I am at peace in Garzón.
FISH AND SHELLFISH
Churrasco of Tuna with Coal-Burnt Pimentón Oil, Heirloom Tomato and Chard Salad, and Garlicky Potato Puree
Churrasco of Tuna with Coal-Burnt Pimentón Oil (page 170).
Churrasco is usually a quickly cooked beefsteak, but the technique is well suited to tuna, which is best seared well on the outside and still almost raw within. Yellowfin tuna works beautifully here. I never use the endangered bluefin, and I encourage you to avoid it.
I serve the tuna with a warm salad of chard stems flavored with a smoky pimentón and garlic olive oil, which has been graced by a burning ember from the fire. This is very smoky and is best made outdoors; indoors, you can make a quick infused oil with smoked pimentón. Chard stems have the consistency of celery stalks but some acidity and tang, which goes nicely with a fatty fish like tuna, likewise the sweet and tangy tomato. The olives stand in contrast to all the milder tasting vegetables and creamy potatoes.
It’s important that the griddle be very hot so the tuna doesn’t stick. SERVES 4
2 tablespoons Coal-Burnt Pimentón Oil (recipe follows)
or
1 teaspoon smoked pimentón de La Vera, plus more if desired
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
FOR THE POTATO PUREE
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ pounds Idaho (baking) potatoes, peeled
½ cup milk, plus more if necessary
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tiny pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
FOR THE SALAD
1 pound small red, yellow, and green heirloom tomatoes, quartered
Stems from 1 bunch rainbow chard (leaves reserved for another use)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
½ cup mild Greek olives, smashed and pitted
Fleur de sel
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ¾-inch-thick fresh tuna steaks, cut into 8 pieces
If you do not have the coal-burnt oil, put the smoked pimentón in a small bowl and whisk in the olive oil and minced garlic. Let infuse for at least 15 minutes; strain the garlic out of the oil before using.
To prepare the potato puree, combine the minced garlic with the olive oil in a small bowl and set aside to infuse while you boil the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 2-inch pieces, put them in a saucepan with water to cover by about 2 inches, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft enough to mash with a fork. Drain the potatoes in a colander and pass through a food mill back into the hot saucepan (off the heat) to dry out for a minute or two.
Strain the garlic from the olive oil and add it to the ½ cup milk in a small saucepan. Bring just to a boil (watching carefully so it doesn’t boil over), then remove from the heat and beat into the mashed potatoes. Season carefully with salt, pepper, and the nutmeg. Keep warm until serving time by setting the saucepan over a larger pot of simmering water; beat in a little more hot milk just before serving, if it seems dry.
Heat a chapa or a large cast-iron griddle over high heat. Toss the tomatoes and chard stems with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Brush the hot surface with plain olive oil, and when it shimmers, add the tomatoes and chard stems. Cook, without disturbing them, for about 3 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom. Turn the vegetables, add the smashed olives, and cook for another minute or two, until the chard is tender. Transfer the tomatoes, chard, and olives to a bowl and toss gently with 1 tablespoon of the pimentón oil. Season to taste with fleur de sel and pepper. Set aside.
Brush the tuna steaks with some of the pimentón oil. Wipe off the chapa and brush with olive oil. When it shimmers, add the tuna steaks, spaced well apart, and cook on the first side for just a minute or two, until browned on the bottom. Brush with pimentón oil, turn the tuna, and cook very briefly on the other side, less than a minute. The tuna should still be rare inside. Brush with the remaining pimentón oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel and a bit more pimentón, if desired.
Spread a swath of hot potato puree on each of four dinner plates. Set the tuna beside the potatoes, along with the tomato chard salad.
Coal-Burnt Pimentón Oil
Because this is very smoky, it should be made outdoors. A live ember from the fire is submerged into olive oil, which immediately extinguishes it, while the coal flavors the oil. The oil must be at room temperature or cooler—hot oil will catch fire.
MAKES 2 CUPS
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup pimentón dulce (sweet Spanish paprika)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
Have a metal bowl of water handy. If you have long hair, make sure it is tied back.
Pour the olive oil into a deep metal bowl and stir in the pimentón. Using a pair of tongs, pick up a small glowing ember from a grill fire and, holding onto the tongs and averting your face, carefully plunge it deep into the oil; the oil should extinguish the flame. Remove the ember and transfer it to the bowl of water to make sure it is completely extinguished (and take care to discard it safely).
Add the optional minced garlic and set aside for 30 minutes. Strain before using. The oil can be refrigerated for several days.
Skate a la Plancha with Braised White Beans, Garlic, and Parsley
In Paris, skate with brown butter and capers is a bistro classic, but back in Patagonia, when I beheld a very pretty fresh-caught skate, just pulled from the cold waters of the South Atlantic, I thought it needed no more fussing than some oil and seasoning and a few moments on my chapa. Creamy white beans with aromatic vegetables make for a smooth and flavorful side dish that complements the texture of properly cooked skate. SERVES 4
About 2 cups (12 ounces) dried cannellini or other small white beans, picked over and soaked overnight in water to cover
8 cups Rich Vegetable Stock (page 288)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 spring onions or 6 scallions, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, chopped
1 red chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless skate wings, about 6 ounces each
1½ cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Drain the beans and rinse, then put them in a large heavy pot, cover with the vegetable stock, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Skim off any foam, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cook the beans gently for 30 to 45 minutes, until they are almost tender. (Timing will depend on the freshness of the beans.) Drain, reserving the broth.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy casserole over medium-low heat. Add the onions, leeks, chile pepper, bell pepper, and one-third of the chopped garlic and cook until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Add the beans with 2 cups of the reserved broth, giving them a gentle stir to combine without breaking them. Taste and season with salt and pepper, keeping in mind that the seasoning will be concentrated as the liquid reduces. Cook very gently for about 20 minutes, until the beans are tender, the liquid is absorbed by the beans, and the flavors are blended; if the liquid evaporates before the beans are cooked, add more as needed. Adjust the seasoning and set aside.
Meanwhile, pat the skate wings dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle half the remaining olive oil over a large plate or tray and scatter ¾ cup of the parsley and half the remaining chopped garlic over it. Lay the skate wings in one layer on top. Scatter ½ cup of the parsley leaves and the remaining chopped garlic over the skate, drizzle the rest of the olive oil over the top, and turn the skate a couple of times to coat. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Heat a chapa or a large cast-iron griddle over medium-h
igh heat. Brush the hot surface with olive oil and set the skate wings on it. Cook the fish, without moving it, for about 3 minutes, until the bottom is nicely browned. Using a wide, sharp spatula, carefully turn the fish to cook on the other side. After a minute or so, when the ribs of the wings begin to separate, the fish is done.
Transfer the skate to serving plates and spoon the beans alongside. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup parsley, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.
NOTES: When Brazilians serve beans, they often start the meal by drinking a glass of the bean juice with a chaser of cachaça (a potent liquor made from distilled sugarcane juice), muddled with hot chiles. It’s a real eye-opener.
Buy beans from purveyors who have good turnover and can be relied on for fresh batches. The older the beans, the longer they will take to cook.
Cannellini beans have a thin skin and should be simmered very gently so they get creamy inside but don’t break up. The beans can be cooked well in advance. You can make a great soup with the leftover broth garnished with croutons brushed with rosemary oil. The beans can also be pureed for a side dish, or mashed on rosemary–olive oil crostini for an appetizer or party snack.
Grilled Whole Fish Stuffed with Fennel
I love grilling whole fish after slashing the sides and stuffing the slashes with flavorful herbs, vegetables, ham, or anything else that adds contrasting flavor and texture. I adore the undisciplined look of fish done this way as it sits on the grill. Here the fennel, with its light hint of licorice, complements the fish without dominating it. The fennel within the fish steams while the outside chars for contrast: two tastes from the same ingredient. Any torpedo-shaped fish, such as snapper, small bluefish, weakfish, or sea trout, works well with this technique, though you will have to play with the grill timing according to the size of the fish.
I had never grilled dressed greens until I created these for Alice Waters, when I cooked with my fires at Chez Panisse. I was inspired by the beauty of the fresh kale, and I wanted to grill it very fast so that it charred but remained crunchy, a textural contrast to the sweet softness of the grilled eggplant. The light char unites the two vegetables.
The eggplants should be thin, no more than 2½ inches in diameter. If they are thicker, they will take a very long time to cook. Look for small Italian or Asian varieties. And the heat should be medium to medium-low, depending on thickness—the thicker the eggplant, the lower the heat—or they will burn before they are cooked through. The kale is kneaded slightly to tenderize it. SERVES 4
FOR THE EGGPLANTS
4 small, narrow eggplants, about 8 ounces each
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 elephant garlic clove (or 2 large regular garlic cloves), minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 small bunch curly kale, stems and tough center ribs removed, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 bunch Tuscan (black) kale, tough stems removed
FOR THE FISH
4 small whole fish, such as branzino or snapper, about 1 pound each, cleaned
About ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored, and sliced very thin on a mandoline
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
To make the eggplant, cut them lengthwise almost in half to butterfly them, keeping them attached in the middle. Open them up and lightly score the cut sides with a sharp knife.
Heat a charcoal grill or two ridged cast-iron grill pans over medium heat. Brush the grill or pans generously with olive oil. Set the opened eggplants skin side down on the grill, press them down slightly with a spatula, and let them cook slowly for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on their thickness, until they are softened and nicely charred on the bottom. Brush the cut sides generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Brush the grill with more oil, turn the eggplants cut side down, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until they are nicely marked and very tender. Transfer to a platter, opened skin side down.
While the eggplant is grilling, start the fish: Make diagonal slashes on both sides of each fish, about ¾ inch apart. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the sliced fennel into the slashes on both sides of each fish. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top, making sure the fish and exposed fennel are well oiled. Set aside.
Whisk together the ¼ cup olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Pour half of this over the kale in a large bowl and, using your hands, toss the kale in the vinaigrette, vigorously kneading the dressing into the leaves to tenderize them. Reserve the remaining vinaigrette.
Using tongs, arrange the kale on the hot grill. When the edges are slightly browned, about 2 minutes, drizzle with more dressing and turn to the other side. When the edges are browned and crisp, pile the kale onto the opened eggplants and fold them closed, as you would a sandwich. Press down lightly to compress them, then slice on the diagonal into pieces about 2 inches wide.
Brush the grill grate or grill pans well with oil. When it is smoking hot, arrange the fish on the grate or pans and grill, without moving it, for about 7 minutes, or until the bottom of the fish is nicely marked. (You can carefully lift the tail to check.) Turn the fish over carefully with a fish turner or two wide spatulas and grill the other side for about 7 more minutes. The fish is done when the flesh is opaque throughout and releases easily from the bone.
Transfer the fish to a serving platter, drizzle with olive oil, and scatter the chopped scallions over the top. Serve immediately, with the grilled eggplant and kale sandwiches.
WHEN MY FISH STICKS
For those of you who say, “Sounds good, but when I grill a whole fish it always sticks to the grate,” my answer is, mine often does too. Fish skin has an innate lust to become one with anything you grill it on. A clean, hot grill swabbed generously with oil before grilling can help, but often fish actually doesn’t pull away cleanly from the grill. The fish still tastes wonderful.
When grilling fillets, make sure the grill is absolutely clean, and oil both it and the fish well to prevent sticking. When you swab the grill with oil, use tongs to hold your paper towel or cloth so you don’t get burned if some of the oil drips onto the coals and they flare up. Use one or two wide sharp-edged spatulas for turning (or consider other tools that might work, like a pastry scraper or the bottom of a metal tart pan). Whether whole or in fillets, look at the fish from the side with your eyes at grill level—you will be able to see what is happening at the edges without lifting it. When it looks browned as if it wants to release, pick up the tail end or a corner to check. If it resists, check again in 30 seconds or so.
Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Toasted Almond Salsa
Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Toasted Almond Salsa.
A piece of well-grilled fish, cut with a fork, comes apart like the petals of a tulip, while a poorly grilled fish forever loses its subtle texture. I learned this truth many years ago from my dear friend Guzmán Artagaveytia, who was born and raised within sight of the lighthouse of José Ignacio, in Uruguay. I had recently started to cook with fires and could not imagine how the infernal heat that I cooked with would not destroy a piece of fish. Guzmán told me: You must watch over your fish as you would a newborn child while it naps.
I’ve made this recipe with Chilean sea bass and grouper as well as sea trout, which is also called weakfish in the North of the United States or speckled trout in the South. It is quite delicious and is not even distantly related to any trout that Izaak Walton might have gone for. It will also work with any firm-fleshed fish, such as striper, redfish, and the underrated bluefish, which is sublime when freshly caught. SERVES 4
About 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1½ pounds Chilean sea bass fillet, skin on, in one piece
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12 fresh sage leaves
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasted Almond Salsa (recipe follows) or Salsa Llajua (page 284)
Heat a charcoal grill or a large cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Brush the grill grate or pan generously with olive oil. Brush both sides of the fish well with olive oil. Arrange the sage leaves on the flesh side, patting them down so they adhere. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Invert the fish, sage side down, onto the grill, and grill, without moving it, for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness, until it is nicely marked. Brush the skin again with oil. Check to see if the fish is ready to turn by lifting up the tail end or one edge—when it is ready, it will release easily. Carefully slide a wide sharp-edged spatula between the fish and the grill (you can use a second one on the other side of the fish if necessary) and flip the fish. Cook on the other side for 5 to 7 minutes, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the skin is crisp and the fish is just cooked through. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil.
Serve immediately, with the salsa.
NOTE: These timings are for a 1½-pound fish fillet in one piece. If the fillet is cut into smaller pieces, these will cook in less time.
Toasted Almond Salsa
MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS
½ cup blanched whole almonds
½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Mallmann on Fire Page 10