New Brunswick is famous for many things, including our iconic Bay of Fundy and our fresh seafood, but did you know that our wild blueberries are an icon in themselves?
Our beautiful province is home to over 175 wild blueberry farms that produce, package, and sell 50 million pounds of wild blueberries annually across Atlantic Canada and over 30 countries worldwide.
That’s right, it’s not just our lobsters and oysters going global!
In 2021 alone, the wild blueberry industry contributed $81 million to the provincial GDP.
You may be wondering, what’s so special about them? Well, wild blueberries are considered a superfruit! They contain twice the amount of antioxidants of cultivated blueberries, and their deep blue skin is full of anti-inflammatory properties with multiple health benefits!
Cooking with wild blueberries is more than just making blueberry muffins or pies in the summer. Trust me, I am obsessed with the wild blueberry muffins and pies from our friends at McKay’s Wild Blueberries in Pennfield, New Brunswick! If you know, you know.
Wild blueberries can be incorporated into many recipes, from salads to sauces to meat and seafood dishes. And with the scallop fishing season open again in the Bay of Fundy, we couldn’t resist incorporating New Brunswick wild blueberries into a delicious scallop feast.
And that’s how we ended up creating an absolutely fantastic dish featuring wild blueberries and Brussels Sprouts to serve with seared Bay of Fundy scallops.
Ingredients:
1 pound of Brussels Sprouts
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 dashes of sea salt
1.5 cups frozen wild New Brunswick blueberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of chopped cooked bacon
Step One: Start by cooking your bacon. We cooked about 8-10 strips of fresh, local Farmers’ Market bacon and – shhh – snacked on a few pieces before dinner was served. When cooked, cool and break or chop into pieces. Set aside.
Step Two: Preheat your oven to 425 Fahrenheit.
Step Three: Next, rinse your Brussels Sprouts, remove the ends, and cut into halves.
Step Four: Toss in a stainless steel bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2-3 dashes of sea salt.
Step Five: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stove and place Brussels Sprouts face down. Cook for 5-8 minutes until they begin to brown.
Step Six: When they do, stir with a wooden spatula and toss them. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your sprouts!
Step Seven: While your sprouts are doing their thing in the oven, simmer your wild blueberries, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup in a saucepan over low to medium heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes to allow the mixture to become more of a glaze. While some recipes recommend mashing the blueberries, we kept ours whole and found it made it even better. Once it’s to your liking, remove it from heat.
Step Eight: Take your Brussels Sprouts out of the oven and drizzle some of your wild blueberry glaze. Place back in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
Step Nine: Remove from the oven, stir in bacon pieces and parmesan cheese, and serve!
This recipe was delicious with fresh mashed potatoes from the Farmers’ Market and tantalizing fresh-off-the-boat Bay of Fundy scallops. Still, if you’re a landlubber, I can only imagine it would be a fantastic side dish to complement beef, chicken, or pork tenderloin.
We even drizzled some of the wild blueberry glaze over our scallops after snapping photos of our dishes, and oh my goodness, I would 10/10 recommend it with any leftover glaze.
Are you looking to buy local and support the New Brunswick Wild Blueberry industry?
Bleuets Wild Blueberries New Brunswick has a handy guide on their website that will show you where wild blueberries are available closest to you for purchase – just click here.
But you can also find fresh and frozen wild blueberries (depending on the season) at your local grocery store (I caught mine at Sobeys), Farmers’ Market, or roadside market – such as Mckay’s Wild Blueberries in Pennfield, New Brunswick. My favourite spot to stop in the spring and summer!
Disclaimer: This post was created in partnership With Bleuets Wild Blueberries New Brunswick, but all opinions and love for wild blueberries are my own. You can learn more about them at https://nbwildblue.ca/.
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