Aged meat, we know, but fish? This may surprise!
Posted at 5:00 p.m.
It was while looking for a solution to reduce the loss of seafood products that the chef-owner of Ikanos, Constant Mentzas, discovered that it was possible to dry-age fish, as we do for parts. beef, for example. And so he opened the door to a world of possibilities.
“My brother lives in New Zealand and told me about a chef in Australia who ages fish like it’s meat. I thought to myself, ‘Why didn’t I think of that before?’ The technique is so simple, just take the fish and hook it. »
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Photo Marco Campanozzi, La Presse
The chef-owner of Ikanos, Constant Mentzas
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Photo Marco Campanozzi, La Presse
To age his fish, the chef uses an aging refrigerator normally used for beef.
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Photo Marco Campanozzi, La Presse
The taste of dry-aged fish is more subtle than that of meat, and truly delicious.
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Obviously, an aging fridge (normally made for meat), which now sits in the dining room of Ikanos, allows you to control various parameters such as temperature and humidity.
There are several advantages to this process: first, the chef reduces losses enormously, in a world where we try to avoid food waste as much as possible, in addition to the cost of food which has skyrocketed with the inflation. But also — and above all — “it tastes really good! “, assures this one.
“From the second week of ageing, we already begin to see the typical taste of maturation appear, but much more subtle than with meat. »
Recently, you can therefore order sashimi, tartare or pieces of dry-aged grilled fish such as tuna, swordfish, salmon, halibut or iramasa at Ikanos. Another good reason to discover (or return to) this institution on McGill Street, which serves fine Greek-inspired cuisine.
Open in the evening every day, and from Monday to Friday for lunch.
112 McGill Street, Montreal