Started with baby squid. Tiny little "bone" that is super sharp on both sides. You take that out, take another piece of collagen between the legs, and then take the eyes out. Then into ice water. And don't break the ink sack inside!!!! Never worked with seafood this fresh before. Beside whole fish, most of our seafood is brought in somewhat cleaned already. Not here, everything is brought in completely untouched, and not frozen. Don't think I grabbed a pic of the large ones that came in later that day, but wow! They were the size of my leg!
Then lunch. We had a mushroom and potato omelette yesterday. They call it a tortilla here. It's a thick potato and egg "omelette or frittata" instead of the thin flat corn thing I was picturing. They serve them everywhere. The chef just added some mushrooms & onions to this one, it was good! Today we had a roasted vegetable red sauce, with bread and guacamole. Random, but good.
Then I did anchovies. And I thought those cherries were crazy?!? Ok this is by far, the craziest thing I have ever prepped in my life! I took a picture of one, that is what you start with. Take a pair of tweezers, and start pickin each and every bone out. LMAO!!!! Anchovies are the one fish with bones so small that you just eat them! Not here.... Now these are the biggest/most expensive you can buy. The ones you get back home, are the smaller kind with the outer layer of bones cut off. The bigger bones on the outside are the easy ones. Then there are three more rows thru out the meat. I mean... The most ridiculous thing I've ever done!!!! And I sat there and did it for three hours:-) then for four more hours at night!!! All good, at least I know what it's like at a Michelin starred restaurant. I put a smile on my face and kept at it. All day I bet I finished maybe 25-30...then when we finished, we went bck thru and double checked, ha!
They store all their seafood a little different too. We have always been taught to store all seafood on self-draining ice. They have the same storage containers, basically a perforated pan inside another slightly larger pan to catch the water. But they don't use ice?!? They just cover everything with damp paper towels. May not be that big a deal to you non-chefs out there, but I thought it was cool. We vacuum seal most all of our proteins, and put on ice. Wonder which way is best?
Tonight after we cleaned, the chef started yelling, basically saying that we didn't do good enough. So we did it again!!! Hahahahahahaha... But that's why their kitchen looks brand new.
Another long day, 9am-1am. Still can't believe the work culture over here. Everyone, not just cooks/chefs, work all day, almost everyday. Maybe a small break, depending where you work, but still. The cooks get Monday off, except in August. They go 7 days a week then, it's their busy month here. Just the way they roll here. I see the same people working at the cafe's on my way to work, and when I'm on my way home. So next time you are sick of work, just be glad you work in the states, and prob work an 8hr. day!
Pics
The spotless kitchen
Anchovies:-/
Triangle pieces of bonito fish, covered with a paquillo pepper (sweet red pepper) sauce
Fresh quail... They brûlée with a torch, then take the breast meat off the bone, and use the rest of the carcass for a sauce. Don't really understand this, there are a few things here I don't agree with. I like the sauce idea, we do the same with our extra bones our restaurant. But the torch? Why not just clean it and evenly sear it, whatever "to each his own."
Another shot of the kitchen
Pile of anchovies, ha!
Their cotton candy machine
These are strawberries, kinda. The tops are real, the the bottom is a sphere of strawberry juice. Which is dipped in liquid nitrogen, right before it is sent out. Cool, and delish!
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