In a new cookbook, two West Coasters write a love letter to Canada’s East Coast

It had all the makings of a recipe for success. Take one bestselling author (Emily Lycopolus), add an award-winning photographer (DL Acken) and combine to create a cookbook dedicated to the culinary traditions of Canada’s Atlantic provinces.

There was just one missing ingredient: Although both had an affinity for the region, neither Lycopolus nor Acken is from Atlantic Canada.

“Before we even pitched the book, we had to ask ourselves, ‘What are two West Coast girls doing writing a definitive East Coast cookbook?’” says Acken, who is based on Salt Spring Island, B.C.

While researching their book, they travelled to the region multiple times, totalling 14 weeks on the road through four different seasons. But what they discovered was that their outsiders’ perspective allowed them to capture and translate the region in a way that may not have otherwise been possible.

“The producers and chefs we met were so immersed in their own scene. With their identity tied to one place, many told us they couldn’t write the book we were writing,” says Lycopolus, who lives in Victoria, B.C.

Out April 27, “A Rising Tide” is part cookbook, part love letter to Atlantic Canada. Organized by province, its 336 pages are filled with rich colour photos, stories of the region’s producers and ingredients, and local recipes.

As one would expect, it’s heavy on seafood — but it’s not all lobster rolls and Jiggs’ Dinners. Instead, you’ll find scallops wrapped in smoked salmon and dipped in edamame bean purée, and foraged fiddleheads transformed into fritters. It’s a celebration of what the pair calls the region’s “food renaissance” — and ultimately, of the unexpected surprises you’ll only stumble across if you take the back-roads.

Here, Acken and Lycopolus recall some of their favourite memories — and meals — from the making of “A Rising Tide.”

Emily Lycopolus: “Once we hit the ground, it was planes, trains, automobiles and ferries. We didn’t spend more than four nights in the same place. Our days were long and full, starting at 5 a.m. to catch the golden hour. We’d eat breakfast at McDonald’s, but dinner was usually at places like Raymonds in St. John’s, which is ranked one of Canada’s top restaurants and serves dishes like freshly caught cod with sea urchin.”

Danielle (DL) Acken: “We learned quickly if you see people milling on the edges of the ocean or at a food stand, you need to pull over. In Digby, Nova Scotia, we saw people digging for quahogs, which are large, delicious clams. And in Bonavista, Newfoundland, we saw families with buckets and nets, which is how we learned the capelin were ‘rolling.’ Capelin are smelts and they roll in on the waves. I didn’t really understand it until I saw it with my own eyes. The water just turns black with fish. Even toddlers were running into the ankle-deep water, reaching in and coming up with handfuls of fish.”

Lycopolus: “Atlantic Canada’s terroir is really unique. It has everything it needs to be a self-sustaining system, from the bounty of the coast to the density of the forest. We sought out game meat everywhere we travelled, especially in Newfoundland. It’s one of the only provinces that allows game to be sold in grocery stores and served in restaurants. That’s how we met Lori McCarthy, who runs foraging, curing and wild game experiences in Avondale, Newfoundland, with her company, Cod Sounds. At her cottage on the lake, I listened to her explain to a hunter how to butcher a moose to make osso buco. It’s her mission to translate these old traditional ways, make them relevant to the next generation, and preserve the culture of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Lycopolus: “The biggest surprise for me was New Brunswick. When you’re driving through, all you see is trees, but the moment you deviate off the highway it’s the most delightful province with the most incredible farmers’ markets. The Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market has more than 200 farmers, purveyors and producers, selling products loved from seed all the way to market. It’s where you’ll find dulse, a seaweed only grown on one side of the Grand Manan, an island in the Bay of Fundy. It’s traditionally used in butters and spreads. Having brown bread with a smear of dulse butter tastes like New Brunswick — the perfect combination of field and sea in one bite.”

Acken: “Sometimes a place just calls to you, and for me, Newfoundland was that place. On the day we were supposed to leave St. John’s to fly to Halifax, we were invited to a lobster boil with Mark McCrowe, a chef, restaurateur and author of “Island Kitchen: An Ode to Newfoundland.” We knew it would be amazing, but we were on a tight schedule. After our plane took off, the captain came over the intercom: One of the plane’s doors wasn’t working so we had to turn around. I have a fear of flying, so it was harrowing — but it turned out to be the happiest of serendipitous circumstances. It’s how we found ourselves on the beach eating lobsters with some of St. John’s top chefs. It was like the province was saying, ‘You can’t leave. You have to stay.’”

Lycopolus: “My mom used to read “Anne of Green Gables” to me, and we’d bake plum pudding like Marilla, Anne’s guardian. One day, as Danielle and I were walking down the beach together on Prince Edward Island, the sun was shining on the red cliffs. Immersed in that warm sunlight, I pictured Anne and her best friend Diana on top of a cliff, the sea breeze blowing through their hair. And I thought, ‘I can’t believe we’re here.’ It was all my childhood dreams coming true. But the trips really weren’t about us. I don’t even have a single picture of Danielle and me together. Atlantic Canada is the star, the reason, the purpose — not us.”

Atlantic Canada à la carte

Acken and Lycopolus share their suggestions for a multi-province meal that showcases Atlantic Canada’s best ingredients and flavours.

Main course: “You’re going to find traditional lobster dinners every time you turn a corner. And yes, they’re fun and delicious. But instead, sidle up to a bar somewhere and get a plate of fresh Malpeque PEI oysters, like the ones from the Colville Bay Oyster Company. They’re just so sweet and briny,” says Acken.

Drink: Visit Halifax-based Compass Distillers to sample the “GiNS.” Made with ingredients “gathered in Nova Scotia,” the distillery’s gins and rye whisky can be sampled on its one-hour tour for $17.

Dessert: Raymonds in St. John’s may be known for seafood, but save room for dessert. Award-winning pastry chef Celeste Mah incorporates foraged ingredients into sweet treats in memorable ways. “She makes madeleines infused with wild pineapple weed,” says Acken. “It grows in the sidewalks, but I think it was one of the best things I ate.”

The Star understands the restrictions on travel during the coronavirus pandemic. But like you, we dream of travelling again, and we’re publishing this story with future trips in mind.