Jay Veregge - Executive Chef, Big Water Grille

Menu design is the single most important concept that one must grasp when a chef. After all, you can have the finest china and linens in the world, the most knowledgeable wait staff to be had, and even an extremely talented chef; but if the menu isn’t designed as a singular, cohesive vision, then all is lost. That’s why I’m writing a three part series on Menu Design. First up, “complexity hides flaws”.

It seems that a lot of well meaning yet ill informed chefs now days have thrown technique and flavor structure out the window, and instead reach for copious amounts of colored oils, aiolis and gels. These “sauces” are then forced in squeeze bottles and applied to the plate in any number of cliche squiggles, lines dots and dashes. Sure I’ve been known to use a squeeze bottle or two, but far too often I see colorful sauces squeezed on the plate for no better reason than that the “chef” thinks it “looks cool.”

What’s that old saying from Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, “an ounce of sauce hides a multitude of sins”? It has always been my philosophy that complexity in a dish does nothing more than hide it’s flaws. But simplicity, letting ingredients speak for themselves, using self control and not going all Picasso on your plates; trading in your “16 spice rub” for one singular spice and flavor that’s going to make your dish; that my friends, is real cooking.

Case in point: the salmon dish that’s shown at the beginning of this article is a great example of how beautiful a simplistic dish can be. The dish is Cured Salmon Belly Au Vec, with a Green Garlic Pesto, Dhanadal and Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

First, we cut the salmon belly off the side of salmon, and soak it in a weak brining solution. When we get an order, the belly portion goes straight from the brine to a 375 degree oil bath for about 30 seconds, just enough time to crust the outside.

The belly is then sliced and fanned on a streak of green garlic pesto, sprinkled with fluer de sel and dhanadal, dressed with a pomegranate vinaigrette, and garnished with micro cilantro.

This dish is a favorite among the regulars at Big Water Grille. It’s so simple, yet the flavor structure is divine. The salty-fattiness of the brined salmon belly goes great with the young taste of a spring garlic. The pomegranate vin, which is a little sour, is there to cut the overall richness of the dish. Add fleur de Sel for seasoning, dhanadal for overall balance. This dish is a great example of my philosophy on cooking and flavor structure.

Bottom line: you don’t need a million different components on the plate to make a great fine dining dish. Instead, start with the freshest ingredients, pair them with a couple of great complimentary flavors, and let the dish speak for itself.