Having worked with many of the finest restaurants in Southern California, I had the pleasure of connecting with some very talented chefs over a common passion for the absolute best quality, sustainable seafood. So when we finally launched SEATOPIA's home delivery business, it was a natural fit to invite the chefs who supported this business since the beginning to come sailing with us and document some of their favorite recipes in action.
While planing this little sail, I asked Chef Tim Hollingsworth which of the SEATOPIA home delivery products he was excited to prepare (he had received his first SEATOPIA box a few weeks earlier). And to my pleasant surprise, he was super excited about smoking SEATOPIA collars! First off, I love collars. And most Chefs love collars. But mainstream American markets seldom offer fish collars for sale, so we were extra excited to share this recipe of an often overlooked cut of the fish that's packed with flavor (some say the most flavorful cut).
When Chef Tim showed up with his wife and two kids, and an electric-powered mobile Traeger smoking grill called the Ranger, I knew we were in for a fun day. Powered by a Goal Zero battery pack we were soon off-grid, sailing, and smoking sustainable SEATOPIA collars and veggie kabobs in the Pacific Ocean from Marina del Rey, CA up towards Malibu. Seemingly pleased with our offerings of sustainable ocean conscious seafood, Poseidon smiled on us with glorious ocean conditions, the sun burned through the haze, and the kids had their first encounter with wild dolphins as a pod of bottlenose dolphins swim right by us.
Meanwhile in the "Seatopia Tiny Galley", Chef Tim whipped together a Sabayon (classic Italian dessert traditionally made with fortified wine, egg yolks, and sugar) but with a Japanese twist adding miso paste, dashi, and sake to transform it into a savory sauce to serve along with lightly smoked fish collars and vegetables.
INGREDIENTS
For the Miso Sabayon:
3 egg yolks
250 grams white miso paste
1/3 cup dashi
1/3 cup sake
In a medium metal bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, miso, dashi, and sake. Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water, whisking constantly, until the eggs have set and sabayon has thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and set aside. Make ahead: The sabayon can be made 1 day ahead, then covered and chilled until ready to use.
For the Smoked (or Grilled) SEATOPIA Collar Kabobs with Vegetables:
1 pound Sungold tomatoes
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and cleaned
1 pound squash, steamed and shocked in an ice bath, drained
3 tablespoons peanut oil
Kosher salt, to taste
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Putting the collars on kabobs similar to the Japanese Konro or Robata technique, made managing a lot of smaller items on the grill super easy. A little forethought into pairing veggies that cook in a similar time as the fish, makes for easier, consistent cooking. Once assembled on the kabobs, brush the fish and vegetables with high quality, high-smoke temp fat, or oil. Light the grill or set the smoker on a medium-low heat. Place the kabobs in a single layer in the grill and cook, turning as little as possible, until cooked through. Remove the kabobs and season with salt. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top. Serve the grilled Seatopia collars and vegetable kabobs alongside the miso sabayon.
This dish is intended to be super simple, which is important when you find yourself cooking with kids around, while sailing in the ocean... In other words, if we can pull this off on the boat with 2 kids running around, you should be able to execute a similarly wow-inducing SEATOPIA Yellowtail Collar Kabob recipe at home.
Thank you again, Chef Tim, Coco, Hunter ,and Liam Hollingsworth! We also shot a lot more video on this day that we're excited to share on your YouTube in the near future.
In closing if anyone is not already following Chef Tim Hollingsworth on IG, please do so. In addition to being an exceptionally talented chef, recent winner of the Nextflix show Final Table, Chef/Owner of Otium, and former CDC of The French Laundry, he is also one of the sweetest humans you'll ever meet.
