By SHANNON KELLY
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia (Photo: Chris Boris)
From Atlantic to Pacific, a dozen of the best places across Canada to tuck into local lobster, oysters, mussels and fresh fish.
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- Truth be told, Canada's smallest province has a multitude of seafood-centric towns known for their shellfish, especially oysters. But Charlottetown, the largest city and provincial capital is where it all comes to a head. No oyster bay is more than a 90 minutes away in any direction. Compare the many oyster varieties: Malpeques, North Points, Raspberry Points, Summersides and more. Many an oyster fanatic calls the briny, nutty and sweet <a title="http://www.colvillebayoysterco.com/" href="http://www.colvillebayoysterco.com/" target="_blank">Colville Bay</a> oysters the best; go to the source on the Island's southeast shore. Charlottetown's <a title="http://peishellfish.com/" href="http://peishellfish.com/" target="_blank">PEI Shellfish Festival</a> takes place in September, where you'll be in the company of celeb Food Network chef and proud Islander Michael Smith.<br /> <br />
- Colville Bay oysters (Photo: Rob Hyndman)
- Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
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- Colville Bay oysters (Photo: Rob Hyndman)
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- Canada's self-proclaimed lobster capital, Shediac is one of the most seafood-centric towns in the Maritimes. The lobster is framed in the town's coat of arms, and its huge lobster monument is its most photographed attraction. The annual <a title="http://www.shediaclobsterfestival.ca/" href="http://www.shediaclobsterfestival.ca/" target="_blank">Shediac Lobster Festival</a> takes place in early July and the town also has <a title="http://www.lobstertales.ca/Index_en.html" href="http://www.lobstertales.ca/Index_en.html" target="_blank">lobster cruises</a> where you learn about lobster trapping and get a 101 on preparing and eating lobster.
- Photo: Wikimedia Commons
- Shediac, New Brunswick
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- Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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- Wolfville doesn't have a particular fishy claim to fame, but its proximity to some of Canada's best mussel-, lobster- and fish-trawling spots means it's a prime spot for sampling the regional spoils for lunch or dinner. Try the Tempest restaurant (117 Front St., 902-542-0588) or stop by the <a title="http://www.wolfvillefarmersmarket.ca/" href="http://www.wolfvillefarmersmarket.ca/" target="_blank">Wolfville Farmer's Market</a> to pick up what's fresh.<br />
- Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/snype451/5544861525/">Brian Uhreen</a>
- Wolfville, Nova Scotia
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- Photo: Brian Uhreen
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- Known for its gigantic, succulent scallops, Digby has one of the largest scallop fleets in the world and the largest inshore fleet on the eastern seaboard. Find scallops every which way on local menus: baked, broiled, fried, in sandwiches and chowders and the no-frills classic, seared. Digby's <a title="http://www.digbyscallopdays.com/" href="http://www.digbyscallopdays.com/" target="_blank">Scallop Days</a> festival takes place every August.<br /> <br /> <br />
- Tempest restaurant (Photo: Alexa Clark)
- Digby, Nova Scotia
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- Tempest restaurant (Photo: Alexa Clark)
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- This seaside town on Nova Scotia's South Shore near Lunenburg is known for one thing when it comes to seafood: Indian Point mussels. These petite, pleasantly salty mussels are sustainably farmed in a family-run operation and you can find them on many a local menu like the <a title="http://www.themugandanchorpubltd.com/#!menus" href="http://www.themugandanchorpubltd.com/#!menus" target="_blank">Mug & Anchor Pub</a>, or anywhere along the coast and in Halifax.
- Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/remotelyboris/5714420379/">Chris Boris</a>
- Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
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- Photo: Chris Boris
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- The Martimes' largest city is understandably a centre for the region's most highly respected restaurants serving up local Atlantic seafood. For lobster rolls or fish and chips, head to <a title="http://www.frediesfantasticfish.com/" href="http://www.frediesfantasticfish.com/" target="_blank">Fredie's Fantastic Fish House</a>. For a more upscale dining experience try <a title="http://www.elementsonhollis.ca/" href="http://www.elementsonhollis.ca/" target="_blank">Elements on Hollis</a>, which serves (among many fish-centric entrées) a three-course Maritime Lobster Feast.
- Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmanning/350701759/">Jim Manning</a>
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
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- Photo: Jim Manning
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- You might be surprised to find an inland town (Gimli is about 90 km north of Winnipeg) on the list of seafood hot spots, but Manitoba's Lake Winnipeg the country's prime spot for hooking one of the tastiest freshwater fish in North America: pickerel (or walleye, as it's generally known in the U.S.). At any restaurant in this fishing town the pickerel on the menu is likely to have been pulled in that morning. Try it at Kris Fish & Chips (78A 1st Ave., 204-642-8848), Beach Boy Restaurant (71 1st Ave., 204-642-7560) or Mask Restaurant (129 7th Ave., 204-642-4727), which even serves pan-fried pickerel with hollandaise sauce in its Fisherman's Breakfast. In Winnipeg, pick up your own fresh catch at <a title="http://www.where.ca/listings/listing_detail.php?slug=gimli-fish-market-42" href="http://www.where.ca/listings/listing_detail.php?slug=gimli-fish-market-42">Gimli Fish Market</a>.
- Photo: Travel Manitoba
- Gimli, Manitoba
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- Photo: Travel Manitoba
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- Salmon is king in this Vancouver Island town with an annual <a title="http://www.salmonfest.ca/" href="http://www.salmonfest.ca/" target="_blank">Salmon Festival</a> every September. Sockeye, chinook and coho salmon fill its lakes and inlets. For the freshest catches, visit June through September.
- Photo: Michael van den Bogaard
- Port Alberni, British Columbia
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- Photo: Michael van den Bogaard
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- On the eastern shore of Vancouver Island, Nanaimo is just south of western Canada's most prolific Pacific oyster hotbed, Baynes Sound. The city has a pretty waterfront and a multitude of seafood restaurants where you can sample <a title="http://www.fannybayoysters.com/" href="http://www.fannybayoysters.com/" target="_blank">Fanny Bay oysters</a>, which are undoubtedly the most popular variety for their salty flavour and fresh, cucumber-like finish. But fish in all varieties stars on menus and everything from newspaper-wrapped fish and chips to sushi is top notch.
- Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bishopsgreen/3808043201/">Robert Ciavarro</a>
- Nanaimo, British Columbia
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- Photo: Robert Ciavarro
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- Proximity to the Pacific Ocean, access to the spoils from fishing operations along the expansive BC coast and a forward-thinking food scene that attracts star chefs is a killer combination in this west coast city. Some of Canada's best seafood can be found on plates at restaurants around the city. Not to be missed are the innovative waterfront <a title="http://www.where.ca/listings/listing_detail.php?slug=c-restaurant-wh" href="http://www.where.ca/listings/listing_detail.php?slug=c-restaurant-wh">C Restaurant</a> and <a title="http://www.where.ca/listings/listing_detail.php?slug=blue-water-cafe-raw-bar-wh" href="http://www.where.ca/listings/listing_detail.php?slug=blue-water-cafe-raw-bar-wh">Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar</a> in Yaletown, the winner of our 2011 <a title="http://www.where.ca/contestpage/?slug=where-to-dine-vancouver" href="http://www.where.ca/contestpage/?slug=where-to-dine-vancouver" target="_blank">Where to Dine Vancouver</a> reader's choice award. (See our <a title="http://www.where.ca/listings/#/?category=3535&page=2&type=4036" href="http://www.where.ca/listings/#/?category=3535&page=2&type=4036" target="_blank">full list</a> of seafood restaurants in Vancouver.)
- Photo: Irene Lee
- Vancouver, British Columbia
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- Photo: Irene Lee
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- Prince Edward Island is the place to go for your east coast oyster fix, but for Pacific oysters, head to Canada's other famous island: Vancouver Island. The biologically rich Clayoquot Sound region where Tofino lies is a prime oyster farming territory and celebrates the bivalve each year at November's <a title="http://www.oystergala.com/" href="http://www.oystergala.com/" target="_blank">Clayoquot Oyster Festival</a>. If you get the opportunity, try a Nootka, an unusual variety from a tiny bay north of Tofino.
- Pacific oysters (Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/marxfoods/2984670601/">Justin Marx</a>)
- Tofino, British Columbia
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- Pacific oysters (Photo: Justin Marx)
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- It's unlikely that you'll find yourself happening through Kangiqsujuaq, in <a href="http://www.nunavik.ca/en/index.html">Nunavik</a>, the far northern reaches of Quebec on the Hudson Strait. But it makes the list for its mussels because of the extreme measures local Inuit communities take to harvest them. In winter during low tide, they venture under the ice to retrieve the mussels—a dangerous beat-the-clock job. (See this fascinating <a href="http://www.aventureskangiqsujuaq.ca/en/2011/mussel-gathering-under-sea-ice-bbc-video/">video</a>.) If you ever get to try one of these hard-won delicacies, drop us a line and tell us how they taste.
- Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourmanitoulin/520901006/">Murray Dewing</a>
- Kangiqsujuaq, Quebec
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- Photo: Murray Dewing
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