these recaps of Edmonton here, Winnipeg here, and British Columbia here.

After adventuring to AshMeg Seafoods, Blue Harbour Cheese, Nine Locks Brewing Company and Noggins Farm, the Club House® for Chefs team had mapped out a few exclusively selected restaurants where they would join the chefs in creating new recipes to share with culinary creators across Canada.

They kicked things off at The Five Fishermen with Chef Greg Balingit. One of 14+ locations within Halifax’s Grafton Connor Group, Chef Greg’s experiences, including his Toronto-learned global flavour philosophies, guided the savoury inspiration for his latest creation: Asian Pesto Chicken and Pineapple Kelp Noodle Stir-Fry. With the kelp noodles nested in the centre-of-the-plate, this dish is topped with stir-fried cattail shoots, chicken breasts, cashews, cilantro and Asian pesto. Plus, with its Green Curry Paste and Coconut Milk, this dish has a distinctly Thai fusion flavour profile with a hint of Nova Scotian flair.

After The Five Fishermen came a visit with Chef Justin Floyd of Avondale Sky Winery. An aspiring produce grower with a tourist area advantage, Chef Justin brought the in-demand tastes of wine country Halifax to life in his Salmon Crudo with Red Curry Mayo, Shallots, Shoots and Kombu dish. Made with Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste, this raw salad appetizer is best served drizzled with fresh olive oil.

Next up, a tasty seafood appetizer, courtesy of Field Guide’s Chef Natalie Rosen! With its prime location in the Halifax north end’s up-and-coming food scene, Field Guide’s regenerated, hip neighbourhood made it the perfect place for Chef Natalie to serve up her trendy and savoury Saltwater Shrimp Tostada dish of deep fried corn tortillas, cubed avocados, saltwater shrimp and Club House Cumin Seed. For that extra east coast bite, garnish with green onion and sea asparagus.

Finally, it was time for the team to reconnect with Chef Craig Flinn at Chives Canadian Bistro for the creation of the final east coast dish of the tour. With 18+ years at Chives under his apron and a philosophy of “extraordinary fine dining,” Chef Craig was proud to complete his latest masterpiece with the crew, a Spiced Scallop, Shrimp and Lobster Cake. Cooked in a complex yet versatile combination of Club House Crushed Red Pepper, Ground Cumin and the queen of spice, Ground Cardamom, this seafood dream on a plate is served with a Club House Sriracha and Lime Aioli plus Hana-Tsunomata Cashew Coleslaw. It’s entrée flavour and satisfaction all packed into an appetizer!

Be sure to join in on the fun and findings of Club House® for Chefs’ Coast to Coast Tour on Instagram @CH4Chefs / #CHCoast2Coast. Coming up, the spice squad will be completing their cross-Canada journey in the cuisine capital of Quebec, Montreal!