Canadian Spring

Bright, fresh, and endlessly adaptable — this Mexican-inspired rice bowl brings a little sunshine to the table. It’s the kind of meal that feels at home anywhere in Canada: simple enough for a weeknight, vibrant enough for a backyard barbecue. With grilled lemon chicken, smoky chili yogurt, and all the colours of summer corn and peppers, it’s comfort food with a healthy, west-coast feel.

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.

These are the kind of starters that make a house feel full—store-bought puff, a hot oven, and market veg piled on top. Perfect for cottage lunches or holiday nibbling, they’re quick, flaky, and look fancier than the effort it takes.

Smoked fish pâté is Canadian at heart — simple, rustic, and refined all at once. I usually make it with smoked trout, a nod to Canada’s lakes and rivers, but…

On Canada’s West Coast, salmon is more than food — it’s a way of life, a symbol of the coast itself. Flaky, tender salmon or trout served with a bright dill and caper sauce feels effortlessly elegant yet remains wonderfully simple. Piled on toasted bread or served over greens, it captures the balance of richness and freshness that defines West Coast cooking.

Split pea soup is a Canadian classic, especially in Quebec, where it dates back to the 1600s with French settlers. Made from dried peas that lasted through long winters, it was often simmered with salted pork to create a hearty, nourishing meal. Thick, golden, and comforting, it remains a staple across the country — a simple soup with deep roots in Canadian history.

Lobster bisque may be French in origin, but it feels right at home in Canada, where lobster suppers are a hallmark of Maritime culture. Once humble fisherman’s food, lobster has become the centrepiece of East Coast feasts and celebrations. Silky, rich, and deeply flavourful, bisque captures that spirit — simmered from shells, enriched with cream, and perfect for turning a cold winter night into something festive.

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.

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.

Sausages, potatoes, and greens — a trio that’s as comforting as it is timeless. In Canada, this dish reflects both resourcefulness and heritage: backyard gardens supplying greens like chard, hearty potatoes pulled from Prairie or PEI fields, and sausages tied to immigrant traditions. Italian and Portuguese families especially made chard a staple, planting it in abundance and weaving it into simple, satisfying suppers. This plate brings those influences together — rustic, nourishing, and unmistakably Canadian in spirit.

This dish speaks to both resilience and flavour — a humble, hearty meal with roots in Spanish cooking that feels right at home in Canadian kitchens. Immigrant traditions brought smoky chorizo to Canada, where it mingled with Prairie potatoes and backyard greens. Crowned with a fried or poached egg, it’s the kind of dish that proves simple ingredients can still feel rich, comforting, and complete.

Stuffed peppers are a dish that has travelled across continents — from Eastern European kitchens to Mexican taquerías — and found a welcome home in Canada. Immigrant families brought their own versions, often filled with rice and pork, and over time, Canadian kitchens adapted them with local abundance. Bell peppers, now a staple of Prairie gardens and Ontario greenhouses, meet Mexican flavours of cumin, chili, beans, and corn to create a dish that feels both global and deeply Canadian. Colourful, hearty, and endlessly adaptable, these peppers are as fitting at a backyard barbecue as they are on a weeknight family table.

Fish burgers are a West Coast classic — fresh, hearty, and full of the flavours of the sea. In Canada, tuna and salmon both play starring roles, whether seared and served rare in Victoria or grilled over cedar planks on the BC coast. These burgers balance smoky bacon, crisp lettuce, and juicy tomato with a bright pickle–caper mayo, all tucked into a soft homemade bun. It’s a dish that captures the casual, coastal spirit of Canadian summers.

Hollandaise is one of France’s great mother sauces, but in French Canada it took on a life of its own, brought over by settlers and adapted to local ingredients. In Québec kitchens, French refinement met Canadian staples — salmon from the St. Lawrence, potatoes from the fields, and seasonal vegetables from small farms. This dish captures that blend: roasted salmon, buttery fondant potatoes, crisp broccoli, and a silky hollandaise. Rustic yet refined, it reflects how French culinary traditions shaped Canada’s food story.

Salmon and noodles may feel like a restaurant dish, but it’s one of those meals that’s quick, nourishing, and easy to adapt at home. Tender Canadian salmon or trout, crisp bok choy, and silky noodles come together with a soy-ginger sauce that’s savoury, sharp, and comforting. It’s the kind of dish that feels just as right for a weeknight dinner as it does for sharing with friends — simple, elegant, and deeply satisfying.

Grilling is part of Canada’s summer DNA — from backyard barbecues in the suburbs to cottage docksides and festival cookouts. This dish blends Mediterranean flavours with Canadian traditions: chicken marinated in lemon and olive oil, wrapped in prosciutto and sage, paired with market-fresh vegetables and golden halloumi. It’s rustic, vibrant, and deeply seasonal — the kind of meal that celebrates both global inspiration and the bounty of a Canadian summer garden.