Best known for his reality TV show The Heat and celebrity judge appearances on Food Network, Mark McEwan also owns his own high-end restaurants and grocery stores in the Greater Toronto Area. He wrote his own best-selling cookbook, Great Food at Home, among other famous kitchen books. He is known for his wide array of culinary dishes, making food from all over the world. Previously serving as head judge on Top Chef, as well as a brief stint on Canada's Smartest Person, he loves mentoring young aspiring chefs and critiquing dishes.
Not as many people know him for his humanitarian work with Second Harvest, however. McEwan has been a member of this organization since 1990. Second Harvest spreads awareness about hunger-related issues, and helps those who have limited access to adequate food.
Mark McEwan started his famous chef career as a dishwasher at a local restaurant at age 16, working for only $1.60 per hour. He credits this job with teaching him how to keep a clean and orderly kitchen. One day, his supervisors needed a cook, and they pulled him in to cook temporarily. He quickly moved upwards in ranking over they years at different restaurants and eventually became the youngest-ever executive chef at Sutton Place Hotel.
At this point, here is where you probably found out about McEwan. He opened his own groceries and restaurants in Ontario. At his own restaurants, Mark McEwan strives to make customers feel comfortable during their dining experience. He thinks most five-star restaurants are too stiff and unwelcoming for people, and so he designed his restaurants to feel welcoming to everyone who comes in, yet he maintains his high standard for food and delights all who come in with fancy culinary dishes.
After researching Mark McEwan, I made one of his very own recipes for salmon: crusted salmon with chorizo salsa.
I referred to a newscast video that Mark McEwan demonstrated the recipe on for Heart Month. Unfortunately, due to the "Covid-19 grocery shopping experience" I was unable to use coriander seed in the recipe, so I used cumin instead, and it turned out very well. I loved the cumin, curry, and turmeric spices on the salmon, combined with its flakiness, and the chorizo salsa was a huge hit with my family. I loved it, and we did not have any leftovers after! As for if I would make it again, I'd say I'd definitely add the same spices to my salmon again, but I may cook it differently because my family usually grills our salmon. I really liked the salsa, and I think I would make it again for a different meal. I enjoyed the depth of flavour from all the spices, and they really made the dish come together. It was very delicious, and my family greatly enjoyed it because I was able to adapt it to my family's diet.
First, I prepared the chorizo salsa by chopping up cucumber, tomato, and red onion, and mixing them with lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Next, I generously seasoned the salmon with turmeric, curry, cumin, salt, and pepper. I pan-fried the salmon and caramelized lemon pieces at the same time.
Finally, I served the salmon on heated canned tomatoes with spice, green beans, and topped with chorizo salsa and seared lemon.
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Bibliography
“Food Network Canada Chef School Bio - Mark McEwan: Food Network Canada.” Food Network, Corus Entertainment Inc., www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/food-network-canada-chef-school/mark-mcewan/bio/.
PeoplePill. “Mark McEwan: Canadian Chef - Biography and Life.” PeoplePill, peoplepill.com/people/mark-mcewan/.
Sampson, Susan. “Q&A: Celebrity Chef Mark McEwan.” The Star, Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd., 8 Mar. 2010, www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2010/03/08/qa_celebrity_chef_mark_mcewan.html.
Scoble, Devon. “10 Things You Didn't Know About Mark McEwan.” Food Network, Corus Entertainment Inc., 8 Jan. 2016, www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/chopped-canada/blog/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-mark-mcewan/.
“The McEwan Group.” The McEwan Group, The McEwan Group, mcewangroup.ca/.