wellington | table
Signature Dish
Whole Roasted Branzino At The Seahorse Fashion Cuisine Story and Photos by Julie Unger
The Seahorse Fashion Cuisine is an oceanic aficionado’s dream come true. Soothing music, ocean-themed décor and a beautiful tank with brightly colored fish greet guests as they arrive for a truly fine dining experience. Chef John Sarmiento, who recently revamped the restaurant’s menu for its third season, took us on a voyage to the sea as we learned about the restaurant’s new signature dish — Whole Roasted Branzino. “The Branzino comes in from Greece,” Sarmiento said. The tender fish is butterflied, grilled, then plated with baby artichokes, sliced heirloom tomatoes, black olive chimichurri and grilled lemon. “Our heirloom tomatoes are local,” Sarmiento said. “They’re from a farmhouse in western Palm Beach County. We get them at the peak of the season.” Quality ingredients, fresh, local and unique, make all of the difference when making something seemingly simple transform into a complex medley of flavors and textures.
“Just from the best fish, to the best artichokes, to the local tomatoes, and last but not least, the homemade black olive chimichurri,” Sarmiento explained. “It’s a combination of flavors here with the nice, fresh tomatoes and the local artichokes, then you get this nice boost of cilantro, parsley and black olives, combining it all together.” The black olive chimichurri is made with cilantro, parsley, garlic shallots, lemon juice, red vinegar, salt, pepper and chopped black olives. “It gives a real bright, fresh wow to the plate,” he said. The plate is decorated with a balsamic reduction made in-house, which complements the light, refreshing dish. “It’s the combination of all of the fresh, local ingredients, using the best of the best,” wellington the magazine | january 2016
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