Taste The Region

Salmon

Salmon aquaculture in New Brunswick began with just one commercial site in 1978 and has since grown to over 90 sites across the province. New Brunswick represents approximately 40% of all Canadian salmon production.

The Saint John Region in particular is home to Cooke Aquaculture Inc., one of the world’s largest producers of farmed Atlantic salmon. Their brand, True North Seafood, provides sustainable products for all in our region to enjoy, and offers a location in the Saint John City Market as a place to get fresh, candied, or smoked salmon while visiting the region.

The success of salmon aquaculture here is largely attributed to the pristine waters of the Bay of Fundy. With its currents, back eddies, and high tides, we have one of the healthiest environments for cultivating fish.

Looking to create your own taste of the region? Check out True North Seafood's salmon, white fish, and shellfish recipes here.

Bay of Fundy Lobster

New Brunswick lobster has a BIG reputation worldwide. Known for its superior quality, delicate texture and delectable taste, New Brunswick lobster is a top choice for foodies around the world.

Fresh or cooked, you’ll find these beautiful crustaceans and mollusks for sale direct from local suppliers and fishmongers, or at local grocery stores. The fisheries are seasonal, so prices will vary.

Looking for lobster in the uptown Saint John area? Visiting the Saint John City Market, Billy's Seafood Company, or Steamers Lobster Company (open seasonally) are great places to start.

Dulse

Dulse is an edible low-calorie red seaweed that grows in the North Atlantic. It is high in calcium, potassium, iron and iodine, and adds a salty, umami flavour to soups, salads and sandwiches. Locals eat it like chips from the sea!

Dulse is harvested by hand at low tide from June through September. The dulse fronds - its leaflike growths - range in size from 20cm to 40cm, or 8in to 16in. When picked, a portion of the frond is left behind so that the plant will continue to grow. During the peak summer months, dulse grows so fast that the same shores may be picked every two weeks, during full moon and new moon.

Want to try this tasty treat? Grab a sample pack from Slocum & Ferris, or check out a local grocer in the summer season.

Smelt

Fresh smelt are a cold-weather harvest for fishers around the province. Pan-fried with flour and butter, some rank them right up there with lobster and scallops on the tasty-scale. Smelt is an excellent source of protein. It is also rich in vitamins A, B9, B12, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and potassium - so you can feel good about eating them, too! Look for them on winter menus.

Want an added challenge? If you're visiting during the winter, try your hand at ice fishing at The Shacks in Rothesay and catch your own smelt!

Maple Syrup

Whether drizzled over pancakes, added to a smoothie, frozen into candy, or used in a cocktail, maple syrup is a distinctively delicious way to add some sweetness. Maple Syrup has a long history in New Brunswick, where 3 million kilograms of maple syrup  are produced each year. This makes us the second largest maple producer in Canada, and the third largest producer in the world. That means Maplelicious – late winter/early spring – is a special time.

Indigenous Peoples were the first to collect maple sap and boil it to create syrup, long before the arrival of European settlers. Today, large sugaring operations use tubing to connect tapped tree. During the season (winter and early spring), one tree can produce about 40 litres of sap, which equal one litre of maple syrup.

If you want a true taste of our region, then trying our maple syrup is a must! In the winter/early spring, head to a sugar camp like Elmhurst Outdoors to learn how the syrup is made, sample pure maple syrup from the snow, and enjoy a traditional pancake breakfast while you're there. In the springtime, head to a local restaurant to indulge in special maple menu features.

Checking out a local farmers market while you're here? Keep an eye out for countless maple products, like maple syrups, taffy, jams, jellies, candies, and more! Buying some local maple syrup while you're here? Create your own maple-licious meal by following one of the recipes found here.

Sturgeon and Caviar

Sturgeons first appeared on Earth approximately 250 million years ago by evolving and mutating from their ancestor, the shark. Fossil discoveries indicate that the current genus of sturgeon (Acipenser) dates from the Upper Cretaceous period, approximately 70 million years ago.

Cavier, one of the healthiest gourmet foods, contains a large amount of polyunsaturated fats which improves cognitive function. This delicious treat also contains a significant amount of vitamins and minerals.

Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar Inc., located on the Kingston Peninsula, produces locally harvested and farmed sturgeon products, including salty and delicious fresh caviar. While best known for their world-class products, Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar also offers touristic experiences, for those looking to fully engage in the taste of our region. Find out more about their tasting experiences here.

Molasses

Sweet, pure, and packed with flavour - molasses is a treat like no other. Crosby’s Molasses has been importing the world’s finest molasses to the East Coast of Canada since 1879; supplying retailers across Canada and into New England.

Crosby's fancy molasses is the highest-grade molasses available, and is a result of pure sugarcane juice that has been condensed, inverted and purified. For those looking for a stronger taste, Crosby's Blackstrap molasses is a pure product that contains no added preservatives, and offers a robust and somewhat bitter flavour. And for the best of both worlds, Crosby's Cooking molasses is a blend of both products; darker than fancy molasses and less sweet, with a more "full-flavoured" taste.

During your next trip to the Saint John Region, stock up on our local molasses to use in your next baking adventure - find Crosby's molasses in grocery stores around the region. Need some molasses baking inspiration? Whether you're looking for a recipe for perfect molasses cookies, a warming gingerbread cake, or how to make a sweet and savoury chicken dish, you'll find all the perfect ooey-gooey recipes here.