Chefs Kitchen tip: cooking tip, Chef de Cuisine Brian O'Connor, Chef Kevin Davis, Terresa Davis, Blueacre Seafood, Steelhead Diner, smoked fish, smoking fruits and vegetables, house-smoked oil and grains, Vidalia onions, King Salmon Collars, alder wood

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 a 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

* Brian is now with Skillet Food

July 2010

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