4.) Brad Willits, Camperdown Elm, Brooklyn, NY - Glacier 51 Toothfish, squash, turnips, mussels
Brad Willits, the chef at Camperdown Elm in Brooklyn, New York, stole the show at the event’s welcome dinner with his creation using the Glacier 51 Toothfish and fresh seasonal produce.
Willits began his career frying fish and washing dishes in the back of his father’s Vero Beach, Florida, restaurant. The passionate, young chef then worked professionally at Tangos Steakhouse, and then Maison Martinique, where he was steeped in traditional French technique. His career has taken him through kitchens at Kimpton Hotels; Cobalt, in his native Vero Beach; and B&O American Brasserie at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, for which he was voted “Best New Chef” by Baltimore Magazine. In 2013, Willits relocated to New York to work at Michelin-starred Aldea, and Lupulo, before joining the team at Claus Meyer’s Agern. Willits recently struck out on his own with his debut restaurant, Camperdown Elm, in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood.
At StarChefs, Willits pan-roasted the Glacier 51 Toothfish for enthusiastic diners, snuggling it into a moist bed of squash, dotted with turnips and mussels.
The toothfish is renowned for being caught near one of the most inhospitable islands in the world – Australia's Heard Island. On the southern tip of this remarkable geographical feature, Glacier 51 pours into the surrounding treacherous icy waters, creating the ideal environment for the highly prized toothfish, which thrives in the underwater volcanic crevices 2,000 meters below sea level.
MSC-certified Glacier 51 Toothfish has snow-white flesh and cooks up with broad scalloping flakes. It has a clean and sweet flavor that provides a culinary versatility rare in fish fillets. Rich in fat and omega-3 fatty acids, Glacier 51 Toothfish is well-suited for both dry and moist heat preparations, with the flesh providing a perfect canvas for any number of flavor profiles and combinations.
Glacier 51 Toothfish, squash, turnips, mussels (Serves 10)
INGREDIENTS
Toothfish:
- Ten 5-ounce fillet Glacier 51 Toothfish
- Salt
Mussel Broth:
- Olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2½-inch-thick knob ginger, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch makrut lime leaves
- 2 stalks lemongrass, thinly sliced (white part only)
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1 pinch vadouvan
- 2 cups pastis
- One 750ml-bottle dry white wine
- 1 gallon dashi
- 10 pound mussels, rinsed and beards removed
- 1 cup heavy cream
Kabocha Squash:
- 1 Kabocha squash, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rings
- 10 ounces brown butter
- Lemon
- Star anise
- Coriander seeds
- Bay leaves
- Crushed garlic
- Salt
- Black pepper
Roasted Sunchoke:
- 10 large Tokyo Sunchokes
- Thyme
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
Turnips:
- 10 baby turnips, peeled
- Dashi
To Assemble and Serve:
- Olive oil
- Dill
- Thyme
- Fresh bay leaf
- Yuzu juice
METHOD
For the Toothfish: Season fish with salt and cure overnight in refrigerator.
For the Mussel Broth: In a rondeau, heat oil and sweat onion, fennel, celery, and garlic until soft. Add ginger, lime leaves, and lemongrass; sweat. In a sauté pan, toast saffron and vadouvan, and add to rondeau. Deglaze with pastis; reduce to desired depth of flavor. Add wine and dashi, and bring to boil; add mussels. When mussels open, strain broth through a chinois into another rondeau. Set aside mussels, keeping warm. Add cream to broth and reduce 30 minutes. Keep warm.
For the Kabocha Squash: Heat oven to 400°F. In a saucepot, heat brown butter and season with lemon, star anise, coriander seeds, bay leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange squash in a roasting pan and coat with seasoned brown butter; roast 45 minutes.
For the Sunchokes: Heat oven to 400°F. To a roasting pan, add Sunchokes and season with thyme, salt, and pepper; toss to coat in oil. Roast Sunchokes until caramelized and soft, about 30 minutes.
For the Turnips: Into a saucepot, heat dashi and poach turnips 10 to 15 minutes. Keep warm.
To Assemble and Serve: Prepare and heat a Japanese grill. In a pot, heat olive oil to 130°F; season with dill, thyme, and bay leaf. Heat a plancha on high. Rinse cured Toothfish and pat dry. On the plancha, sear fish lightly on one side. Transfer fish to seasoned oil and poach 10 to 12 minutes. Lightly char the roasted Kabocha Squash and Sunchokes. Cut squash into hunks and oblique-cut Sunchokes; quarter turnips. Drain Toothfish. Transfer to a serving bowl with 3 ounces Mussel Broth. Garnish with squash, Sunchokes, Turnips, and mussels reserved from broth. Finish with yuzu.
