It is just a piece of fish — just a crispy veneer of skin, charred until a bittersweet bite crackles through a plush tatami of fat over flakes of almost buttery meat.
Oh, and there’s nothing special about plash of lemon vinaigrette dressing the plate. It’s just a squeeze of citrus, vinegar and a little spice that tips between sweet and acerbic.
But you see, when the two come together — when that fish glides through the vinaigrette and reaches your mouth, the world for a moment draws down to the tip of your fork. The drinks you ordered are forgotten until the meal is over. The person sitting across from you fades into a distant memory.
The filet is almost transcendental.
Saw Shop Gallery Bistro chef Matt Young perhaps had a moment of inspiration, a spark of deific power when he imagined the dish, seared barramundi bass over mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
“I can’t give you a reason,” he said, bursting any thoughts of divine intervention. “I was tired of salmon on the menu.”
Young merely sampled different fish, hemmed and hawed a bit and decided he preferred the resolute yet tender flesh of the Australian bass when seared. His recipe calls for a little salt and pepper and a whopping cast iron skillet.
“Cast iron does a good job keeping the flavor in the fish,” he observed. “It distributes the heat evenly.”
Seared on the stern skillet, the skin crinkles into something magical — thin and fragile as onion skin paper, yet with a pronounced and satisfying crunch. The fundamental nature of cast iron also burnishes it in a sheath of flavor coaxed from the pan and the rich bark that develops over heat.
The fish is remarkable on its own. But vinaigrette glorifies the filet — tart and syrupy, it cleanses the moist nature of the flesh, underscores the rich savor and imbues the charred shell with a depth that rumbles and then rises to a crescendo.
Yet again, Young dismisses the chorus of praise.
“It’s just a lemon vinaigrette,” he said. “We’re not reinventing the wheel. We let the barramundi speak for itself.”
The fish …
Oh, yeah — there is a fluffy and earthy mound of mashed potatoes on the plate. Also, the dish is framed by colorful al dente vegetables, lending a favorable balance to the plate.
Really, however, it took some clicking through the memory banks to recall what in other circumstances would be memorable sides.
It’s just a piece of fish. But the barramundi bass filet at Saw Shop is heavenly. It is just a little disheartening to learn it is just the product of mundane cast iron and finesse, rather than some otherworldly assistance.
“Sometimes you keep it simple,” Young explained. “It’s just a nicely seared piece of fish.”
Yes, it is. That and more.
