AIL talks to Ash Mair

We caught up with the former MasterChef winner to talk about Spanish food, his new restaurant Bilbao Berria and even manage to snag a tasty recipe...
AIL talks to Ash Mair picture

Ash Mair, the 2011 winner of MasterChef: The Professionals, is about to open his first London restaurant. Bilbao Berria, a Spanish mini-chain of Basque eateries, has been on our radar since it was initially scheduled to open last spring. We caught up with Ash to find out a bit more, plus we've included his recipe for monkfish with the classic Basque dish piperade as an example of what will be on offer.

Why Basque food?
I’ve always been interested in Spanish cuisine and after meeting my partner Begoña who’s from San Sebastian in Northern Spain I was introduced to the Basque country. I couldn’t believe how amazing the food was and how strongly cuisine is embedded into the Basque culture, they are just so passionate about produce and cooking. We now spend a lot of time over there visiting family and eating a lot and I’m always learning something new and exciting. Basque cuisine has been a hidden gem for a long time now and I think its time for wider recognition.

Will the menu be the same as at the Spanish restaurants?
Bilbao Berria London will have elements from our menus in Spain but also new dishes we have developed here. We will also be introducing some fantastic English ingredients into our menus which we don’t use in Spain. We are quite a casual restaurant and there is no trickery in our food, there are no bells and whistles, it’s more of a traditional approach. We work very closely with small producers and have sourced some of the most spectacular ingredients for our menus. At the end of the day, Basque cuisine is all about great ingredients cooked well.

What will the signature dishes be?
I get asked that a lot but at the end of the day signature dishes are decided by the customers. The dishes that are popular, the ones that people keep coming back for and complain when they are changed or taken off the menu. They are the signature dishes. We are known for our pintxos though which are very simple. Its about the way of eating pintxos, you help yourself and have a big selection to choose from. It’s a very casual way of eating but as our London restaurant has two floors we also have a sit down restaurant.

What about wine?
I have a huge involvement with the food side of things in the company so I leave the wine selection to our experts. Along with our food suppliers we work closely with a lot of wineries from all over Spain and have some fantastic wines we are bringing over. We will be offering a lot varieties by the glass along with cava and sherries. Bilbao Berria is the perfect place to come in and enjoy a glass of great wine accompanied by a pintxo or plate of sliced Spanish meats.

Where in London do you like to eat Spanish food?
To tell you the truth I don’t eat out at Spanish places very often in London as I’m always eating in Spain. There are some very good Spanish restaurants in London though and Basque places are starting to pop up also which is exciting. Often the most amazing Spanish food is cooked in the home, dishes that have been passed down through generations so I quite like eating my girlfriends’ cooking.

Ash Mair’s pan seared monkfish with piperade, chorizo and black beluga lentils
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the fish stock
500g white fish bones (turbot, or halibut bones are best)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 leek, sliced
1 celery stick, sliced
2 cloves garlic
A few parsley stalks
1 bay leaf
1 litre of water

For the piperade
1 1/2 red peppers
1 1/2 small onion
60ml olive oil
1/2 bay leaf
3 thyme sprigs
3 cloves garlic
Small pinch saffron
150g cherry tomatoes
1 tsp tomato paste
400 ml fish stock

For the lentils
100g black beluga lentils (or lentil Du Puy)
500 ml water
3 thyme sprigs
1/2 bay leaf
100 g chorizo dulce (about 1 small chorizo)

For the monkfish
4 monkfish fillets about 150 g each
20 ml olive oil
Big knob of butter
Good sprinkling of Espelette pepper

Garnish
1 plum tomato
2 baby courgettes
Small handful basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Method
For the fish stock
1. Roughly chop the vegetables and place in a saucepan with the bones and water.
2. Bring to a simmer, skim off any froth and discard, then cook for 25 minutes.
3. Strain through a fine chinois then discard the solids.

For the piperade and jus
1. Finely chop the peppers, onions and garlic.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over low heat, then add the chopped pepper mix.
3. Add the bay and thyme then cook gently till soft and broken down.
4. Remove half of the piperade and place in a small bowl to cool.
5. Add the fish stock to the piperade in the saucepan along with the tomato paste and cherry tomatoes, then simmer gently for 30 minutes.
6. Transfer the piperade liquid to a blender and process till smooth.
7. Pass the piperade sauce through a fine chinois and reserve (you can add a little fish stock if you prefer it more runny).

For the lentils
1. Wash the lentils then place in a small saucepan with the water, thyme and bay.
2. Cook gently till soft then drain and reserve.
3. Cut the chorizo into a small dice then saute in a little oil till golden and reserve.

For the garnish
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. Blanch the tomato for 20 seconds then plunge into iced water.
3. Peel and de-seed the tomato then cut into perfect 5mm cubed concasse.
4. Slice the baby courgette about 3mm thick into long slices.

To serve
1. Heat some oil in a small frying pan and cook the monkfish halfway through.
2. Add the butter to the pan and continue cooking while basting the monkfish till cooked all the way through.
3. Roll the cooked monkfish in a little Espelette pepper.
4. Mix the lentils with the chorizo and heat through in a small saucepan.
5. Place a small mound of lentils in the middle of a bowl then slice the monkfish and place on top.
6. Warm the piperade sauce and gently pour around the lentils.
7. Steam the courgette slices till soft then roll into a cone shape and place on the plate along with the tomato concasse.
8. Decorate with a few baby basil leaves, the concasse tomato and a drizzle of olive oil


Recipe from ashmair.com/

Published May 4, 2014