Ask chef Vicky Ratnani his favourite food aroma, and pat comes the reply, "It has to be fresh fish!"
The man who has cooked for Queen Elizabeth, as well as had Hillary Clinton, Antonio Banderas, Nicole Kidman and Donald Trump for dinner, finds pink salmon the best. "At Aurus (where he works), I use Scottish farmed Salmon; it has a firm texture and is an oily fish with a lot of beneficial fats and omega 3; a superb choice," he says.
Getting the taste right
So, what is the best way to prepare it without the flavours being lost? Well, miminal flavours such as olive oil, any kind of citrus — lime, lemon, orange or grapefruit are apt.
Informs chef Ratnani, "I like my salmon slightly undercooked, pink in the centre and crispy outside. You can also use fresh lemon juice, orange zest, dill, parsley, black pepper and a light flavoured olive oil. Alternatively a nice teriyaki Japanese sauce goes well with salmon too." The fish can also be thinly sliced and made into roulades, one learns.
Sunil Athalye, executive chef, Ramada Plaza Palm Grove, votes for the steaming process. "This retains the original flavour and cooking juices. Apart from the steak and fillet, you can have pink salmon in a sandwich spread, a tandoori salmon tikka or in pastas."
Cooking test
To tell if the fish is done insert a fork into the thickest part of the fillet and turn it. If it flakes easily, it’s done.
Choosing and storing
Ratnani has been scouting fish markets for rare fish like red snapper, local reef cod and baby lobsters and creating new flavours with them. "For salmon, look for firm flesh, bright eyes, red gills, when buying whole fresh salmon. The product is fresh frozen or vacuum chilled. Make sure that there are no brown spots or any signs of discolouration (should be a bright pinkish orange), and the flesh is not slimy when touched," he warns. Chef Athalye hints that the best way to store it is at-28 Degrees Celsius.
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