Go Fish

One of the most disastrous food-book-club dinners I ever held was when I took the group to a swank hotel restaurant and almost everyone ordered the fish. Only 1 out of 7 was satisfied with how it was cooked.

It was the quietest dinner we ever had.

Think about the times you’ve made fish at home: Was it a little dry and overdone, or did you serve it before it turned opaque?

It’s tricky, for sure.

Making it at home for my fella and myself is one thing, but I wanted to make fabulous, sensuous, memorable fish to serve at our dinner parties. So I went to an expert in the field.

Manny Vilela, executive chef at Chiado Restaurant, in Toronto for almost 20 years, is like a fish whisperer. He tends to each one gently but masterfully, with the focused attention of a classical painter.

What makes Manny’s dishes stand out is that he allows the fish’s characteristics to be the focus, carefully selecting ingredients to highlight, not mask, the fish’s integrity. But nothing about his seafood is bland: Silky seafood glides over your tongue, and bold flavours alight on your taste buds. You will be transformed after having his food.

Owner Albino Silva, who first apprenticed at the age of 10, makes sure that the fish, flown in fresh daily from the Azores islands, are varied and of top quality.

Many restaurants claim to have top-notch fish, but you and I know the difference. Here at Chiado, it is absolutely the best.

This “progressive Portuguese” restaurant serves fish that you are familiar with, such as salmon (ocean-fresh filet of wild Atlantic salmon, crusted with peppercorns, fresh herbs and marine salt and served with tender, hand-picked organic seasonal vegetables), as well as some dishes that are more unusual (Assorda, a “dry soup” made of monkfish, lobster, shrimp, clams, bread, coriander, garlic and extra virgin olive oil).

While there are many exciting dishes on the regular menu, you’ll be amazed by the daily specials.  Servers present whole and filleted fish on a platter held almost vertically (insider secret: it seems like sheer magic at the table, but a special paper underneath secures them) and tell you not only what waters they come from but the areas around the water, what they taste like, what they eat, their bone structure... It’s not just a meal; it’s a complete education.

Branzino is popular here, but you’ll also find ribbonfish (often referred to beltfish, from the Philippines), grouper, swordfish, tuna and red snapper, along with other seafood (lobster, octopus, tiger shrimp, etc.)

What’s remarkable is that despite the fact that Chiado offers fresh fish from all over, customers still choose salmon in great quantities. “This proves to us that the customer is not willing to deviate from a traditional meal,” says Albino.

The fish is served a number of ways – whole, filleted, steak, pan-seared, roasted, grilled and sometimes steamed – and the portions are slightly bigger than what you’ll find at many restaurants. 

Tilefish (a colourful fish known as “the clown of the sea,” with blue, green, rose and yellow skin that fades when removed from the water) is from the grouper family, with less dense flesh. It’s pan-seared with charred tomato, peppers and jalapeno salsa.  The meat is firm, flaky and moist.

I’ll be requesting tilefish at my fish market from now on.

The black cod (sablefish) has pearly white meat that flakes in large pieces. Its rich flavour is enhanced by honey, Dijon and red wine and served over pillowy mashed potatoes.

Oh, my, it’s sexy.

Espada (black scabbard) from Madeira has lovely, lightly buttery white meat – the tender flesh just melts in your mouth. Here, it’s served on a delicate saffron snow-pea risotto. My server tells me that Espada is Portuguese for “sword,” but it’s not a swordfish. It has three long spines, but don’t worry: It has been boned.

Phew.

I don’t know how Manny has managed to maintain the integrity of the fish and yet elevate it beyond any seafood I’ve ever had.*

“Manny is just a fantastic cook,” says Albino. “He is fabulous. He has no school training, but his food is extremely fantastic. His execution is outstanding.”

I second that. Then I ask him for a recipe for my next dinner party. There’s no way I can replicate what I’ve had here today, but I’m going to try.

*Remember: I eat out for a living.

Chiado Fine Dining
864 College Street, Toronto, M6H 1A3
416-538-1910

P.S. Be sure to check out Senhor Antonio Tapas and Wine Bar next door (sexy tapas all done by the Chiado team) and Manny’s new venture, Salt (225 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, M6J 2Z8, 416-533-7258), opening soon.

P.P.S. Leave room for dessert. Trust me.

P.P.P.S. Albino will soon implement a small pilot project in Toronto: a cooking school for mentally challenged people in association with Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (CAMH).

Great resource: Field Guide to Seafood: How to Identify, Select and Prepare Virtually Every Fish and Shellfish at the Market by Aliza Green