Sear hot, enjoy cool

Asian cuisine is all the rage right now. But one who perfectly combines Asian and Mediterranean delights on Mallorca is Austrian Simon Petutschnig. He is the head chef of two restaurants on the island. Because he stands not only in the restaurant Fera in the heart of Palma at the stove, but is also responsible for the gastronomy concept in the restaurant Yara in the noble port Puerto Portals. The stylish restaurant opened in the summer of 2023.

In any case, Simon Petutschnig, who sometimes spends an entire month in Japan to delve even deeper into the high art of cooking there, finds the cuisine in the country very exciting. "Let's take tataki," Petutschnig says. "That's the fine Japanese way of preparing fish or meat fillets. The highlight: spicy roasted flavors await gourmets on the outside, while the product is juicy raw on the inside."

This is another reason why fish should be frozen for at least 24 hours at minus 20 degrees Celsius or below before consumption. But it is not only Japanese preparation methods that the Carinthian is most fond of. He is also fascinated by the passion for sharp knives. After all, a sharp knife is the be-all and end-all in the kitchen. It makes cooking twice as much fun.

How to use sharp knives

No matter whether herbs are chopped, vegetables, fish or meat need to be minced: Such a clear, smooth cut, which does not unnecessarily destroy vessels and let the juices run out, is in any case good for the products and their taste. Cutting is also much easier with a quality knife. "Another trick of the Asians: Before the Japanese apply a knife, they wet its tip lightly with water," Simon Petutschnig tells us. "Then they place it on a board with the handle down and let the moisture run gently down the blade. And it's sawing adiós. Cutting is the order of the day!"

Of course, when preparing a dish, the blade is always cleaned with a clean, damp kitchen towel - not after every cut, but every now and then. Salmon, for example, contains quite a bit of fat. And this sticks to the blade, so that it can no longer be used optimally. Tip: The longer the blade, the more perfectly the fish will cut. A clean, continuous cut with the whole blade is best. "In short, I think one of the smartest investments for the kitchen is a nice cutting board and a sharp knife that you can also sharpen," the chef is convinced.

Roast salmon for just a few seconds

"Tataki is usually prepared over a flame," Pertutschnig knows. But at home, you can also use a flambé burner or - if you don't have one - a very hot pan. No oil is added to the pan itself. Rather, rub the salmon with a good oil beforehand, such as olive oil. Also have two spatulas ready, because the fish needs to be turned over in a jiffy. It's a matter of seconds: You can't spend a lot of time looking for the right utensil in the drawer. When the fish is cooked, the cooking professional puts the pieces back together into a whole and brushes the whole thing briefly with olive, sesame or pumpkin seed oil. The latter is, of course, a small tribute to his homeland ...

If you like, you can now sprinkle sesame seeds for a crust. Or freshly chopped chives. Or chili powder. Or chopped nuts. As decoration you can, for example, edible flowers, such as from the nasturtium.

Orange gel & avocado cream

You do not have oranges or orange juice in the house right now? Never mind, because you can also use another juice. Carrot or apple juice, for example. And you can also vary the avocado cream and experiment with fresh herbs. Whether cilantro, Thai parsley or basil - it all goes very well with it. And if you like it spicier, chop up another chili pepper or season with the spicy powder.

How to make it:

Ingredients (for 4 pers.):
400 g salmon fillet (without skin)
a little olive oil
salt
sesame seeds to taste

For the orange gel:
200 ml orange juice from Sóller oranges 4 sheets of gelatine

For the avocado cream:
1 avocado 1/2 organic lime salt, pepper

Decoration:
Herbs, edible flowers, trout caviar to taste

Preparation:

Start with the orange gel: for this, heat 50 ml of OJ, do not boil. Soak gelatine leaves one by one in ice water to prevent them from sticking together. Remove and squeeze well. Add to the warmed orange juice and dissolve. Pour the mixture e.g. into a stick blender jar, add the remaining OJ, stir, refrigerate. When the mixture is solid after 1-2 h, mix again with the hand blender. While doing so, move unit up and down to ensure gel is mixed thoroughly. Pour into a piping bottle or piping bag. For the avocado cream: cut avocado in half, pit, remove flesh, chop, place in a bowl. Juice 1/2 lime, add to avocado. Add salt and pepper. Blend everything to a puree. Rub salmon with oil, salt lightly. Cut fillet into 5 cm wide, 10 cm long pieces. Heat pan to very hot, have two spatulas ready to turn the fish. Place fish in hot pan: It should really sizzle. After 5 seconds, flip, roast the other side also for 5 seconds. Roast the remaining two sides in the same way. Remove, cool in ice water for 5 min to stop the cooking process. The ice water will make the fish stiff, this will help when cutting. Remove. Place pieces side by side, pat dry with paper towels, brush with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds to taste. Cut into one-inch-thick slices. Cut in half again. Using piping bag, pipe a circle of orange gel on plate, arrange tataki - you can sometimes lay the pieces, sometimes stand them. Place dabs of avocado cream next to it. Arrange with edible flowers and herbs, depending on the season. If you like, add some trout caviar.