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Happy Canada Day friends! I love making flag foods but Canada’s flag isn’t the easiest to render in food. I wish I was a little more adept at it. I’ve been wanting to make Canada Day jello, much like this American flag jello I made a couple of years back, but maple leaves are hella hard to create in food (I really should just buy a maple leaf cookie cutter). I’ve done my share of strawberry shortcakes, pavlovas, and the such, but this year I thought I’d bring a savory swing to things.

I had to get Mike to show me how to cut out the maple leaf. He used a piece of shrimp cake and I was throughly impressed by his retention of how many points the Canadian flag has (11, in case you’re wondering). I was also impressed because he made a slightly modified version for me that would be more achievable with the flakiness of salmon.

All in all, I think the flag came out great! I put it on a bed of mashed Yukon gold potatoes – the greatest export Canada has, along with Canadian rye and maple syrup.

Feeling so fresh and patriotic this year!

xoxo steph

Cedar Maple Rye Salmon Recipe
serves 2
prep time: 15 minutes plus 1 hour marinating
cook time: 8-12 minutes
total time: 30 minutes

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup rye
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 lb salmon filets
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• cedar papers + twine

In a sauce pan, bring maple, juice, rye, and soy to a boil until thickened and syrupy. Let cool.

Lay out the salmon in a single layer in a deep dish, pour on some of the glaze, reserving some to serve. Let marinate for 1 hour.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400°F. Completely soak the cedar paper in a a shallow pan of water for at least 10 minutes.

Shake off excess glaze from the salmon and place in the center of a sheet of cedar. Fold the cedar over the top and tie into a packet. Repeat until all pieces are wrapped.

Arrange the packets in a layer on a roasting pan roast for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Transfer the packets to a plate, remove the ties and open the papers. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

To make a Canadian flag, prepare a bed of mashed potatoes or rice on a rectangular plate. Place two even slices of salmon on either side. Cut a maple leaf shape out of another piece of salmon and place in the middle. Enjoy!

Alternatively, if you don’t want to use cedar papers, you can simply pan-roast the salmon to your liking. Heat up a non-stick pan over medium high heat and fry, flipping once. A minute before ready to serve, add the glaze to the pan.

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