California Halibut with Fava Beans & Avocado
Ingredients:
- 5oz Halibut Filet
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ avocado, diced
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1oz fava beans, picked and shell removed
- Kosher salt & fresh black pepper to taste
- Season halibut with salt and pepper
- In a large sauté pan, heat 1 oz. oil over medium heat. Place halibut in pan, skin side up, and cook about 4 minutes per side for a 1.5" thick filet. Let rest on a paper towel.
- Wipe pan clean of any excess oil. Add diced avocado to warm pan and lightly mash with fork. Add the lime juice and season with salt, pepper. Toss to warm. Reserve.
- In a new pan over medium heat, add ½ tsp of olive oil and the fava beans. Sauté until hot, season with salt and pepper, reserve.
- Place the halibut in the center, top with a dollop of the heated avocado; sprinkle the fava beans over the halibut and the plate.
Perched five stories above street level, casually stylish Seasons serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The open kitchen provides a first-hand glimpse into the true culinary art of California, accenting fresh, local high-quality ingredients, simply prepared and elegantly presented. This handsomely vibrant restaurant features contemporary décor, with special lighting effects and colorful artwork dramatically offset by dark blue Norwegian granite floors and hardwood finishes. Wine aficionados will appreciate Seasons' carefully selected list of California wines as well as international representation from well-known vintners. Windows, Seasons' private dining room, is ideal for entertaining up to 18 guests. It is the perfect venue for hosting family, social and business occasions.
EVENT: Chef Mark Richardson is doing a cooking demo at the Farmer's Market with CUESA at the Ferry Building on Saturday, May 23.
About Mark Richardson:
A native of Kentucky, Mark Richardson has spent nearly a decade with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. As the newly appointed Executive Chef at Seasons Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, Richardson oversees Seasons Restaurant as well as all food service for the hotel. He comes to Seasons from Four Seasons Hotel Boston where he was the Executive Sous Chef. During his tenure, he led the reopening of the celebrated Aujourd'hui and The Bristol. His primary responsibilities included identifying and introducing the latest culinary trends, cultivating a proficient staff, and developing and implementing menu changes for all dining outlets. Most notably, Richardson was accountable for introducing innovative molecular cuisine techniques still popular today in Aujourd'hui.
Richardson spent most of his childhood in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother. During preparations for family Sunday suppers, Richardson eschewed the traditional televised sporting events preferred by his male relatives, choosing instead to lend a helping hand in the kitchen. Never did he think that this rudimentary dabbling would turn into a career. While pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Kentucky, Richardson took a semester off just shy of graduating, hoping to reenergize a lagging enthusiasm for the field by briefly exploring his hobby for cooking. Once an aspiring doctor, Richardson quickly realized that he was truly passionate about cooking. The "call of the kitchen" led him to culinary school at Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, where Richardson graduated first in his class. Following, Richardson joined Disneyland Paris for an externship, where he began to experiment with combining chemistry and the culinary arts in the new trend called molecular gastronomy.
Inspired by his Southern roots, Richardson returned to Lexington, Kentucky where he accepted a position as the Executive Chef of the renowned restaurant, Emmett's, specializing in Southern cuisine. Four years later, Richardson joined the Four Seasons family; devoted to the Four Seasons team, he has held culinary positions at Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, Four Seasons Hotel Scottsdale, and Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley, where he was part of the opening team. From his extensive restaurant experience, Richardson has developed an appreciation and understanding of the flavors and techniques of both international and American cuisine.
In March 2008, Richardson joined Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco and quickly embraced the vast availability and quality of fresh produce from local farms, saying, "The San Francisco Bay Area is such an exciting place. San Francisco residents really know their food, and the local cuisine is unparalleled. It's a pleasure to cook for this audience. I personally love taking seasonal ingredients and showcasing their true flavor in clean, minimalistic dishes -I let the food do the talking."
At Seasons, Richardson will continue to offer Season's signature seasonal menu that innovates and refines the concept of the American steakhouse, creating a lineup of entirely new dishes each quarter to showcase the region's bounty. He also hopes to subtly incorporate a few molecular gastronomy techniques into the dishes. With a particular interest in the chemical make-up of ingredients, Richardson is constantly encouraging his team to push the envelope, experimenting to create new and intriguing tastes and textures while staying true to solid technique.
In his spare time, Richardson experiments with new molecular gastronomy techniques in his kitchen. He is a motorcycle enthusiast, and, on his days off, may be seen cruising on his Suzuki GSX-R. Richardson is also fond of practicing mixed martial arts. He is a member of Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, an international gastronomic society.
Four Seasons San Francisco
757 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 633-3000
Website: http://www.fourseasons.com
