Fruits of the Sea Find Natural Companions in Fresh Produce

Fruit and fish is a marriage made, if not in heaven, at least in the kitchen of Joseph Gonzales.

Gonzales is the chef at McCormick & Schmick’s seafood restaurant in Irvine and is known for the culinary magic he weaves by merging fresh seasonal fish and fruit.

Because the restaurant prints a new menu daily, based on the fresh fish available locally or flown in from the company’s headquarters in the Northwest, Gonzales gets ample opportunity to experiment.

The results range from orange gazpacho (made with oranges instead of tomatoes) to mango chutney to raspberry-basil salsa.

“And this is a bad time of the year,” Gonzales says. “You can’t do as much with winter fruits as you can with summer fruits. I’d be going nuts if I were still in Portland or Seattle,” where he worked for years before transferring to the chain’s Irvine restaurant.

On the flip side, he says, the best fish comes from the Northwest, especially salmon, “like the Copper River salmon we get in the spring from Alaska. They are at sea a long time, so their fat content is high, and that gives them a bright red color and a great deal of flavor.”

One of his favorite ways to serve the salmon is with a delicate and easy-to-make sauce of his invention called Raspberry Beurre Blanc. For those who can’t wait for spring and the coming of the Copper River salmon, he says, the sauce is good with any fish.

Gonzales suggests the fish of choice be grilled or sauteed and served on a bed of the sauce and garnished with fresh raspberries.

RASPBERRY BEURRE BLANC

2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

4 tablespoons white wine

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

1 teaspoon chopped shallots

2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced

In medium saucepan, place all ingredients except cream and butter. Over medium heat, reduce until liquid is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally.

Add cream and reduce until thickened. Remove from heat and add butter one piece at a time, stirring constantly.

When butter is melted, press through sieve.

Pour equal portions onto two plates, cover with fish and garnish with three or four fresh raspberries. (Makes enough sauce for two servings.)