“We poach the fish in olive oil, at less than a hundred degrees; it’s almost like sous-vide cooking. Everything stays soft, relaxed, and moist. And it’s not greasy! Fishes like salmon don’t absorb the oil; they release their own. We then finish it with both Maldon English sea salt and black salt from Hawaii. I put some micro red cabbage on top just for presentation and to appeal to the healthy perspective.”
“The salmon is so soft, so I want this to be very crispy. We first warm it in the oven between two oiled sheet trays and then slip it into the dehydrator, where it gets completely dried. Finally, we fry it in olive oil. Then it’s really crunchy, almost like a chip.”
“We don’t make this here — I wish we could! We get it from Despaña, pull the casing, cut it up, and sauté it to an aggressive brown. It’s rich and mealy, and so doesn’t overpower the salmon. Chorizo, which we use a lot of, would have been too strong.”
“I wanted something aromatic and briny to cut the fattiness of the fish, and this is very Spanish. We open the mussels and drain their juice, and then cook with saffron, Pernod, herbs, and onions. Then we add in some white wine and heavy cream and more saffron. It has a nice fishy flavor, and the color is very beautiful.”