Tuscan Medley
Bellini’s chef Benard Tamburello creates Tuscan Style Sea Bass.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Robin Colter
Entering Bellini's Ristorante and Bar I am greeted with aromas and flavors of Tuscany. This might be expected at dinnertime. But it is 2:00 in the afternoon, and the restaurant is dark and empty—as even the bar won’t open for a couple more hours. I follow the dark hallway toward the light and the aromas.
Here Bellini's Ristorante and Bar, and chef de cuisine, Brian Alford and executive chef, Benard Tamburello are busy prepping for tonight’s dinner and this Chef’s Secrets photo shoot. A wood-burning grill is the focal point of Bellini's kitchen. Apple and pecan firewood is stack along side the stove. Below the stove’s grill a black, iron door opens to flaming embers and partially burned logs.
Using tongs, Tamburello gently places a piece of lightly salted sea bass on the grill. He covers the fish to capture the smoke and heat. After searing the skin on one side he turns the fish. “Sea bass is a thick fish, so we sear the skin to make a crackling crust,” he explains. Turn the fish after it is seared on one side and sear the other side. Total grilling time is eight to nine minutes.
To complete this Tuscan medley on a plate are pureed white beans, tomatoes, shallots, and a Marsala vinaigrette. The cooked white beans are pureed in a Vito Prep machine. Three shallots are sliced and finely chopped and added to a bowl with two red grape tomatoes, two yellow grape tomatoes, kosher salt and black ground pepper. The tomatoes and shallots are cook over high heat in a skillet of 80 percent olive oil and 20 percent canola oil. Although Tamburello’s “tossing technique” is to be envied, you may—or may not—want to try this at home. A wooden spoon could also do the trick.
While Tamburello tosses, Alford whisks up a Marsala vinaigrette for finishing the dish. The Tuscan Style Sea Bass is plated in the curve of a half moon shaped serving of pureed white beans. Anchoring the fish are two leaves of arugula. The tomatoes and shallots surround the fish. And the dish is finished with another layer of flavor, the Marsala vinaigrette.
