Hooked on fish, Baltimore native and executive chef Rob Klink of The Oceanaire Seafood Room has become something of a seafood activist, showcasing sustainable choices on his restaurant menu. Inspired by Smithsonian sustainable seafood cookbook author Carole Baldwin, who wrote “One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish: The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook” in 2003, Klink now educates staff about how to protect our deep-sea environs.
“The more I read and learn,” he says, “I start to realize if you don’t do something quickly, there won’t be anything left. There is not the seafood abundance we once thought there was.
“To sustain life itself, you can’t just take anything you want. … I won’t serve any fish that has been illegally caught.” Klink notes that he buys the seafood for the restaurant, and develops recipes around what is available … and sustainable.
Pondering why the seafood issue resonates with him, Klink points out he grew up in a seafood town, enjoying its riches of crabs, oysters and rockfish since childhood. Even one of his earliest restaurant duties in Baltimore was steaming crabs. Years later, he has found that cooking seafood presents a culinary challenge. “There is more and there is less that you can do with seafood than you can with meat,” he says.
But he has perfected a meat-fish dish offered on the Oceanaire menu: osso bucco with monkfish.
“You must just work with fish. You learn what works best with certain varieties,” he says.
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Wild Chesapeake Rockfish with Lemon Grass Broth & Shitake Mushrooms Lemon Grass Broth In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat, and sauté the onions, jalapeño, fresh ginger and lemongrass until the onion becomes translucent. Deglaze the pan with fish sauce and reduce this by three-quarters. Add the stock and reduce by one-quarter over low heat, about 45 minutes. Strain and keep hot. The Fish Season fillets with salt and pepper. Add oil to sauté pan and put on medium heat. Add fillets flesh side down and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or until a good golden color. Then turn over and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. When the fish is done take out and set aside. Add the olive oil, and sauté the shitake mushrooms for about 2 minutes, season with salt and pepper. To serve, place the rockfish in the bottom of a large, wide serving dish, garnish with shitake mushrooms, and pour the hot broth over the fish. Garnish with sliced scallions. |
By emphasizing sustainable seafood, Klink further expects patrons to become aware of the fragility of our oceans and waterways.
“Some patrons care,” he says, “though some wonder why there is no halibut currently on the menu. … We took sea bass [a threatened species] off the menu years ago, and people yelled. We now use sable instead.” Or, when available, Klink will purchase MSC sea bass — that is, sea bass certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
While certain farm-raised species produce a pleasing dish — farm-raised salmon is fine, he says — Klink adds that wild-caught fish does offer a different flavor profile. Yet, Klink notes reality is forcing cooks to become stewards of the sea. “Take the Chesapeake Bay,” he says. “Two hundred years ago, it contained an abundance of shad and sturgeon. Now, there is no more sturgeon on the East Coast.”
In Klink’s own words
What is your comfort food? I would never turn down a good cheeseburger. Then, it would probably be either a beef stew or boiled chicken with vegetables.
What is your cooking philosophy? Keep things simple. If you buy the best ingredients possible, as here, the best fish, and complement the flavors, then that’s success. If you start with the best ingredients, that’s half the battle. Then these need to be well seasoned, but not overly so. It just comes down to the ingredients and what you want in the end.
Which tools are essentials? A good stovetop pan, a spoon for tasting and tongs. And a towel.
Essential ingredients? Salt, pepper, good olive oil and a good balsamic vinegar. And garlic. I can cook a lot right there.
What’s in your fridge right now? Organic milk, butter, oranges, carrots, broccoli, goat cheese, sausage. I haven’t been home to cook recently.
Do you cook much at home? Occasionally. I’m here five nights a week, so one day a week my wife and I go out; one night I cook at home. My daughter loves salmon, rockfish and soft shell crabs [when they are] in season. These are simply grilled.
Where do you get your inspiration? From books, colleagues, travels. I have some good sous chefs, and we toss around ideas and try them out. Lots of trial and error.
What do you do for leisure time? I ride bikes and go to the gym. That’s what keeps me going all week.
