By Lisa Helme Danforth and Julianna Henriques
C rudo, Chef John Kolesar tells us, is the Mediterranean answer to Sashimi. But hold the wasabi and soy sauce, and delve into his mouth-watering preparation using an orange citrus “vinaigrette,” cherry tomatoes, piquillo peppers and Kalamata olives—typical Italian flavors!
Growing up in an Italian household on the East Coast, Chef John knows by instinct as well as education and experience what ingredients pair well to create a traditional coastal Crudo. Braised baby fennel, radishes and pickled butternut squash ribbons round out his beautifully composed dish.
“Some fishermen don’t have galleys on their boats, so a raw dish is a great way to go,” says Chef John, Executive Chef of the famous Ocean House Resort in Watch Hill.
Hand-sliced thinly and served with pickled winter vegetables, Chef John’s Fluke Crudo is sure to draw a crowd. Fluke, as we detailed in our July issue last year, is a delicious white fish and plentiful in our Rhode Island waters year-round. From the large “doormats” easily found in the summer to the smaller dab available now, it is a light fish enjoyed with ingredients that don’t overpower it.
“Just make sure all the flavors blend together well,” says Chef John.
Janice McEachen, Ocean House’s Food Forager, agrees. She’s responsible for procuring the fresh, local and seasonal ingredients served in Chef John’s dishes. And she is available to guests as well, leading culinary classes as an activity at the resort as well as taking them on organized trips to the fishing docks, local farms and hot houses. When asked if she’s ever foraged the forests herself for fresh herbs or wild greens, she laughs and answers, “Sure, it’s fun! But the USDA certainly wouldn’t allow us to serve that to our guests.”
Indeed not…all of the restaurants at Ocean House in Watch Hill are staffed by top chefs and overseen by Chef John. And ditto for The Weekapaug in Westerly, the sister resort of The Ocean House, which is overseen by Executive Chef Jennifer Backman, who we wrote about in the December issue. Both Chef John and Chef Jennifer are graduates of our own Johnston and Wales University, and together have almost 25 years of experience cooking in our Ocean State.
Head Sommelier for the two Relais & Chateaux resorts, Jonathan Feiler, hails from another Culinary Institute—that one over in Hyde Park—but he has more than proven himself to traveling Rhodies with his years of experience at Commanders Palace in New Orleans, the Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at the Wynn in Las Vegas and the Sinatra Restaurant at the Encore Las Vegas, where he received Wine Spectator’s “Best of” Award of Excellence for his Italian wine-focused list. So we had to ask…what would pair well with Chef John’s Fluke Crudo?
Hands down, OH Sommelier Jonathan recommends an Italian Gavi di Gavi, but says other light white wines would work as well, such as a Fume Blanc or even a Spanish Albarino. By the way, Sommelier Jonathan is hosting an Australian Wine weekend on February 21-22 at Ocean House and would love to see some of our Anglers join him for the tastings. Iphone alert!
And what about beer with Fluke Crudo…why not? Chef Jennifer of the Weekapaug Inn thinks that beer is a great accompaniment for anything served with pickled vegetables, including fish. She suggests Two Roads Brewing Company’s “Workers Comp” beer from New England to pair well with the spice and citrus of the Crudo. As a matter of fact, on February 19th, 7-9pm, Jennifer will be hosting a Family-Style Dinner at the Inn where Craft Beers will be served with each of three courses, including fried Matunuck Oysters. Our calendar is filling up!
From Chef John’s filet demonstration and hand-sliced Fluke Crudo to Chef Jennifer’s Three-Course Beer Dinner to Sommelier Jonathan’s Australian Wine Weekend, we are sure to eat, drink and be merry this month!
Attention all Anglers…if you haven’t already heard, be sure to get to the Providence Boat Show, January 31 – February 2 at the Rhode island Convention Center when Chef John Kolesar will make and serve his own recipe for Fluke Crudo. And don’t be late…first Chef John will be demonstrating how to break down the fish into filets before making and serving his Fluke Crudo…only while supplies last so mark your calendars and program your iphones: 4pm on Friday and 12pm on Saturday!
Rhode Island Fluke Crudo Recipe
by Chef John Kolesar
Ocean House Executive Chef
Ingredients:
– 8oz Fresh Fluke Thinly sliced
– 1 Jalapeño
– 2 Blood Oranges
– 3 Baby Fennel
– 1 pinch Saffron
– 1 cup Fresh Orange Juice
– 1 Tbsp Kalamata Olive Crumb*
– 6 Cherry Tomatoes halved
– 2 Tbsp Piquillo Pepper Puree**
*Method of Preparation for Kalamata Olive Crumb: Dehydrate Kalamata Olives for 24 hours, chop with large knife until turns into a crumb.
**Method of Preparation for Piquillo Pepper Puree: Blend Piquillo Peppers in a blender with Salt, Pepper and Extra Virgin Olive Oil until smooth.
Method of Preparation for Braised Baby Fennel: Quarter baby fennel
Sear face down, than deglaze with Orange juice, let braise with Saffron for about 20 minutes. Set aside and cool.
For Assembly of Fluke Crudo: Arrange Fluke on the plate, place all ingredients around the fish. Season to taste with Maldon Sea Salt.
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