Chef Paul McCabe

Being recognized by the James Beard Foundation as a Rising Star of American Cuisine is only one of Chef Paul McCabe’s impressive achievements in the culinary world. He’s also won Golden Sceptre and Golden Baccus awards from the Southern California Restaurant Writers, the Wine Spectator Magazine Award of Excellence, and his restaurant Kitchen 1540 was named the Best Hotel Dining by San Diego City Search, Best New Restaurant by San Diego Magazine, and hailed as Best Restaurant Service by San Diego’s Ranch and Coast Magazine.

Chef Paul McCabe is the executive chef of the gorgeous L’Auberge Del Mar resort and its Kitchen 1540 restaurant, located in the coastal village of Del Mar in San Diego’s North County. Operating with a a farm to table philosophy, his kitchen proudly serves hormone free beef, sustainable seafood, and fresh local produce according to season. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Chef Paul, and he graciously shared a restaurant recipe with us as well.

Savory Tv: We’ve been reading about your international experience in the culinary world, is there any one region or country that is near and dear to your heart outside of the US? Do you bring this influence to the kitchen at 1540?

Chef Paul McCabe: Spain is a great source of inspiration for me. The variety of ingredients and dining options are found no where else on the planet. You can get great tapas at the markets or small restaurants, the best cured meats and cheeses and Spain has more Michelin star restaurants than any other country. Here at Kitchen 1540, our kitchen is grounded in the craft of our industry, guided by principles of sustainability and creatively motivated by modern cooking techniques.

Savory Tv: We know that you choose local, organic, and sustainable ingredients in your cuisine. Sadly not long ago, a proposed ban for Atlantic bluefin tuna was rejected. Our question for you is: how do you feel about chefs serving non sustainable seafood to satisfy consumer demand?

Chef Paul McCabe: Well, who am I to tell other Chefs what to do or what to serve? I am adamantly against serving non sustainable seafood.  We work closely with Kanaloa Seafood, a certified sustainable seafood distributor, to ensure that all seafood we order is from a sustainable source. About six months ago we made the decision to remove all Tuna from L’Auberge and Kitchen 1540 menus and have taken a stand to help save this magnificent Fish. I do believe it’s up to the Chefs and restaurants in this country to help educate the public.

Savory Tv: Do you think that restaurants are moving forward in this regard at all, towards responsibly serving sustainable fish on their menus?

Chef Paul McCabe: Yes! But not fast enough…if we want our grandchildren to see and experience this fish then we must act now!

Savory Tv: With summer quickly approaching, which ingredients are you looking forward to working with?

Chef Paul McCabe: Spring is my favorite season but San Diego farmers are growing some amazing produce! I always look forward to the corn, fava beans, heirloom tomatoes and all the incredible stone fruit.

Savory Tv: Thank you for joining us Chef!  Have a wonderful Summer.

Clean Seas Hiramasa Crudo
Compressed Fennel, Sake Cured Steelhead Roe, Duck Cracklings

Ingredients
12 oz Clean Seas Hiramasa
1 Cup Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Coriander Seeds
Fennel Fronds from one bulb of fennel, chopped
4oz Fennel Bulb, Shaved and compressed in a cryovac machine
.5oz Micro Sorel
.5oz Sake Cured Steelhead Roe
2 Smoked Duck Skin, julienned
1/3 Cup Lemon Vinegar
1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

Method
For the Hiramasa:
Clean the Hiramasa filets and set aside in the refrigerator. Mix the salt, sugar, coriander and fennel fronds in a bowl and mix. Cover the Hiramasa with the salt mixture and let cure for 3 hours. Wash the fish under cold water to remove the salt and pat dry.

For the Duck Cracklings:
Place a heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium heat and add the duck skin and cook until crisp, drain and set aside.

For the Vinaigrette:
Mix the vinegar and olive oil and set aside.

Presentation
Slice the Clean Seas Hiramasa in quarter inch pieces and place six on a rectangular plate. Mix the shaved fennel, sorel and some of the vinaigrette in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place the fennel salad on top of the fish and add the roe and duck cracklings and serve.

© www.fallflavours.ca

He’s a well known celebrity chef in Canada, but for those in the US and elsewhere who aren’t familiar, we’d like to introduce you to this James Beard award winning culinary gem.  Michael Smith attended the Culinary Institute of America in NYC, worked for several restaurants both abroad and in NY, and is currently stars in Food Network Canada’s tv shows “Chef at Home” and “Chef at Large”.  He also is a cookbook author, and you will see him soon in a future Iron Chef episode.

Chef Michael currently lives in Prince Edward Island, (P.E.I.), a beautiful Province and Island in northeast Canada, close to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He was recently named the PEI’s ‘Food Ambassador’ and will be a star of the PEI’s Fall Flavours food festival from September 25 – October 4, 2009.  Fall Flavors features over 150 culinary events, including delicious tasting workshops, ale and wine tastings, and interactive education including how to catch lobsters or harvest oysters.   We will miss the event this year but are already RSVP’ing for 2010!

You will love this chef recipe video from our friends at Le Gourmet Tv:   Michael shares a wonderful (and quick)  Smoked Salmon Penne Pasta with a a lemon, dill, dijon and caper cream cheese sauce.   You may download the printable PDF from Le Gourmet Tv here.  Try your best to use fresh dill, but if it is not available, typically 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed equals a four-inch sprig of dill.  That said, add as much as you wish according to taste.

Smoked Salmon Penne Pasta
Chef Michael Smith

Ingredients:
1 lb penne or your favourite shaped pasta like bowties, long pastas like spaghetti don’t work as well
1 cup room temperature cream cheese
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 heaping spoonful of Dijon mustard
1/4 cup capers
8 ounces smoked salmon, or more
sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Season it liberally with salt until tastes like a day at the beach on Prince Edward Island. As the pasta cooks it will absorb the salted water and become properly seasoned. Cook al dente, until the pasta is cooked through but still pleasantly chewy.

Scoop out some of the starchy cooking water. Drain the pasta but not quite all the way. Leave it a bit wet. Toss the pasta back into the pot along with a splash or two of the reserved water, perhaps a half-cup or so in total then immediately add the rest of the ingredients. While the pasta is still steaming hot it will easily melt the cream cheese and form a rich creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.

For more delicious salmon chef recipes check out:

Salmon Carpaccio
Salmon Gravlax Pizza with Jacques Pépin
Apple Salmon
Wild Salmon with a Cranberry Compote
Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon

Ciao Bello! Aspen 2009

Not double trouble but a charming duet!  And no, it’s not about Heidi from Savory Tv and her affinity for men in white as shown left.  Todays duo features the two San Francisco Bay area Top Chef Masters Michael Chiarello and Hubert Keller sharing seafood recipes, in this video from View From The Bay.  Michael Chiarello shares his salsa verde swordfish meatball recipe in tomato based fisherman’s sauce and a Calabrian tartar sauce, while Hubert Keller shares his Scottish cold salmon with caviar and mustard seed sauce. (This was the dish made in the dorm room if you watch the show!)  The two of them are very sweet together, and Keller confesses “the only thing we didn’t share in all these days was a bedroom”, and that although the show was “totally stressful”, “we compete in a more elegant manner” than traditional Top Chef relationships.  Proof once and for all that maturity and respect are in fact possible in reality television.   Bon appétit and buon appetito!

Read on for the recipes:

Swordfish Meatballs (aka  polpettini) courtesy of Michael Chiarello

SALSA VERDE
Makes 4 cups

2 bunches Italian parsley, picked and cleaned
3 slices (approx 2 ounces) white bread, soaked in 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
12-15 cornichons (these are French gherkin tart pickles, and are typically easily found at most supermarkets, as well as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods)
1/4 cup capers – rinsed
4-5 anchovies
1 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
Gray salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 hard boiled egg

SWORDFISH MEATBALLS

3 Swordfish fillets, skinned and diced
1 cup salsa verde
1 egg
3 cups bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Calabrian Chili
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup pecorino cheese
1/4 cup preserved lemon, minced
4 cups panko bread crumbs
6 beaten eggs (for batter)
2 cups all purpose flour

FISHERMAN’S SAUCE

1 onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 anchovy filets
2 tablespoons capers
1 bay leaf
tomato puree, to taste

CALABRIAN TARTARE SAUCE

(For those wondering, Calabria is a region in Southern Italy south of Naples, located in the toe area of the Italian boot.)

1 cup mayo
1 1/2 tsp of Calabrian Chili (if you cannot find the chili paste you may substitute 1/2 tsp of chili flakes)
8 cornichons minced
1 tbsp of capers
salt and ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: SALSA VERDE

1. Using a vita prep (or regular blender) blend all the ingredients together, taste for seasoning and adjust consistency if need be.

SWORDFISH MEATBALLS

1. Toss the swordfish in the salsa verde and sauté in hot sauté pan with olive oil until medium rare.
2. Place into large stainless steal bowl, let cool.
3. When cool, using your hands, squeeze the swordfish into small pieces.
4. Add egg, bread crumbs, chili, salt & pepper, cheese, lemon, mix well & let cool.
5. Once cool, portion into 25 cent size pieces, roll into round balls and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
6. Pass the fish balls through the flour, eggs and then panko crumbs.
7. Place in pan to cook until done.

FISHERMAN’S SAUCE

1. Sauté onion and garlic for seven minutes in extra virgin olive oil.
2. Add anchovies, capers, bay leaf, tomato, and sauté.

CALABRIAN TARTARE SAUCE

1. Mix ingredients together and serve with Swordfish Meatballs.  Enjoy!

Craving more Michael?  Visit his tomato and warm goat cheese salad video recipe, and the notorious tomato water martini that Aspen is still talking about.

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Salmon and Caviar courtesy of Hubert Keller

Serves 4

CHILLED THINLY SLICED SALMON WITH CAVIAR ON MUSTARD SEED SAUCE
(note: if your wallet cringes at the thought of caviar, simply skip it and continue on!)

1/2lb. boneless salmon fillets with skin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp caviar (such as White Fish Salmon or Sturgeon)

MUSTARD SEED SAUCE

8 toasted baguette croutons
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 lemon wedges
1tbsp old fashion mustard
4 branches parsley
1tbsp chives chopped
4 cherry tomatoes
2 drops lemon juice
¼ English cucumber, sliced thinly for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the broiler to high. Holding a very sharp filleting knife at a 30° degree angle, cut the salmon filler diagonally into 4 slices separating them from the skin. The slices should be almost as thin as smoked salmon. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
2. Sprinkle a baking pan with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water and lay the salmon slices on top. When the broiler is hot, broil the salmon for 30 to 45 seconds, until the salmon is just opaque. Transfer the salmon immediately on a sheet pan ( to prevent the salmon from continuing to cook). cover with a plastic film wrap and refrigerate.
3. Prepare the mustard seed sauce by mixing all elements with a whisk. Check the seasoning.
4. On each serving plate, spread out one 1/4 tablespoons of mustard sauce, into a wide circle. Lay the salmon on top of the sauce. Garnish the center of the fish with 1/2 tablespoon caviar. Then around the plate, decorate attractively with baguette croutons, lemon wedge, parsley, cherry tomato and the few slices of cucumbers.

For more from Hubert Keller, indulge in his winning mac and cheese recipe, and learn how he creates the ultimate burger.

In this video from our friends at Great Chefs, Rick prepares marinated and grilled catfish steaks with a chipotle tomatillo avocado salsa, garnished with cilantro sprigs. This recipe will involve some prep time, as Bayless recommends marinating the fish for several hours before grilling if possible, or, you may marinade the fish and make the salsa a day ahead of time. If you are not a catfish fan, he states that tuna, swordfish, or shark work can be used, and that skewered scallops are an excellent substitute as well.

Quick trivia regarding this dish:  What is a chipotle pepper exactly?  Nothing more than a smoked jalapeño, traditionally dry smoked over a wood fire. If you can’t find them, you may substitute canned chipotle chiles found in most grocery stores.

And here’s is the Spanish name for this recipe fyi:  “Bagre Asado con Salsa de Aguacate Enchipotlado”, although if your Spanish is poor you may want to bypass announcing that to your guests!

Chipotle Salsa with Pan Roasted Tomatillos
Chef Rick Bayless

* 3 garlic cloves, peeled
* 4 medium (about 8 ounces total) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in half
* 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo (or more, if you like really spicy salsa), stemmed
* Salt

Set a large (10-inch) non-stick skillet over medium-high heat (if a non-stick skillet is unavailable, lay in a piece of foil). Lay in the garlic and tomatillos (cut side down). When the tomatillos are well browned, 3 or 4 minutes, turn everything over and brown the other side. (The tomatillos should be completely soft.)

Scoop the garlic and tomatillos into a blender jar or food processor with the chiles and 1/4 cup water. Process to a coarse puree. Pour into a salsa dish and cool.

Thin with a little additional water if necessary to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Taste and season with salt, usually a generous 1/2 teaspoon.

Rick adds diced avocado to this salsa and marinates his fish steaks in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before grilling. He sears both sides of the catfish steaks on the grill, and serves them with the remaining salsa, garnished with cilantro.

“Riffs on Chipotle Salsa: You can replace the tomatillos with roasted tomatoes (two 4-ounce plum tomatoes roasted like the tomatillos or ½ drained 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes), but keep in mind that the tomato will tip the flavor toward sweet rather than tangy. A little cilantro, fresh thyme or parsley is always welcome, as is green or white onion—especially if it’s grilled. A splash of mescal (or the less-smoky tequila) makes a borracha (drunken) salsa that’s dynamite. Instead of pureeing the chiles, you can finely chop them and add them to the pureed (green) base; they’ll show up as little red flecks, and the salsa will be less smoky.” – Rick Bayless

On Twitter?   Follow Rick Bayless at @Rick_Bayless for delicious updates and an occasional short recipe. We’ve gathered several of his twitter recipes here.

Drew is a natural in front of the camera, perhaps the Food Network should scoop him up as their next star!   In this episode he prepares a pan seared halibut with a tangy lemon pesto risotto, topped with sauteed cherry tomatoes, shallots, and chive oil.  Visit his blog for the written recipe, enjoy!

Read on for the recipe…

Chef Shannon Shaffer and his crew prepared this dish for President Obama as well as 200 guests, can you imagine the pressure?

The recipe as originally posted was intended for 10 people, but halved down to 5 servings reads as follows:

3 Maine lobsters
20 sea scallops
18 large shrimp, cleaned, tails off
5 pieces of black cod (1 oz each)
1/4 cup each of the following vegetables, diced in small sizes: carrots, celery, leeks, and Idaho potato
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup of dry vermouth
5 (5 inch) puff pastry rounds
5 terrines or ramekins

Bring 1/2 gallon of water to a boil; poach lobsters, then shrimp, then black cod and last scallops. After
seafood is cooked, remove from water; reserve water and bring to boil.

Cook all vegetables in liquid that was used for the seafood, remove vegetables when tender. Allow
the liquid to continue to boil until only 1/2 qt (or 2 cups) of liquid remains. This will be the base for the sauce.

Bring seafood liquid back to a boil and add the vermouth and heavy cream and reduce by half,
season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. You have reached your desired thickness when
the sauce will cover the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool.

Cut Maine lobster, shrimp and scallops into bite size pieces.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Fold seafood and vegetables into cool sauce, being careful not to mix too much as this will break up
the seafood. Scoop mixture into terrines or oven proof baking dish of your choice.

Cover terrines with puff pastry rounds, brush them with egg wash and bake them until golden
brown about 8-10 minutes, allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. You can cook this 2-3 hours
ahead of time and keep warm at 150 F degrees.

In this video from Food and Wine, Jacques and his daughter Claudine prepare a 10 minute recipe of cured salmon gravlax pizza, a quick and delicious appetizer that would bring holiday cheer to your Christmas party with minimal effort!

What is gravlax you ask? Scandinavian in origin, gravlax literally translates to “salmon dug into the ground”. In the middle ages, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Estonian fisherman had a special technique to cure their freshly caught salmon. They salted it and fermented it (to preserve the fish) by burying it into the sand for several days. Modern preparation of gravlax is much simpler, thinly sliced salmon is simply cured with a dry rub of salt, sugar, and often dill.

Jacques Pépin’s recipe for salmon gravlax pizza calls for the following ingredients: thinly sliced raw salmon, kosher salt, pepper, brown sugar, sour cream, horseradish, a cooked thin pizza crust (you may use a frozen pizza dough to prepare this), thinly sliced red onion, black olives, capers, and basil.

This video features the Icelandic Chef whipping up a simple but delicious looking recipe of steamed mussels with light beer, ginger, red onion, jalapeno, sweet red pepper, tomato, butter, cream, and thyme.

Steamed Mussels from IcelandicChef on Vimeo.

Orange BC Wild Salmon With Cranberry Compote – Click here for more home videos

Ingredients:

For the squash, acorn squash, diced onion, diced garlic, olive oil, coarse salt, pepper

For the entree, wild sockeye salmon,half of a sliced orange, the juice and zest of the rest of the orange, white wine, cloves, a bayleaf

For the compote: dried cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice

For the salad, organic spring greens, toasted almonds, tomato, cucumber

For the dressing, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, dijon, salt, pepper