Michel Blanchet's Cordon Bleu Smoked Salmon

In 1973, Michel moved to New York City where he worked as a “poissonnier” at the famed La Caravelle in midtown Manhattan.

In French cuisine, a poissonnier is the chef responsible for every menu item containing seafood. Even a dish containing a nothing more than a half-cup of fish stock would fall under his or her provenance. The world of high-end French Cuisine is a demanding and unforgiving one. It is therefore necessary for the poissonier to become an expert in everything from mussels to menhaden. He or she must be a stickler for quality and freshness. Fish becomes something of an obsession for the poissonier.

After a two year stint in New York, Michel moved on to Los Angeles. He began working at L’Ermitage, a trend-setting restaurant for French Cuisine. Ever the poissonier, Michel was unsatisfied with the salmon that L’Ermitage was receiving from regional smoke houses. He decided to make his own.

At this time, Michel was working under Jean Berantrou, a demanding and ground-breaking restaurateur. As head chef of L’Ermitage, Berantou was known to go to extremes in his search for the finest meats and produce. He would pressure local farmers to cross-breed the perfect duck for fois gras or badger them into harvesting a new strain of green bean for authentic haricots-verts. Berantou’s passion and dedication would soon elevate him in the culinary world. He would soon be considered a visionary of West Coast Cuisine.

Eventually Michel himself rose to become head chef at L’Ermitage. One cannot claim that it was on the strength of his smoked salmon that he reached these heights, but we can say that perfecting the cold smoked delicacy certainly didn’t hurt his chances.

In 1995, after years of leading some of L.A.’s most highly-regarded restaurants, Michel decided to return to the ancient art he had mastered early on in his career: cold smoked fish. He opened Michel Cordon Bleu, a state of the art smoking facility in Los Angeles.

One reason Michel’s cold smoked fish is so delectable is that during the smoking process the salmon never reaches more than 99 degrees Fahrenheit. The fish is infused with a smoky flavor, but cures instead of cooks. It remains moist and tender: a true artisanal food, and a bonafide delicacy.

We now have Michel Blanchet’s salmon available at Kanaloa. It is delicious in pastas and quiches, in terrines or scrambled eggs, or simply on a bagel with cream cheese. Be sure to ask for this delicacy at our retail counter!

Grilled tarragon and spinach stuffed Loup de Mer with roasted fingerling potato salad

Stuffing

1 Scaled and gutted Loup de Mer

1 Cup cooked spinach chopped

1 T. Butter

¼ Cup Pernod

1 Shallot sliced

½ bunch tarragon picked and chopped

1/3 cup bread crumbs

¼ cup heavy cream

½ T kosher salt

3T Olive oil

Potatoes

½ lb. Fingerling potatoes

1 T kosher salt

1 t black pepper

2 T capers minced

½ Bunch tarragon picked and chopped

½ Red onion thinly sliced

¾ cup Mayonnaise

2 T olive oil

½ T Worcestershire sauce

Method

For fish:

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Sweat the shallots till translucent, add the Pernod, and cook till almost dry. Add the spinach and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Fold in the bread crumbs to bind the mixture. Add extra breadcrumbs if the mixture is too thin. This stuffing should not be at all runny. Fold in tarragon and season with salt. Let the mixture cool until it has become formable, then pack the mixture inside the Loup de Mer and lightly tie the fish closed. Rub the outside of the fish with olive oil. Grill over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes per side until skin is crisp and the stuffing is hot. Serve alongside roasted potato salad.

For Potato Salad:

Preheat oven to 375

Gently toss the potatoes in olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper, and spread them out on baking sheet. Cook in oven for about 55 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned. Let stand in refrigerator. Once potatoes have cooled, cut them into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl, stir potatoes along with mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, onion, tarragon, and capers. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Wolf of the Sea

Loup de Mer is French for “wolf of the sea”. It’s a perfect title for a predatory fish that feeds at any time day or night. Loup de Mer hunt small fish, shrimp, and crab, and its avid search for food leads it through a wide range of habitat including lagoons, estuaries and the open ocean. Loup de Mer is a species of sea bass and can grow up to three feet long, reaching a top weight of about twenty-five pounds.

Over the past few years, Loup de Mer has become a very popular item in upscale restaurants. It is an absolutely delicious fish that is moderately firm with a subtle but slightly sweet flavor. It is fantastic when cooked on the bone. Served raw it makes top-notch sashimi.

Though something of a novelty here in the United States, Loup de Mer has been enjoyed by cultures across the Mediterranean for centuries. In Turkey it is a familiar sight on the table, known there as “Levrek”. It is called “Lavraki” in Greece, “Branzino” in Italy, and “Lubina” in Spanish. It is only recently, however, that sustainable fisheries have made the Loup de Mer easily and readily available.

The ancient Romans were die-hard aficionados of this tasty sea bass. The poet Martial, when musing on all the great luxuries of life, included Loup de Mer in a list alongside perfumes, jewels, and silks.

This unique fish can actually take credit for some of the earliest known examples of aquaculture in human history. Both Loup de Mer and eels were so highly valued by the ancient Romans that aristocrats spent tremendous amounts of money building “piscinae” or fish ponds. The technology of these early tanks and ponds soon advanced to the point where they contained controls regulating both the flow of water and its salinity. Roman fish farmers were able to induce Loup de Mer to spawn in captivity, thus producing successive generations of this highly valued fish and allowing Romans to enjoy the delicacy year round.

Like just about everything else with the Romans, these fish farms were eventually taken to ostentatious and outrageous extremes. The aristocracy spent vast fortunes constructing tanks and pools. Aquaculture became a status symbol. Grand pavilions were built from which to view the fish farms. Some came to regard their fish as pets. For some reasons the Romans seemed to have identified on a personal level with their eels more than with their Loup de Mer. The mother of one emperor is reported to have a pet lamprey on which she hung golden earrings. Another is said to have declared a period of mourning when one of his prize eels turned up dead in the pool.

Although they didn’t bond with their sea bass the way they did with their eels, Romans still valued their Loup de Mer very highly. At banquets, guests used to discuss slight variations in the flavor of their Loup de Mer, the way we do with wines today. Loup de Mer was celebrated with elaborate depictions in mosaics. Preserved bones of the fish have even turned up in sites like Pompeii.

Crab and Truffle Salad

Serves 4 as a first course

Mustard Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 6 to 8 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
• 1 to 2 ounces truffles
• 3/4 pound fresh cooked crab meat
• 1 pound asparagus, or 2 pounds broccoli cut into florets
• 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

To make the dressing, combine the mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the oil and mix well. Add more mustard, salt, and pepper to your taste.

Place thin truffle slices between chunks of crab on individual salad plates. Arrange the asparagus or broccoli on each plate. Pour the dressing over and garnish with lemon wedges.

--John and Pat Rawlinson

Famed Winter Truffles Available in Summer

Italian composer Rossini once said: “I have wept three times in my life. Once when my first opera failed. Once again the first time I heard Paganini play the violin. And once when a truffled turkey fell overboard at a boating picnic."

Truffled turkey was a much sought after dish in Rossini’s time. We usually prefer them with scallops or lobster, or stirred into a butter buerre-blanc and ladled over halibut or sole.

The truffle is a form of fungi which grows through a symbiotic relationship with tree roots. Most commonly truffles are found growing in the roots of beech, poplar, birch or oak. They feed on sugars released by the roots systems of these trees, and in return help the roots to better absorb water and nutrient from the soil.

The size of a truffle ranges roughly from that of a pea to that of a potato, with the larger ones being considered the most valuable. To harvest them requires the use of specially trained dogs (and sometimes pigs) who sniff them out from underneath the leaf litter and shallow soil where they lie hidden.

We are very lucky to have Winter Truffles available during the upcoming months. The Winter Truffle is superior in quality to that of the summer variety. Ours are shipped in overnight-express from Western Australia; and it is only thanks to the fact that it is now winter in the southern hemisphere that we can enjoy access to this renowned delicacy!

The cool, rainy climate of Western Australia is ideal for the cultivation of the Black Winter Truffle. The ones that we will have available over the course the next season are the exact same species of truffle and are of the same premiere quality as those from the famed region of Perigord, France.

Most foodies have at one time or another experimented with truffle oil. However, this product, which one can find commonly in gourmet stores and supermarkets, is simply olive oil flavored with synthetic chemicals and does not actually contain any of the prized fungi.

A fresh truffle is something that the aspiring cook should try at least once. When you cut into one a distinctive scent will fill the kitchen. It’s an expansive, earthy and slightly musky fragrance. Many chefs like to store common ingredients like rice or eggs or potato in a closed container with fresh sliced truffles for a few days and simply allow the flavor of the delicacy to infuse into that of the rice, eggs, or potato.

It is absolutely necessary to use truffles when they are fresh since the flavor and fragrance of this delicacy will dissipate over time.

Truffles wonderfully complement seafood and give a cook a lot of room for creativity. Try them with Chillean Seabass, Crabmeat, Trout, and Scallops. Black Truffles can be eaten raw or cooked. Just a few shavings can make a dish dazzle!

We will have shipments of this remarkable ingredient arriving at Kanaloa every Thursday. They are portioned in one ounce increments and will be available for purchase at $100 per ounce. Please note that we will need orders to be placed at least one week in advance.

Also keep in mind that we can over-night our prized truffles anywhere in the U.S. They make the perfect gift for that die-hard foodie who lives out-of-state!

If you are looking for Truffles or any other out-of-the ordinary seafood item or ingredient sure to ask our staff about our “Fish Wish List”!

Local White Sea Bass, The Prime Rib of the Ocean

Just in time for the Grilling Season, the ocean’s own version of prime rib is now available. Local White Sea bass is a meaty fish with large flakes and a fine texture. The species comes from a sustainable, well-managed stock right off the coast of California. For a beautiful, hypnotic video of schools of sea bass swimming through our off-shore kelp forests, enjoy this link www.whiteseabass.com

Local White Sea Bass has been given a “best choice” rating from the Monterey Aquarium. The population, which was once low due to over-fishing, has been brought back to healthy, sustainable levels thanks to the efforts of state run hatcheries and a rigorously enforced quota system.

Local fishermen consider this to be one of the best-eating fish from the sea - certainly one of the tastiest from off the coast of California. It is ideal for outdoor cooking, but is also delicious pan-seared or broiled. This fish serves as a great substitute in recipes calling for swordfish, tuna, or shark.

The White Seabass is a gun-metal silver color, and has white flesh with a dark red muscle running through its center line. A member of the drum family, the fish makes a loud clicking noise when threatened or distressed. It also uses this sound as radar when hunting its prey.

Native Americans along the coast of California greatly prized the White Sea Bass, so much so that they used to use its ear bones as currency!

Don’t miss the opportunity to try this delicious, versatile fish. The season begins in June. We will have fillets available throughout the summer and into the fall. Be sure to try Local White Sea Bass the next time you plan to grill. You won’t be disappointed!

Grilling Tips

• ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, DRY YOUR FISH! Place 2-3 paper towels on a plate, lay your fish on the towels, and pat dry both sides until there is NO moisture on the surface of the fish. Repeat as necessary!
• Lightly oil your fish with a neutral-flavor cooking oil that has a high smoke point. (Grape seed oil is Kevin’s favorite, but you can also use canola oil, or rice oil)
• Avoid Olive Oil at all costs! It has a very low smoke point, and when it gets too hot it will actually add a bitter olive flavor to your fish!
• Season fish evenly with salt and pepper on both sides!
• Make sure your grill is very clean. A light coating of oil on the grates will help reduce "stickage".
• Be sure the grill is hot before placing fish on the grates. When you place your fish on the grill it should sizzle, if there is no sizzle remove fish and wait for your grill to get hotter!
• Baste or brush fish with lemon and butter (or any other marinade) while it is cooking.
• Admire the sizzle and smoke of your hot grill!
• Turn the fish only once. Resist the urge to flip repeatedly. When turning your fish (for the one and only time) place it on a new section of grill. That way you have a sizzle again!
• Use a wide flat spatula to handle your fish. Avoid tongs, leave those for hot dogs!
• As a general rule, cook fish for a total of about eight minutes per inch of thickness (Use less time for med-rare fish!)!

And finally, enjoy your delicious meal with friends and family!