Chef Clint Davies' Fish Story Recipes

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."

So said author Ernest Hemingway, a larger-than-life figure with many legends attached to him. The Papa Doble, a Havana daiquiri with Maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice, was supposedly created for him and we've transferred that flawless combination to a Margarita. We think Papa would approve. Try this seasonal cocktail in the Fish Story bar or at home.

Hemingway Margarita
1 ½ oz Herradura silver tequila
½ oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
½ oz lime juice
1 oz grapefruit juice
¼ oz simple syrup
2 dashes grapefruit bitters
Shake and strain over ice into a highball glass and add a lemon peel garnish

Fish Story Ahi Tuna Tartar on Taro Chips
(makes 25 hours hors d’oeuvres or 4 appetizers)

10 oz Ahi tuna (sustainably caught)
1 Asian pear
2 T. pickled ginger
1 shallot
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine)
1 jalapeno pepper
1 bunch chives
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Meyer lemon
3 T. Salute Santé extra virgin Chenin Blanc grape seed oil
1 Taro root
Salt
Pepper

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the tuna into uniform 1/4-inch dice and refrigerate in a stainless steel bowl. Uniformly mince the pickled ginger and shallot and place in a small bowl; add the soy sauce, mirin and a little of the pickling juice from the ginger and allow to macerate for one hour.

Using a sharp knife split the jalapeno pepper lengthwise. Remove the seeds and the membrane inside the pepper with your knife; then finely dice the jalapeno. (Removing the seeds and the membrane makes the pepper less spicy.)

Slice the taro root 1/8 inch thick on a mandolin and store in cold water. Using a cookie cutter, punch out each piece of taro root in circles approximately 2.5 inches in diameter (the taro chips don’t have to be cut into circles if you don’t have a cookie cutter this size). Heat either your deep fryer or a cast iron pan of canola oil to 300°f, and fry the chips until they stop bubbling and become crispy. Transfer to dry paper towels and season with salt immediately after removing from the oil.

Zest the lemon into a bowl (save half for finish). Add the Dijon mustard and the juice from half the lemon. Using a whisk, mix together well before slowly drizzling in the grape seed oil to form a dressing. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Remove the diced tuna from the refrigerator, peel the Asian pear and dice the same size as the tuna; add to the bowl along with the diced pepper, ginger and shallot mixture and the dressing. Gently mix until well combined. Taste for seasoning, adjust with salt and pepper if necessary. Lay taro chips on a tray and mound a little of the tuna mixture on top of each one. Finish with finely chopped chives and the zest of the Meyer lemon before serving.

1 ½ oz. Cazadores Reposado tequila
¾ oz. Cointreau
1 oz. cucumber water
1 oz. lime juice
¼ oz. agave nectar
2 basil leaves

Combine ingredients in Boston shaker, shake and double strain into Collins glass. Serve with a cucumber wheel garnish.

Grilled Hawaiian Tombo Tuna
Served with Vegetable Barigoule and Spinach
(Serves 4)

Ingredients
4 pieces tombo tuna, approx. 6 oz each and 1-1/2” thick
4 bunches spinach, cleaned and stems removed
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/4 cup diced leek, reserve green for scraps
1/4 cup diced fennel bulb, reserve stalk for scraps
Reserved vegetable scrap from diced vegetables
2 cups dry white wine
3 sprigs thyme, stalks and leaves
1 sprig rosemary
1 Tbsp. fennel seed
1 tsp. chili flakes
1 tsp. black peppercorns
3 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 cup vegetable stock
3 Tbsp, chopped herbs (chervil, parsley, tarragon and chives)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, juiced, reserve rind for scraps
2 star anise
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the vegetable scraps and crushed garlic; sweat out on low heat. Add the spices and cook until they are fragrant. Add the white wine and the herbs, and cook until reduced in half before adding the vegetable stock. Add the lemon rind and juice, simmer for 7-10 minutes. Strain and discard the vegetables and lemon rind, reserving the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil and season with a generous amount of salt. Add the diced vegetables and cook until tender. Add the chopped herbs just before serving.

Sauté spinach in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until wilted. Squeeze out any excess water and divide spinach evenly among four bowls.

Make cross-hatches on each side of the tuna and season with salt and pepper. Grill for approximately 6 minutes, about 3 minutes on each side, to your desired temperature. Let the fish rest for 2 minutes before slicing each piece into 3 pieces. Place 3 pieces in each bowl on top of the spinach. Finish by spooning the vegetable barigoule around the spinach and the fish. Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy!

As the old sayings go, “The devil invented Scotch whiskey to make the Irish poor” or perhaps “God invented whiskey so the Irish wouldn't rule the world!” Fish Story’s Dublin Dawn won’t do either, but it sure is tasty. Try this seasonal cocktail in the bar or at home.

Dublin Dawn Cocktail
As the old sayings go, “The devil invented Scotch whiskey to make the Irish poor” or perhaps “God invented whiskey so the Irish wouldn't rule the world!” Fish Story’s Dublin Dawn won’t do either, but it sure is tasty. Try this seasonal cocktail in the bar or at home.

1-1/2 oz. Jameson Whiskey
3/4 oz. Benedictine
1 oz. fresh Ruby Red grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Orange bitters
Shake and strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish with a grapefruit peel

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Recipes from Fish Story Restaurant's Chef Clint Davies