paired with Bridge Brewing’s Tropical PrimeTime IPA
When chef Amir Bahmani worked in fine dining establishments across Europe and Vancouver, the idea of pairing food with wine was a natural one, but finding just the right beer to go with a fancy seafood dish was not on his radar.
Fast forward seven years and Bahmani is not only comfortable talking about food and beer pairings, he’s downright enthusiastic.
“I was very familiar with wine pairings with foods and then some of the experiences I had later on, like with a Michelin star restaurant in Europe, I saw those guys start changing the drinks and not always serving wine with a meal,” says Bahmani, chef at North Vancouver’s Bridge Brewing Co. “That was around 2017, and that was the first time I’m like, oh, yeah, why does it always have to be wine? It could be beer.”
When Bahmani first began working at Bridge Brewing, he decided to take things up a notch from simply pairing food and beer, to creating recipes using the seasonal craft beer available to him at the brewery. He initially thought creating these recipes would be nothing more than a “side project,” but that initial idea sparked a passion he now embraces fully in the kitchen.
“Beer is way more, I would say, harder to incorporate just because of its hoppiness and bitterness, but that didn’t stop me so I was throwing beer into every other recipe at the beginning to kind of get the sense of what works best and what is it less suitable for cooking,” says Bahmani. “So, it’s been a fun journey.”
Bahmani notes Bridge Brewing takes sustainability very seriously, something he also considers when developing recipes. The brewery takes a zero-waste approach to both its beer and food, with a goal to have as little impact on the earth as possible.
The brewery purchases fresh, top-quality grains and hops in small quantities to ensure their products not only meet their high standards, but also as part of their efforts to be a zero-waste brewery. Bridge Brewing proudly claims to be 99 percent waste-free.
Bahami has also embraced the brewery’s efforts in sustainability and, to that end, the kitchen crew makes most of the sauces, dressings and dips in-house.
“And if we do get a lot of produce or a bigger cut of meat, it becomes a fun project for the crew to come up with recipes to use it all,” says Bahami.
He adds, an example of that was a time the crew was working with brisket, which always has a lot of fat. As each brisket was trimmed, that leftover fat was melted down and stored in the freezer. A few months later, when winter was in full swing, that melted fat was used in a crust for meat pies.
“So, that was an example of using the waste that we had from other dishes, like that fat, and incorporating it into a dish that became a Sunday special,” says Bahmani.
He adds, marinades made with the peel and zest of lemons, lime and grapefruit is another method he uses to ensure every part of those citrus fruits is used. Bahmani uses the juice and zest from all three to create his Citrus Prawn Ceviche recipe, which he suggests pairs nicely with the brewery’s Tropical PrimeTime beer.
“I incorporated the beer into the marinade itself, which is full of citrus, lemon, lime and grapefruit, so it kind of balances everything,” says Bahmani. “The dressing for this feature is usually very citrusy and harsh, but the beer brings it back to a more sweet side, so it works.”
INGREDIENTS
• 450 g of raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 lemons, including juice and zest
• 2 limes, including juice and zest
• 1 orange, including juice and zest
• 1 grapefruit, including juice only
• 200 ml olive oil
• 150 ml Tropical PrimeTime beer
• 100 sliced red onion
• 50 g of diced red peppers
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Season the prawns with salt and chilli flakes. Pour the citrus juice over prawns and let sit for one minute. Add the oil, beer and rest of the vegetables and let marinate until ready.
2. Depending on the size of prawns and acidity of your fruits, that time can vary between two minutes up to seven or eight. Check for changes in color and texture in prawns.
3. Serve with black bean purée and corn tortilla chips.