Last Updated on December 16, 2021 by Nancie
The Kilted Chef, Alain Boose, in conjunction with Parks Canada at Kejimkujik National Seaside Park, recently hosted Savour the Seaside. The hero of the lunchtime event was a Nova Scotia seafood boil-up featuring fresh seafood caught off the coast of Nova Scotia.
The two-hour drive to Keji Seaside was uneventful, and we arrived well in time for the kick-off of the cooking workshop beginning at 11 am. Initially, lunch was to be cooked and served on the beach. However, the weather gods did not cooperate. We have a saying in Nova Scotia – wait a minute and the weather will change. However, all was not lost. We still got to experience the great outdoors on an open gazebo a little way from the beach. Our relocation did not detract one bit from our delicious lunch, prepared outdoors with all of the diners taking part in the preparation. Be sure to book your rental car in advance online.
The broth of our boil-up featured green soft-shelled crabs, known to be both invasive and cannibalistic. Doesn’t that sound a little scary! For the past number of years, Parks Canada and the federal Department of Fisheries have been working to bring these crabs from the ocean to the table. Before putting them into the pot, we got to see the crabs up close and personal.
As you can see from this photo, it would be difficult to get the meat out of these crabs to eat, but they make the perfect base for a rich, tasty, seafood broth. (BTW- The Koreans love crab, but I was always put off by how much work it took to get to the crab meat, even though I love the flavour. Plus, the Koreans love to smother the crab in a hot spicy sauce. It was very easy to ruin a good blouse or shirt for a little bit of crab meat!)
The Kilted Chef
In this video, Alain explains what is going to happen during the cook and the origins of the seafood boil-up.
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Alain and his assistant preparing the humungous cooking pot for the crabs. When you’re cooking for 70 hungry seafood lovers this pot is the answer.
The crabs were boiled in freshwater for approximately 30 minutes (maybe a little longer), and this is the finished product. Notice the green tinge to the broth (which smelled awesome!).
Then it was time to build the flavour of that pungent smelling broth. Butter, onions, diced carrot and celery, sausage, and bacon were added to the pot. along with a bag of Alain’s secret spice mixture. The spices gave the broth a nice bite, without making the seafood too spicy.
The green crab broth was added back into the pot, and it was given some time to simmer. Then, the fresh seafood was layered into the pot. This included live lobster, king crab legs, mussels, and clams. Getting the live lobster into the pot was a little nerve-wracking for some because the elastic had to be removed from the claws before adding the lobsters to the pot. No one wanted to end up with their fingers or hands being lunch for a lobster! Diners were encouraged and welcomed to participate in the preparation and cooking.
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Once the seafood was safely in the pot, the vegetables, including carrots, small new potatoes (the best!), and fresh corn on the cob, were added a layer at a time. The pot was finished off with a carpet of fresh yellow and green beans. In under an hour, Alain and his assistants were scooping out freshly cooked seafood and veggies to feed the hungry diners.
It was time to eat! I could feel the anticipation in the air as we lined up to enjoy the perfectly cooked tasty morsels of seafood and vegetables. The utensils and the serving bowls were all environmentally friendly. I think they were made from bamboo. The seafood was flavourful and succulent, and the vegetables were garden fresh and perfectly cooked. Most of us went back for second and even third helpings. The origins of this boil-up are in Georgia and Louisiana. When the Acadians were expelled from Nova Scotia in the 1700s many of them ended up in Louisiana. Today, there continues a strong bond between the Nova Scotia Acadians and the Louisianna Acadians.
Other food and beverage companies were also on-site providing samples of Nova Scotia cider and wine. There was also a lady with mini doughnuts. You coated the doughnut with a bit of sweet syrup and then roasted it over an open fire. Fantastic dessert! Sorry, no photos. I was bewitched by the seafood.
Nova Scotia weather is unpredictable at the best of times. Do pack a lightweight raincoat.
If you’re visiting Nova Scotia, add Keji Seaside to your itinerary. If you’re driving from Halifax, it’s a two-hour drive up Highway 103.
Are you heading to Prince Edward Island after Nova Scotia? Be sure to check out these PEI restaurants.
What’s your favourite seafood? Let us know in the comments.
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58 responses to “The Kilted Chef Delivers a Seafood Boil-Up”
I have never seen seafood cooked like this before and would love to try this. Dam, i am hungry now, I want Nova Stlye fish – dam dam dam (is that bad?) 😀 Hopefully I will try this one day when I reach NS.
Wow. He surely seems to have a style of his own. Both the attire and his cooking methods.. well interesting to say the least! Guess ists yummy too!
This looks like such a fun and amazing experience. I used to live vegoing to Maine for lobsters. Makes me miss seafood now thatI’m a vegetarian.
Yum that food looks amazing! What a cool dining experience too!
He is a unique chef with is style, although I was expecting a Scottish accent haha. I am not a massive seafood eater but I have to admit that this does look very tasty and the way it was presented was nice. It’s was very interesting the way that this was all cooked I am glad you enjoyed it.
I’m a huge seafood fan and this looks insanely good. I love the concept of the kilted chef too, he’s probably the first I’ve heard of. Great photos of the food, I’m hungry now!
WOW! What an experience and I am glad that the weather did not spoil this unique and tasty Nova Scotia seafood boil-up for you! The fun of attending a cooking class and then enjoying that meal is an amazing thing to take part in. I attended something similar in one of our visits to US and it was fantastic. I can only imagine how wonderful it would have been in the outdoors! And that crab! Woah!
This reminds me of the low country boils we used to have in South Carolina. I love that everyone was encouraged to participate too. And very nice that the bowls and utensils were eco friendly!
This is torture for a seafood lover to go through these pictures and get nothing in the end….haha…..I totally totally loved the way you have explained and those pictures kept me hooked to whats coming next. Awesome
This looks amazing! I love taking cooking classes. It’s one of the best things – you get to learn something new and then eat it afterwards! Additionally this looks especially amazing because.. seafood.. and butter!
That seafood looks delicious, but I would not be able to eat it if I had to see those poor creatures being boiled alive. I prefer my seafood served to me without having to participate in the cooking.
Woah!! That looks like a great experience, indeed! I love spending a noon over some good wine and seafood. To me, the involvement in the cooking really matters. Glad to see you had a good time. Cheers!! 🙂
I so would have loved to be in attendance! I friggin LOVE seafood!
WOW what an incredible experience! I love seafood, one my favorite.
This looks like a fun and amazing experience. He surely has a style of his own.The food looks amazing. It looks very interesting the way this was all cooked, one would definitely enjoy the experience. Thanks for sharing.
You had me at seafood. The food looks amazing. Wish I could have experienced this first hand.
Now I must admit that I am allergic to seafood. That being said, cooking for 70 is most def different than cooking for 3 and the process was pretty cool to watch. Thank you!
I am a vegetarian but found this surprising to read because I have never knew seafood could be cooked like this.
Small new potatoes are the best, I agree. This looks simply amazing.
I love seafood a lot even though I have an allergy I am still eating it and seeing that dish makes me really hungry.
Wow, that is so delicious and seeing these photos makes me really hungry. I would love to have that for my meal today.
He definitely has a signature style to the way he cooks his food. I am a vegetarian but it was interesting indeed to learn about this technique.
I just had the same crazy feast last weekend! you’ll never go wrong with seafood, King Crab is the best which is best served with cajun sauce. if your too lazy and want to skip this process, you may steam all your mix seafood with either sprite or 7 up’… learned this trick from my mom LOL.
This cooking was done professionally. I wish to try them in the future. I love seafood and I can eat them everyday.
That looks absolutely delicious. I wondered what went into doing a seafood bake like this. Makes me want to go and get some lobster of my own!
My fiancee loves seafood… sadly I’m allergic. This looks like a great time though
Wow, I love seafood a lot that dish looks really delicious. Seeing this makes me really hungry, yummy!
You had me at butter and onions! This looks like a great experience and the food looks wonderful!
This totally blew my mind. I have never seen anything like this. This goes in my bucket list my.
Wow, this is really cool and yummy! My husband and I love seafood
What a wonderful experience! I love seafood and would love to enjoy a boil like this one
What an incredible experience its great
Wow! That is a great experience! I would like to try his cooking. Seems so good! Yummy!
What an interesting way to cook seafood. We have never tried to cook crab- maybe we should give it a try one day.
Great post Nancie. I have to visit Nova Scotia now.
Hi Rob. Thanks. Do visit us in Nova Scotia one of these days. We love visitors.
Wow! These looks yummy and delicious. These kind of cooking seems restoring the sea foods savory .
Hi Jenn. Yes, the cooking method the Kilted Chef used maintains the flavour of the seafood.
Oh wow. This looks so delicious. Seafood is like the one thing I miss about being a vegetarian. I also love that everything used was environmentally friendly. Thanks for sharing.
I think I like seafood too much to ever become a vegetarian 🙂 The Kilted Chef’s cooking of the seafood was fun to watch and we did get to participate.
Not that I would eat this, it would be an interesting experience to see it outside. Guess that would diffuse the uncomfortable smell that sea food has. I love the pictures you have taken of the huge wat and the ingredients.
Hi Ami. In my experience seafood only smells if it is not fresh. Living in Nova Scotia, most of the seafood served in restaurants (or an event like this) would be extremely fresh, so no smell. 🙂
This looks so amazing!!! I love shellfish so much! What a great way to spend the day!!
Wow this is a great experience for anyone who loves seafood and cooking! My boyfriend is a chef and working with fresh seafood is something that he would love to experience. I think it’s great that you were also able to enjoy the outdoors. I am not a huge seafood fan but I’d try the cider and the doughnuts!
Hi Chantell. Yes, it was a fantastic experience. Being able to help the Kilted Chef with some of the cooking made it even more memorable.
must have been a great experience to cook like that outside. I find myself veering more and more towards vegetarianism as I get older but eating parasitic pests is a great idea.
Your photos and descriptions have me drooling and I loved the step-by-step process of seeing what went into a Nova Scotia seafood boil up. Looks like this is the kind of place where you bring all your friends, wear an old T-shirt and ask for a bib. Yum!
Hi Anita. You are exactly right. No fancy clothes were required. It was a day of good cooking and eating.
I have never had seafood boil-up. I like you had the opportunity to be part of the process!
Everything looks delish Nancie! LOL on that stick of butter. Industrial sized for a big time boil up. Tweeted for you.
Ryan
Hi Ryan. Thanks for the Tweet. Yes, that it a big slab of butter, and you know everything does taste better with butter 🙂
That food looks Yummy! I am not a huge seafood fan but I’d try the cider and the doughnuts!
omg this looks so delicious! i’ve been experimenting with new recipes lately and it’s been so fun. this is inspiring me to try seafood even though I normally don’t eat seafood haha. 🙂
Oh, Nancy! You made me really hungry! What a delicious way to spend the day.
Oh my goodness, this is making me hungry! The seafood looks amazing, especially those mussels! Don’t get me started on the crab…yup, seafood lover here 🙂 I can’t think of a better way to spend a day outdoors – thanks for sharing.
What a cool experience. My husband especially would love learning from the kilted chef!
This has been added to my bucket list! Looks fun!
Hi Whitney. Cooking with the Kilted Chef was a lot of fun. If you’re ever in Nova Scotia, highly recommended.