Chef NED Bell of YEW wins Both people’s choice and the title at 2014 vancouver aquarium ocean wise chowder chowdown and we’ve got the recipe below!

The Vancouver Aquarium was the site of a fierce battle last night, when 14 top Ocean Wise chefs from British Columbia ladled out their best work for guests and judges at the 2013 Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown. The competition, which featured ocean-friendly seafood chowders served with local beer, was all in the name of sustainable seafood. The evening’s victor was Ned Bell of Yew Restaurant, who was crowned by both an esteemed judging panel as the 2014 Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise Chowder Champion, and by event guests as winner of the People’s Choice award.

Chef Bell wowed both judging panel and guests with the recipe for his flavourful and super-local “Chowda,” featuring Ocean Wise smoked black cod with Okanagan apples, Chilliwack corn and Fraser Valley honey. Past two-time chowder champion, Chris Whittaker of Forage, won the award for Best Beer Pairing by dishing up his Smoked Sablefish and Chanterelle Mushroom Chowder alongside ale from R&B Brewing Company.

“The Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown is not only a must-do on the city’s fall event calendar, but it brings the community together to celebrate sustainable seafood and raise funds to support the Ocean Wise program,” says Ann-Marie Copping, Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise manager. “The popularity of the Chowder Chowdown demonstrates how the sustainable seafood movement is strengthened by the chefs, suppliers, producers, and consumers who choose Ocean Wise. We couldn’t do it without them.”

The seventh annual Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown showcased 14 Ocean Wise chefs who joined the sustainable seafood movement by competitng head to head in a friendly competition with their original, ocean-friendly seafood chowders, served with local beers. The diverse ingredients of the chowders ran the spectrum, from Ocean Wise honey mussels to wild Pacific albacore tuna. A list of participating chefs and their bios can be found here.

Ned Bell, YEW Seafood & Bar, Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver 

Oceanwise Smoked Black Cod  ‘Chowda’
Okanagan Apples, Chilliwack Corn, Fraser Valley Honey

Recipe: 4-6 ppl

For the Chowder Base:

1 Liter Organic Avalon Dairy 35% Cream
2 tbsp butter
½ cup Okanagan White Wine
½ cup apple juice
1 onion, diced
1 Yukon Gold potato, steamed, peeled and diced
½ cup celery, diced
½ cup Chilliwack corn
1pc Okanagan apple
1 tbsp white peppercorns
3 tbsp sea salt
4tbsp Fraser Valley Honey

Method:

-sauté the onions and celery in the butter.
-add the salt and peppercorns.
-deglaze with the wine, and cook out for a few minutes
-add the cream and juice, simmer for 20 minutes.
Puree all the ingredients in a Vita Mix Blender and cool.

To Assemble the Chowder:

Warm the soup up with the smoked black cod, this will allow the cod to cook gently and add flavor. Add the fresh raw corn, the potato, and raw diced apple. Drizzle the soup with the Fraser Valley Honey and garnish with a few fresh pieces of raw Okanagan apple.

Chef Ned Bell, Dolf Dejong, Vancouver Aquarium vice president of conservation and education, and Ann-Marie Copping, manager of Ocean Wise.