Seattle's Chef John Sundstrom Breaks Down a Spanish-Styled, Braised Wild Alaska Pollock Dish

On Foodable

On this episode of On Foodable, we are featuring Chef John Sundstrom, owner of Lark Restaurant in Seattle, who will be working with wild Alaska pollock, provided by Trident Seafoods, to make a rustic Spanish-style dish. This is the first episode out of our four-part series of chef demos that were filmed at our Foodable.io Seattle event, sponsored by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

About the Dish

Braised Wild Alaska Pollock with Tomato, Smoked Paprika and Olive Oil Smashed Potatoes

Wild Alaska Pollock is an underutilized, sustainable fish species.

Ingredients:

Wild Alaska Pollock Fillets

2 cup Small Yukon Gold Potatoes

3 ea. Garlic Cloves, cracked

Vegetable Stock

2 qt. Water

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fleur de Sel

Pimenton

Herbs: Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley

Seasoning: Pepper, Smoked Paprika

Method of Cooking:To begin preparing the sauce for the Spanish-styled stew, sauté diced onions in olive oil until light golden. Then, add the sliced garlic, and cook until softened. While that is cooking start simmering some fingerling potatoes until they are tender in another pot with salted water, crushed garlic, and a couple branches of thyme. To continue with the sauce, add some white wine to stop the cooking process. As the reduction settles down, add really ripe, rough-diced tomatoes to the saute pan, add kosher salt and pepper as it simmers. Don’t forget to season your wild Alaska pollock fillets with some salt and pepper before you add it to the sauce. You will simmer until cooked for about 5 to 7 minutes. Add a splash of more white wine and vegetable stock. Also, add some fresh thyme, a pinch of rosemary, and smoked paprika. Finally, remove from heat, then serve or cool.

Plating:

Smash potatoes (skins on) with a fork to crush open.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel

Spoon braised pollock and sauce over the top.

Sprinkle on a little more pimenton and parsley leaves

Lark Restaurant

Sundstrom is the chef and owner of Lark Restaurant, which has been around for 15 years now.

“We were one of the first restaurant that were really able to celebrate underutilized species and cuts of meats and fish that were not so well-known,” says Chef Sundstrom. “So, you know, one of the first restaurants to really get into nose-to-tail and farm-to-table in the region.”

To replicate this delicious dish follow along by watching the episode above!