Recipes Dinner Seafood Main Course Fish Main Course Pan-Seared Trout with Serrano Ham and Chile-Garlic Oil 5.0 (3,627) Add your rating & review "This dish is almost a cliché in Navarra, but it's absolutely delicious," says Alex Raij. "The Spanish ham keeps the fish from drying out, basting it with its inimitable fat." By Alex Raij Alex Raij F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: El Quinto Pino, Txikito, La Vara (New York City) Education: Culinary Institute of America What dish are you famous for? The uni panini at El Quinto Pino. What’s the first dish you ever cooked by yourself? The first recipe I followed was probably chocolate mousse from Julia Child. My mom had all of her books. What is the best dish for a neophyte cook to try? Something satisfying, that will make you want to keep cooking for the rest of your life. You want to be successful the first time. Braised chicken thighs aren’t expensive and will never get dry or tough. What’s the most important skill you need to be a great chef? How to be self-critical. How to keep tasting until it’s right, to fix something if it’s wrong. What’s your secret-weapon ingredient? Seaweed. I use a lot of Japanese ingredients because my husband worked at Nobu. I use all kinds, like nori, kombu and dulse. I put them under fish, or I make a little salad with them rehydrated and chopped up like a Mediterranean ingredient. To me that’s so Spanish: to take this otherworldly ingredient that you don’t know how to use, and use it incorrectly without realizing it, and end up with this thing that’s fresh and unique. What is the best-bang-for-the-buck ingredient? Chinese flowering garlic chives. They’re the poor man’s ramp. We’ve been pickling the tops and sautéing the bottoms. They remind me of Basque ajetes, which are like garlic scapes. They use them in scrambled eggs and with shrimp and things like that. The chives are expensive by Chinatown standards—whereas all greens in Chinatown are $1.50 a pound, these are $3 and $4 a bunch—but I like them because you can eat them like a vegetable, not like an herb. Best-bang-for-the-buck food trip—where would you go and why? Spain. They have a lot of really high-quality ingredients, and a lot of technical expertise. So you eat well in people’s homes and in restaurants. That’s not true in every country. And you can eat well at any price point. Everyone always says Vietnam and Thailand, and I love Mexico, too. But Spain has such a strong restaurant- and food-loving culture. When you go to Spain, you live food. If you were going to take Thomas Keller, Tony Bourdain or Mario Batali out to eat, where would you go? I would take Anthony Bourdain to the Basque country. He kindly filmed his show at two of my restaurants. I know he has some Basque blood, so I think he’d have some affinity for it. And he reminds me of my brother-in-law—he’s a nice guy. I think he’s become larger than life; he’s kind of ironic but he’s not mean. I find him fascinating. He’s got the most interesting job of the three of them! He gets to travel and see the world, talking to energized young chefs. I’d love to hear about that. If you were facing an emergency, and could only take one backpack of supplies, what would you bring? Rice, because my husband and kids love it even if I don’t. Eggs. Olive oil. Anchovies. Some kind of charcuterie, like ham or salami. I eat for pleasure; I don’t really eat for survival. So if I had to eat for survival, I’d become extra-practical and have rice and eggs. What’s a dish that tells your story? Escabèche. My mom made a rabbit escabèche, and we make it now at La Vara. My parents were from Argentina, so my whole background is littered with lots of European references. They’re Jewish, too. There was a lot of Spanish, Jewish and Italian eating at my house. I have an immediate affinity for certain dishes when I know how they should taste before I even attempt them. When you have that kind of confidence, you feel at home with that cuisine. Do you have a favorite snack? Toasted nori snacks. I really like the ones with wasabi on them. What do you eat straight out of the fridge, standing up? Chorizo and chocolate—a dish I served at Tía Pol came from doing just that. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 4, 2019 Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: © Marie Hennechart Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 6 Ingredients Six 8-ounce trout fillets, with skin Salt Freshly ground pepper 6 thin slices of Spanish serrano or Ibérico ham 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 fresh red chile, thinly sliced crosswise 3 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar Directions Preheat the oven to 325°. Season the trout fillets with salt and pepper. Press 1 slice of ham onto the skinless side of each fillet. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering. Add 3 of the trout fillets, ham side down, and cook over moderately high heat until the ham is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets and cook until the skin is crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer the trout fillets to a large rimmed baking sheet, ham side up. Cook the remaining fillets in 1 more tablespoon of olive oil and transfer to the baking sheet. Keep the fish warm in the oven. In the skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the chile and cook for 1 minute. Add the parsley, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Remove the skillet from the heat. Transfer the trout to plates, ham side up. Spoon the chile-garlic oil over the fish and serve right away. Suggested Pairing Fragrant, minerally Spanish white blend. Originally appeared: July 2012 Rate It Print