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Chef’s Kitchen
Each month we bring a guest chef into our Chef’s
Kitchen column to give us tips that elevate their cooking (and hopefully
ours). They also provide a recipe that showcases their tips. Our guest
chef this month is Blueacre Seafood Chef
de Cuisine Brian O'Connor. Blueacre, like Steelhead Diner, is owned by
Chef Kevin and Terresa Davis, who have spent their lives in the
restaurant industry. Kevin has worked in kitchens around the world and
created his own style based on his experiences. Terresa has managed
restaurant operations for years, adding to her knowledge with a business
degree and closing in on her law degree. Blueacre is an American seafood
house where guests know they are getting the freshest seafood and meat
caught and raised in a sustainable manner.
 From
making after-school snacks to burning chicken on the family's barbecue
in the dead of upstate New York winters, Brian has always had a love of
cooking. He took it to a professional level, attending the
Baltimore International Culinary College. His love of
travel has had him cooking in kitchens in Baltimore, New York, Daytona
Beach, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle, adding to his skills in
each location. He has worked with two James Beard nominees (one is Kevin
Davis), and at high-end French, Mediterranean and Basque restaurants. Prior
to Blueacre, he worked at Sutro's at The Cliff House in San Francisco
with famed chef George Morrone. "I’m excited to be in this beautiful
restaurant, creating amazing seafood that’s sexy and simply done, and
giving good value to guests," says Brian.
From Ordinary to Extraordinary With Smoke
By Chef de Cuisine Brian O'Connor
Smoke is an
underutilized layer of flavor that I enjoy using at Blueacre on a
regular basis. From our smoked oil, Vidalia onions or ham hock, you can
find it on our menu. An undertone of smoke can lift an ordinary
preparation into an extraordinary one. Fish lends itself to be smoked
either cold or hot and both are great with salmon and, in our case, King
Salmon Collars.
I like using fruit woods
because they tend to be a little softer in flavor while still giving the
fish a great amount of flavor. Most any kind of wood will work; I tend
to use woods like alder or apple. Salmon is usually smoked with alder.
This is a tradition that dates back to the indigenous peoples of our
area. You can use mesquite, oak or whatever your favorite flavor might
be. Because of the short smoke times, hard woods will not have a chance
to impart too bitter of a taste, but I recommend using it sparingly.
Smoking fruits,
vegetables and anything we can get our hands on has become one of our
favorite experiments recently, from cauliflower, cherries and chocolate
to house-smoked oils and grains. If you're looking to elevate your
cooking to the next level, learn to smoke.
Blueacre Seafood
1700 7th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
206-659-0737
www.blueacreseafood.com
Click here to see
Chef Brian O'Connor's recipe
July 2010
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