Table Talk: Nacho Manzano on how to cook with seaweed
- Nacho Manzano
- 15 November 2016
Nacho Manzano, centre right
The executive head chef of Spanish restaurant group Ibérica describes how he uses seaweed in his cooking
'I'm excited about working with seaweed in my restaurant kitchens. We cook a lot with seaweed harvested from the Cantabria coast. Something I like to do is cook fish in hot salt and seaweed. I take a piece of seaweed, lay it on a hot stone, then place a layer of salt over the top. Upon that you lay the fish, add more salt then a second piece of seaweed to form a kind of parcel. The salt should be heated in a pan before it cocoons the fish in order to allow the dish to cook. From the hot stone, heat travels evenly throughout the layers and the fish is ready in just two minutes. The dish is taken out to the table still wrapped up, then undressed in front of the diner as it is served.
Seaweed also pairs well with poultry dishes. It can be added to chicken stock to enhance the flavour. I pair it with pigeon and smashed seaweed and peppers. It's wonderful at bringing out the true taste of the meat.'
Nacho Manzano is executive head chef of the Ibérica group and the two-Michelin-star restaurant Casa Marcial in the region of Asturias in Northwest Spain. Iberica Glasgow opened in Glasgow in October 2016.
As told to Gabriella Bennett
