The Lois Lake stillwater steelhead is a fantastic sustainable fish and hand-fed in deep water landlocked lakes. The combination of the sweet potato, smoky dashi and rich brine of the urchin all work together to create a delicious dish. ORU is a sweeping expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows framing a series of stunning portraits of Coal Harbour. Whether diners are looking for a vibrant gathering place or an intimate dining experience for two, ORU is the perfect spot to savour food from the Pacific Northwest and flavours of the Pacific Rim. Courtesy of Darren Brown at Fairmont Pacific Rim.
ingredients
Sweet Potato Velouté
Mushroom Dashi
Pickled Gold Beets
Lois Lake Steelhead & Assembly
directions
Peel all sweet potatoes.
Cut 12 uniform disks ½ inch thick and set aside to cook in the dashi.
Cut the remainder into 1 inch pieces.
Bring milk up to a boil and add the 1 inch cubes of sweet potato.
Hold at a low, rolling boil until fork tender for 8-10 minutes.
Strain off the milk and reserve. For a smooth texture, pass potatoes through food mill or mash by hand.
Gently fold the butter and hot milk into your macerated potatoes until the desired smoothness and consistency is achieved; season with salt and pepper.
Reserve, held warm, until it’s time to plate.
Fill pot with bottled spring water and add the dried kombu, porcini, sweet potato discs and bonito flake.
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to steep for 40 minutes.
Gently strain and set aside the cooked sweet potato discs, and reserve the dashi, held warm until it’s time to plate.
Peel beets and julienne or cut to a small dice, whichever you prefer.
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pickled ginger in a saucepot and bring to a boil.
Pour boiling liquid over the beets, cover and hold steeping for 30 minutes.
Strain and reserve.
Ensure that you have the dashi nearby held hot and have the warm sweet potato purée on hand as well.
In a pre-heated skillet with 2 ounces of olive oil, sauté the beech mushrooms until golden brown and gently add the cooked potato discs to lightly caramelize them as well. When everything’s reached a golden hue, deglaze with a few ounces of the mushroom dashi, allow a bit of reducing and then set aside until you’ve finished the fish.
In a second pre-heated skillet with 1 ounce of olive oil, sear the steelhead skin side down at high heat for approximately 1 minute, and then without removing the pan from the heat reduce the temperature to medium heat. Allow the fish to keep cooking from the skin side up until it’s achieve a medium-rare center and still has a fairly rare top surface, will take approximately 2-3 minutes.
Transfer a ¾ cup scoop of the warm sweet potato velouté to the center of your serving bowls, stud it with a trio of your sweet potato discs, and place the steelhead filets rare side down (skin up), directly into the center of the potatoes. They will continue to cook slightly from the heat of the potato; which is why it is good to finish cooking on the rare side.
Scatter the warm mushrooms around the fish and top it off with a nest of pickled beets, tatsoi leaves and last but not least, a petal of uni roe.
Finish off the soup by pouring hot mushroom dashi around the potato in the center. To really impress your guests, complete this last step tableside.