If there is one advantage to living on an island, it has to be the endless supply of seafood harvested off our coastlines. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of pitfalls as well: Wind, rain, having to pay exorbitant fees to leave said island on a ferry, etc.

But, being the optimist that I am, I always come back to the positive side of things. Having just moved from the biggest city on the island, to possibly one of the smallest, I now have to dig a little deeper to find all those culinary treasures.

I’ve recently found that, nearby, there are quite a few foodie havens. We have a wonderful slow food restaurant, Amusé Bistro, North America’s first Cittaslow town (Cowichan Bay), old world style meat markets, cheese makers, bread bakers and farm stands. We also have Canada’s #1 hotel, one of Vancouver Island’s best coffee roasters and café, Drumroaster and some fantastic wineries, cideries and meaderies. Really, I live in a corridor of home grown food, fantastic farm markets, ridiculously fresh seafood and awesome wine. What more could a food obsessed chef really want? There’s even a women up the (unpaved, gravel) road from me who sells fresh Omega-3 eggs. She raises rabbits too, but sadly, all of them are raised for a French restaurant in town. What I wouldn’t give to try fresh, local rabbit. What I’m getting at is that I think I’ve finally found a place to call home. I’m hoping that I can raise my little man (19 months today!) to love this style of food production just as much as me. Who knows, maybe he’ll be the next Jamie Oliver.

Anyway, today’s recipe features a seafood that I could not find fresh. I had to buy frozen. It is fished in local waters, but so far I have not seen it for sale anywhere. If you know otherwise, let me know!

Sautéed Squid Concassé

454g (1 lb) squid tubes and tentacles
1 clove garlic, grated
1 Tbsp Canola oil
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
salt & pepper
1/4 cup fresh Basil (ripped into small pieces or minced)

1. In large saucepan, heat oil and garlic on medium high heat.
2. Add tomatoes and sauté for a couple of minutes.
3. Add half the basil (thanks to Rouxbe_foodie for the tip on ripping basil instead of chopping, for less bruising) and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add in squid, salt and pepper and sauté for about 3 minutes. If you overcook it, the squid will become rubbery.
5. Remove from heat, stir in remaining basil and serve.

This dish is great as a side to pasta or rice dishes or served along with a green salad for a light dinner.