Bitter greens, warm bacon, and a soft egg—simple bistro comfort that suits a cold Canadian evening. The maple-kissed vinaigrette pulls it all together, turning pantry staples into something you want to linger over.

West Coast meets weeknight: cedar-planked salmon, roast potatoes still warm from the oven, and a bright lemon–dill pickle dressing. Piled over crisp greens, it’s hearty enough for supper and sunny enough for a picnic—simple, fresh, and very Canadian.

Blue cheese like Stilton first arrived in Canada through English influence, but strict pasteurization laws made importing unpasteurized cheeses difficult through much of the 20th century. This limitation sparked Canadian cheesemakers — particularly in Ontario and Québec — to develop their own creamy, pungent blue cheeses. Paired here with Alberta or Ontario beef, ripe avocado, and fresh greens, this salad becomes a dish that bridges English tradition with Canadian innovation, rustic yet refined.

This dish is rooted in Canadian coastal life — simple grilled fish on rustic bread with a squeeze of lemon. In Atlantic Canada, mackerel is one of the most accessible catches, often hooked right from wharves in summer and fall. Families in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence would fill buckets, then head home to fry or grill the catch. Served here on toast with tomato and rocket, it’s rustic, nourishing, and a reminder of how Canadians cook with the season and the sea.

This salad brings together Canadian favourites — shrimp and bacon — with the brightness of tropical fruit. Sweet prawns, juicy mango, and salty bacon or Parma ham meet crisp greens and homemade garlic croutons, all tied together with a zesty chili-lime dressing. It’s light yet satisfying, a dish that works as well on a snowy winter day as it does on a summer patio.

Salade Niçoise is one of those timeless French classics that has travelled beautifully, finding a place on Canadian tables, especially in Québec where French culinary traditions run deep. Fresh tuna seared rare, or even a can of olive-oil-packed tuna, brings substance to a platter of potatoes, beans, tomatoes, eggs, and olives. With its balance of colour, flavour, and texture, it feels rustic and elegant at once — a dish that shows how Canadian kitchens blend heritage with what’s fresh and local, like BC albacore tuna.

This dish is where Greek flavours meet Canadian comfort. Inspired by the Mediterranean pairing of grilled meats with hummus and flatbreads, it found an easy home in Canadian kitchens — where focaccia or naan often takes the place of pita. Tender steak, creamy hummus, and peppery rocket create a starter or light meal that feels rustic yet refined, echoing both Greece’s sunlit tables and Canada’s love of grilled beef and bold, fresh flavours.

Kale has been grown in Canada since early settlers brought it over, valued for surviving frosts when few greens could. Once a humble garden staple, it’s now a modern superfood. This salad shows its versatility: fresh with blueberries in summer, hearty with butternut squash in fall, always brightened with chicken, almonds, and a lime-chili dressing.

Potatoes have long been part of Canada’s food story. Early settlers relied on them as a dependable crop that could withstand our climate, and today fields in Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, and Alberta still produce some of the best in the world. This dish celebrates their humble roots with a modern twist: roasted baby potatoes, finished with tangy crème fraîche, fragrant pesto, and fresh coriander — simple, colourful, and deeply satisfying.

These simple plates remind me of my Aunt Carmel, who always believed the best dishes came from what was fresh and seasonal. Inspired by Italian flavours but adapted for Canadian kitchens, they celebrate the way we eat here: greenhouse tomatoes in spring, melons in summer, or figs in early fall. Fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil tie them all together — timeless, elegant, and always seasonal.

These simple plates remind me of my Aunt Carmel, who always believed the best dishes came from what was fresh and seasonal. Inspired by Italian flavours but adapted for Canadian kitchens, they celebrate the way we eat here: greenhouse tomatoes in spring, melons in summer, or figs in early fall. Fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil tie them all together — timeless, elegant, and always seasonal.

The Caesar salad was first tossed together in 1924 by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant in Tijuana, Mexico. What started as a resourceful mix of lettuce, egg, cheese, and croutons quickly spread across North America. In Canada, it became a favourite during the steakhouse boom of the 1950s–60s and never left our tables. This lighter version keeps the bold, garlicky flavour but adds chicken, crisp Parma ham, and eggs to turn it into a meal.

Beets are one of Canada’s true seasonal treasures — hardy, earthy, and long valued in Prairie gardens and Atlantic kitchens alike. Ukrainian settlers brought them into the heart of Prairie cooking through borscht, while in the Maritimes, jars of pickled beets lined pantry shelves as a winter staple. Today, they remain a fixture at farmers’ markets coast to coast. This salad celebrates their natural sweetness with mint and creamy cheese, offering a dish that feels rustic yet refreshingly modern.

Canadians love summer barbecues and picnics — a chance to gather outdoors after long winters, with big bowls of simple, shareable food. Potato salad, macaroni salad, and three-bean salad have become staples at these gatherings, each one easy to prepare ahead and hearty enough to feed a crowd.

In Canada, fall means squash piled high at farmers’ markets — a true emblem of the harvest season. Butternut, with its golden sweetness, has long been part of Prairie and Ontario gardens, valued for its ability to store through winter. Here it’s paired with peppery rocket, tangy cheese, and toasted nuts for a salad that feels both rustic and modern — a colourful dish that brings warmth to cool autumn evenings.

Corn carries nostalgia for many Canadians — from county fairs and backyard corn roasts to evenings gathered around butter-drenched cobs. Ontario’s Kent County, often called the “corn capital of Canada,” has long symbolized this harvest tradition. This salad takes that sweetness and gives it a bold Mexican twist, blending smoky, creamy, and tangy flavours into a dish that feels both familiar and exciting.

Bulgar wheat has nourished the Mediterranean for thousands of years, but in Canada it found a new home through waves of Greek and Middle Eastern immigration. By the late 20th century, it appeared at community dinners, Greek festivals, and eventually in health-conscious kitchens across the country. With Canadian wheat at its core, this salad blends sun-ripened tomatoes, cucumber, and herbs into a dish that feels both timeless and distinctly Canadian.

Fresh, vibrant, and simple, these salads are built on the same foundation — juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, onion, olives, and good olive oil. In Greece, the classic horiatiki is finished with feta and oregano, while in Cyprus, halloumi takes centre stage. In Canada, they’ve become summer favourites at backyard tables, blending Mediterranean flavours with local produce like Ontario and BC greenhouse tomatoes that rival the sweetness of the Mediterranean sun.