This probably wasn’t the summer you had in mind. We know for us here at the store, there has been much less international travel, and much more time spent attempting to make sourdough, than we had been expecting. And, judging by the number of our customers who have recently asked us about cooking with cannabis, it seems bread is not the only kind of baking being attempted to pass the time. Because of that interest, we figured now would be a good time to give a quick primer on cooking with cannabis, should anyone be planning one last camping or cottage getaway before fall comes, or if you are looking for ways to make a weekend afternoon a little more enjoyable.
As someone with roots in the East Coast, late summer/early fall has always been the time for seafood, of lobster boils and fish fries, and so the recipes below will take advantage of the quality seafood which can be found this time of year off our coast. However, as someone with roots in the East Coast, I have seen the repercussions of what unsustainable fishing practices can bring, and so these recipes will feature seafood which make up an emerging system of regenerative aquaculture; a way of feeding ourselves in ways that protect fish stocks, store carbon, filter water, and provide sustainable jobs. This aquaculture, despite being enormously beneficial, produces seafood like kelp and shellfish that are not as popular relative to the usual suspects of tuna, cod, and salmon.
For the industry to take off, these new ingredients need to be made part of our food culture in BC, and there are few things more a part of our culture than finding out new things to put weed into. That being said, if you aren’t crazy about seafood, these recipes need not be followed precisely. Think of them instead as some suggestions for easy ways to make an infused meal.
The Basics
The easiest way to experiment with infusing dishes is to skip past the time consuming process of making your own oil (it’s a pain in the ass) and instead purchasing an already infused oil. You will have an exact potency, rather than an approximate one, and you will avoid the part where you are standing over your Crockpot dredging out stray leaves as the smell of weed fills your home.
The THC is already activated in the oils available to purchase at Muse, meaning that adding additional heat will reduce their potency. The best way to use them is to include them in the toppings or dressings of whatever you are making: not in the brownie batter, but the icing.
If you are cooking for someone else, make sure you know their tolerance, and make sure your dosing is accurate for each dish you are infusing. In general, it is better to err on the side of caution and go a little light on THC. People can always come back for seconds, and if you over-do the potency and blast your guests off to the colony Elon Musk is planning to build on Mars, they will stop coming over.
It is a good idea to have some CBD heavy joints or beverages on hand as insurance in case anyone has taken too much. CBD can mellow out the intensity of a high and save the night from ending up on the couch.
Speaking of the couch, oils pulled from the sativa or hybrid end of the spectrum, like the KKE Jean Guy, or Cove Rise oils are a better fit for an afternoon with friends. It might be best to avoid the heavier indica oils unless you have enough beds for everyone coming over for dinner.
To keep any late-night snacking from going off the rails, make sure you label clearly whatever you have infused in your fridge/pantry.
Est THC Count: 2.5 mg
Notes:
I have found something mojito-esque to be the sweet spot for the new water soluble drops that are coming to market. The thirty seconds it takes to muddle the fruit and mint is worth the labour, and the Seedlip de-alcoholized spirit gives the drink a backbone that is missing when just dashing the drops into a La Croix.
If you are planning an infused meal, serving a cocktail is a good way to start the night. The onset time of the drops is quicker than a traditional edible, so the guests can have a little buzz coming on while they sit down for the meal, rather than waiting two hours after eating for the effects to kick in.
PS. don’t be afraid of the “Yawn” branding on the drops: it seems to be a marketing schtick. Those of us at the store who tried them did not feel sleepy, just high.
Musito
6-8 mint leaves
1/2 oz honey
1 oz Lime juice
Fresh Fruit (BC plums and peaches are great this time of year)
2 oz Seedlip Grove 42
Veryvell Drops (Yawn)
Club soda
Directions:
1.Muddle mint leaves, honey, fresh fruit, and lime juice in the bottom of a Collins glass.
2.Add 2 oz of Seedlip Grove 42, 3 Yawn drops, crushed or cracked ice, and a spent, halved lime to the glass. Top with club soda and serve with a straw.
Serves 4. Est. THC Count: 7mg
Notes:
Shellfish like mussels (along with oysters and scallops) form one of the two pillars of the emerging regenerative aquaculture movement: They provide a great source of protein placed low on the aquatic food chain, are capable of filtering the water in which they grow, and provide a reliable source of income for ocean farmers, avoiding the boom and bust cycle of traditional fishing. Getting more sustainably sourced shellfish onto the plate is a key part of getting this virtuous ecological/economic cycle going, and doing so does not require sacrifice; for a half-hour of labour and 40 bucks you end up with something that tastes like it belongs in a French bistro.
The potatoes are included to show off the easiest way I have found to get cannabis into a dish. Infused oils do really well added to punchy, herby sauces, like chimichurri, pesto, or the OG hippie health-food classic, green goddess dressing. It really doesn’t need to get any fancier than replacing some of the olive oil with an infused version and putting the sauce on the table.
For the Mussels:
3 lb Mussels, debearded and scrubbed
3 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 leeks, light green and white parts, cut into thin slices
2 shallots, chopped
1 cup Dry White Wine or Cider
1/4 cup of kombu flakes
A few sprigs of parsley or thyme, if you have them
Baguette, warmed before serving
For the New Potatoes:
1.5 pounds new potatoes, halved if large
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 cup finely grated Parmesan.
For the “Green” Goddess Dressing:
2 ripe avocados
Teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Clove of garlic, chopped
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch tarragon
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Giant Kelp Mini Flakes, soaked and drained
1 Thai chilli, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1ml KKE Jean Guy Oil
Directions:
1. Place mussels in a bowl full of fresh water. As they sit, they will expel any sand or grit inside the shells.
2.Preheat oven to 425. Drizzle potatoes with oil on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast until golden brown, 25-ish minutes.
3.Melt butter in dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic, and leeks, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
4.Add the wine or cider, mussels, kombu, and herbs to the pot. Toss the mussels and cover until all mussels have opened, 5-to-10 minutes.
5.While the mussels and potatoes are cooking, blend all dressing ingredients in a food processor, adding more olive oil if the mixture is too thick. Grate 1 cup of Parmesan and set aside.
6.Take potatoes out of the oven and put in a mixing bowl, scattering the parmesan over the potatoes and tossing. Divide the potatoes onto 4 plates and drizzle with Green Goddess dressing.
7.Divide the mussels between the 4 plates, discarding any that do not open after cooking. Serve with warm bread.
Serves 4
Est. THC Count: 5 mg
This recipe is an approachable (read: deep fried and made into a sandwich) way to try oysters, topped with the other pillar of regenerative aquaculture: seaweed. High in fibre, nutrients, and bioavailable protein, seaweed has been an essential source of nutrition for many coastal cultures, with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Irish and Coast Salish cuisines traditionally including plenty of the seagreens.
The benefits extend beyond health, however, as seaweed is capable of storing immense amounts of carbon as it grows, locally reducing ocean acidification, while buffering coastal cities against storm surges and creating sheltered spawning grounds for fish. Given that seaweed can be grown as part of an integrated system which also grows shellfish like mussels and oysters, we in the Pacific Coast have the potential to seed a sustainable, local, vibrant economy off our shores if we can get past the initial weirdness of putting kelp on our plate.
A trick to getting seaweed into a dish seems to work just as well for that other kind of weed: hit it with some acifidity. The infused sunomono slaw is a good demonstration of this, with the vinegar cutting through much of the brininess in the seaweed, as well as muting the cannabis flavour that may linger in the background of milder dishes.
For the Fried Oysters
3 dozen shucked oysters, drained
Vegetable, Peanut or other high smoke-point oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 large egg
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons acidic hot sauce, like Cholula
For the Sunomono Slaw
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar, or more
4 teaspoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 ml of Cove Rise Oil
1 small head of cabbage or iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup of wakame flakes, hydrated and shredded.
Pepper
For Assembling Sandwich
Fresh baguettes
Butter
Salt
Cucumber
Hot sauce
Directions
1. Combine buttermilk and 2 tablespoons hot sauce in a small bowl. Add oysters and refrigerate.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven until it reaches 350 F, lower the heat and slowly bring up to 375 F.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together salt, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and Rise Oil. Toss shredded cabbage or lettuce and wakame flakes in the dressing. Add pepper to taste. Slice cucumbers, sprinkle with salt and drain in a colander.
4. Combine cornmeal, panko, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt into a small bowl.
5. Remove oysters from the marinade, shaking off excess, and dredge in panko mixture. Place onto a baking pan and allow the coating to set.
6. Drop oysters into the oil 4 at a time, frying until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Work in batches until all oysters are fried.
7. Slice baguettes, spread with butter.
8. Run cold water over the cucumbers, squeeze, and place onto the baguettes.
9. Layer the oysters onto the baguette on top of the cucumbers.
10. Top with Sunomono slaw. Repeat for each sandwich. Serve with hot sauce.
Serves 4
Est.THC count: 6mg
No Seafood in this dish, just another easy, tasty way to get cannabis into a dish. The infused honey works well on ice cream, mixed in with butter and slathered on corn, or used instead of maple syrup on waffles. It hits pretty hard, so make sure you test a little before piling it onto the plate.
For the Grilled Stone Fruit Salad
2 ripe peaches, cut into wedges
2 ripe plums, cut into wedges
2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
2 tbsp lime juice
8-oz. ball of burrata, torn into large pieces
1 Handful of mint, thinly sliced
Red chili flakes 1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Salt
For the Infused Cannabis Honey
1/2 cup Honey
3 ml Cove Rise Oil
Directions
1. Bring two parts honey, one part water over low heat in a saucepan. Remove from heat when honey is dissolved. Add 3 ml of Cove Rise Oil and blend until emulsified. Set aside.
2. Heat grill over medium high and brush the grates, and the cut side of the fruit, with oil. Grill until the fruit takes on some charred grill marks, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a platter.
3. Arrange tomato slices next to the fruit. Top with burrata, chili flakes and lime juice. Whisk apple cider vinegar, oil and salt, and drizzle over the salad.
4. Drizzle infused honey over the salad. Sprinkle with thinly sliced mint.
Makes 2 Dozen
Est. THC count: 6mg
This brownie recipe is flat out ripped from Ned Bell’s Lure, A great cookbook on sustainable pacific seafood from the head chef of Ocean Wise. The brownies are left un-infused, with the CBD and THC coming from the whipped cream and hemp seed topping. I did this because whenever I have made weed-infused baked goods, I have always had to throw out a large portion of the batch, as I did not have enough spare afternoons to eat my way through all of them. Infusing the toppings instead of the dessert also lets each person choose their own dose, as, depending on the tolerance of the guest, they might want to chill things out by putting some CBD whip on their brownie by the time dinner is over, while others might want to keep the party going by layering on some of the kief hemp seed mixture. Think of it as the stoner equivalent of a sundae bar.
Don’t get freaked out by the seaweed in the brownie, as it plays a role similar to the salt in a salted caramel truffle, adding some depth to the sweetness without overpowering the dessert.
For the Brownies
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
6oz chopped high quality dark chocolate
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
6 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 2/3 cups Cocoa powder
1 oz kelp powder or flaked seaweed
1 Tbsp sea salt
For the CBD Infused Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream (substitute for coconut cream if vegan)
2 ml Cove CBD Oil
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
For the Hemp Seed Topping
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 gram kief, or BC Mountain Bubble Hash
4 Tbsp hemp seeds, lightly ground
4 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted and lightly ground
Directions
Brownies
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet (12×18×2 inches) with parchment paper.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir until melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder together over the chocolate mixture, and stir until incorporated. Stir in the kelp flakes and sea salt.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
CBD Infused Whipped Cream
In a chilled metal mixing boil, beat together the cream, sugar, CBD oil, and vanilla extract with a hand held blender or whisk until soft peaks are formed.
Hemp Seed Topping
In a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, combine the brown sugar, butter, kief, and salt. Cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves in the butter. Add the hemp and sesame seeds and stir, until mixture thickens slightly and seeds are toasted, about five minutes. Remove from heat.
Assembly
Serve brownies with CBD Whipped Cream, Hemp Seed Topping, or both.
Unexpected doesn’t have to mean bad. And, though it was not the summer we were expecting, sharing a meal with some friends (while taking all the precautions that 2020 demands of us), getting a little buzzed, soaking in some of the last warm days of the year, maybe while playing a lawn game, sounds like a pretty enjoyable way to go into fall. Just don’t expect to hit anything once the second course hits in.
Regenerative Aquaculture Links
Below is some information on the key players (many of them local) in the regenerative aquaculture movement, in case anyone is interested enough to learn more.
Dafne Romero
Dafne is a “Kelper” from Haida Gwaii, bringing sustainably harvested wakame and kelp to Vancouver through the city’s farmer’s markets and as a supplier to Skipper Otto’s. Us weed sellers need to stick together.
Skipper Otto
Skipper Otto is adapting the community supported agriculture model to local fisheries, and they are doing it down the street from our South Granville location on Fisherman’s Wharf.
Greenwave
Greenwave is a charity working to popularize the system of regenerative ocean farming, invented by Newfoundlander Bren Smith. They are the place to go to learn more on the subject. Bren’s book, Eat Like a Fish, is also a good primer.
The Acorn
The Vancouver restaurant deserves a shoutout for their shiitake dish, which features Haida Gwaii kelp, and is maybe the tastiest thing I have eaten this year.