Vancouver Island’s remote landscapes offer the freshest hand-caught seafood, from crabbing alongside whales to hand-harvesting oysters. To light the fire behind Chef Mike Sonier of Ethical Table's adventures and meals along the coast, we outfitted him with a MiniMax Big Green Egg.
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, offers some of the best fishing in the world, and Chef Mike says it best: “You never know what you’re going to catch.” On deck today? Kelp Greemling and Lingcod. With one swift pull of the crab trap, Chef Mike reveals a collection of Dungeness and Red Rock crab. These crustaceans will fill the inside of his Stuffed Crab Pasta, sourced from local, foraged ingredients like sea salt, artisan cheese, and tomatoes from a local family farm. Of course, the pasta is boiled in seawater before being baked on charcoal in the Big Green Egg.
Accessible only by boat, Chef Mike Sonier explores remote locations along Vancouver Island’s coast, foraging the land for mussels and oysters. No matter where you dine, you won’t find anything fresher than a juicy, hand-harvested oyster grabbed from the Earth by the chef himself.
When you cook on the go, anything can become your outdoor kitchen. For Chef Mike, the hitch of his truck transformed into a prep station and cutting board. The Skyjack hoisted Chef Mike and his Big Green Egg into the sky for a spectacular view as he cooked his meals to tender perfection.
“Cooking outdoors gives me a sense of freedom and always inspires me. Nature has always been my primary source of inspiration as a chef. Catching fish, foraging wild ingredients, and cooking them over fire will always be the most meaningful way to create a meal. Everything from the fresh air to listening to wildlife and creating a makeshift kitchen outside comes back to the sense of freedom I find when cooking outdoors.” - Chef Mike Sonier
Featured Meals
1. Stuffed Crab Past
2. Lingcod, Salmon
Hot Tip: “The lingcod was cooked at a lower temperature, around 325F, by tossing in a chunk of soaked maple wood to give it a smokey flavour. I cooked it the entire time skin side down, giving it a nice char without drying out the fish.”
3. Mussels, Oysters
4. Ribeye with Chimichurri
See how Chef Mike turns up the heat when he takes his Big Green Egg to the beaches of Tulum, Mexico, on our next adventure! Follow along.
