SALT-CRUSTED BRANZINO @ OSTRA
Ostra’s salt-crusted branzino is, for many local connoisseurs, the pinnacle of the Boston seafood scene.
Opened four years ago by chef/owner Jamie Mammano and executive chef Mitchell Randall, Ostra is Mediterranean in essence, with specialty seafood from that region and around the United States. Mammano and Randall take great pride in preparing each dish tocapture the fresh flavorsof their seafood, and this is especially so with their branzino, which is delivered daily from Greece.
The dish is exceptional in many ways. Weighing in at approximately 1,600 grams (3.5 pounds), fishers in Greece catch these larger-sized branzino specially for the restaurant, Randall said. But the challenge has just begun once the fish arrives at the restaurant. Preparing the salt crust, timing the cooking so the enveloped fish is done perfectly, and performing a dificult table-side service make the branzino a demanding challenge for the kitchen to execute.
“Being this large, which is unusual for branzino, and being baked on the bone, the flavor is exceptional,” Randall said. “It makes for a very special tableside presentation for two, watching as the server removes the crust and then debones.”
Accompaniments vary according to the season, but are best in spring, when the branzino is joined by foraged local mushrooms, English peas, parsnips, carrots, and spring onions.
For those looking for a more local specialty, the ricotta gnocchetti with Maine lobster and black truffle butter is another example of the simple decadence and beautiful flavors produced by this exceptional kitchen.
