Meet Chris North

After three years behind the helm of The Restaurant @ Rowayton Seafood
I find I still have to stop and gaze out on our beautiful scenery, and
our sublime sunsets. The splendor of our little spot on the river
inspires me on a daily basis to create food that will do justice to
our surroundings. We strive to create contemporary American dishes
along with classic New England fare (like our scrumptious Clam
Chowder). The fact that we have our pick of the freshest seafood at
our very own fish market, and the wide variety of local purveyors in
the Northeast region gives us the highest quality of ingredients with
which to create. My crew and I have worked very hard to bring this
quality to the table in unique and creative ways and we were recently
rewarded with high praise from Zagat, along with various awards in
local magazines.

Along with our fish market we have recently partnered with the
Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Seafood Watch Program to serve
sustainable seafood in an effort to support healthy oceans and promote
species regeneration, so that we may continue to serve the finest
seafood for years to come.

Chris North, Executive Chef, was trained by Peter Kump at the New York
Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education) and comes to
The Restaurant after an impressive career at establishments in New
York City such as Cafe Luxembourg, Aquavit, and Jean Georges. Chris
was also a contestant on Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen and ran Bonn Nuit in New
Canaan, CT.

RECIPES

Maple glazed Wild Salmon
Butternut squash ragout & cranberry relish

This is the perfect winter seafood dish. Easy to shop for and easy to prepare, and guaranteed to be please!

Serves 4:
4 7-8 oz. pieces of Wild Salmon Fillet (Available at Rowayton Seafood Market!)
¼ Cup Maple syrup (the better the quality, the better the dish)
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2 medium sized Butternut squash
8 Roma or Plum tomatoes (fresh)
1 medium Vidalia onion
1 bunch Fresh Thyme (or 1tsp. dry)
2 cloves garlic (smashed & minced)
2Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the better the quality, the better the dish)
——————————————
1 Cup frozen cranberries
zest of one orange
zest of ½ lemon
1tsp. sugar
2 Tbl. Orange juice (squeeze from the zested orange)

Butternut Squash Ragout (better if made a day or two in advance):

- Peel & seed squash, cut into equal sized pieces about 1-inch square
- Quarter tomatoes
- Peel & chop onion (as big or small as you like)
- Pick thyme leaves from stems
- Smash & mince garlic
- Mix all in large bowl, toss with Olive oil, Season with salt & pepper
- Cook in roasting pan in preheated 350 oven for about 20 minutes or until squash is tender (stir halfway through cooking to combine flavors)

Cranberry Relish (better if made two or three days in advance):

- combine all in food processor
- process until desired consistency (make it as smooth or as chunky as you like it)
- store in fridge until ready to serve

Salmon:

- brush salmon lightly with olive oil, season with salt & pepper
- sauté in a hot-oven proof pan on medium-high for one minute per side
- lightly coat salmon with Maple syrup and place pan in 350 oven for approximately 5 minutes for medium rare (cooking times vary with thickness of Salmon & varying oven temperatures)

Serve Salmon over Butternut squash ragout topped with a spoonful of cranberry relish. Bon Appetite!