Québec Steamie (Steamé)
Montreal Steamie
Canadian Steamie
Steamie
Steamé
Hot-dog vapeur
Canada, Quebec, Montreal
Regional
A steamie — steamé or hot-dog vapeur in French — is a soft-bun hot dog associated with Québec's casse-croûtes, particularly Montreal. The sausage and bun are typically steamed. A familiar all-dressed order adds mustard, relish, onion and cabbage slaw, but toppings and preparation vary by vendor. Montreal steamie names this shared tradition, not a separate recipe.
History
Steamie, steamé and hot-dog vapeur describe an overlapping Québec hot-dog tradition rather than two distinct Canadian and Montreal recipes. The Dictionary of Canadianisms labels steamie as a Québec food term and defines it as Montreal-style; the Office québécois de la langue française records hot-dog vapeur as a Québec term. These associations do not establish an inventor or birthplace.
The steaming describes the preparation; all-dressed describes a topping order. Eat Your World's Montreal example pairs a steamed sausage and bun with mustard, relish, vinegar slaw and onion. Le Journal de Montréal's nine-restaurant tasting also documents mustard-and-cabbage, ketchup-and-mustard and relish-and-mustard orders. Our home recipe uses the familiar four-topping combination, not a rule for every vendor.
The broader setting is Québec's casse-croûte culture. Tastet describes steamed and toasted hot dogs as fixtures of Québec cantines. The toasté offers a toasted bun rather than the steamie's soft steamed bread. Methods can vary even under the steamie name: Lafleur's branded home preparation heats the sausages in water and steams the buns above them. That is one documented method, not a replacement for every restaurant's practice.
Montreal's steamie culture has its own well-known counters, including Montreal Pool Room and Décarie Hot Dogs. Tastet reports the Pool Room's traditional opening date as 1912 and a first municipal licence mention in 1921. Those dates describe the restaurant, not proof that it invented the steamie or served today's recipe from its opening day. Montreal's strong association deserves recognition without making the tradition exclusive to the city or claiming a uniform nationwide Canadian style.
Make it at home
A home-cooking version inspired by published recipes and descriptions of this style.
About this recipe
The all-dressed toppings are one way to serve a Québec steamie. Quantities are a home adaptation, not established historical proportions. Montreal Steamie and Canadian Steamie are covered here as overlapping names, not separately verified recipes.
We haven’t kitchen-tested this version. Portions and timing are a guide for home cooking; follow any specific package directions in the recipe.
Last checked: .
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 hot dogs
- 4 soft hot dog buns
- 1 cup prepared vinegar-based cabbage slaw
- 4 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 4 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped onion
Instructions
- Steam the hot dogs until heated through according to their package. Briefly steam the buns until soft and warm.
- Place a dog in each bun. Divide mustard, relish, onion and slaw among them. Serve immediately.
Local favorites
Where to Try It
Every restaurant below is in this style's home turf – the place it comes from – and its own menu or website confirms it serves the style today.
(this isn't a "near you" list)
Sources and further reading
- Eat Your World, Steamie — Firsthand regional food reporting; steamed sausage and bun, mustard, relish, onion and vinegar slaw.
- Tastet, Les meilleurs hot-dogs de Montréal — Local restaurant reporting; steamed hot dogs and regional cabbage/onion/condiment choices.
- Le Journal de Montréal, steamie tasting — Independent restaurant tasting documents steamed preparation and mustard, cabbage, relish and onion variations.
Background references (not part of this recipe review)
- Dictionary of Canadianisms — Québec terminology and Montreal association, not proof of invention
- OQLF — hot-dog vapeur terminology, not a recipe or origin history
- Tastet — Montreal Pool Room's reported opening and licence dates, not a steamie invention date
- Lafleur — a branded home method with water-heated sausage and steamed bread; not a universal rule
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