One of the more challenging classical seafood dishes  I know of requires fabricating a whole fish in to perfectly even darnes, trussing the darnes and then gently poaching in a Court Bouillon.

While the darnes are still quite hot, the pin bones need to be pulled (they are on a diagonal), the butcher twine needs to be cut away, the skin needs to be peeled and the seafood must be plated without breaking... and served piping hot with Sauce Hollandaise & boiled, tourneed potatoes.  I repeatedly practiced this dish for the CMC exam with a whole salmon... quite the challenge!

   Darne; Striped Bass   

Fabricating seafood is a tremendous amount of work, requiring experience, proper technique, patience & the correct tools. One of my responsibilites at my first professional cooking jobs was 'fish butcher'. I loved it and remember the fins, bones, gills etc... constantly pricking my fingers when I fabricated a large variety of seafood. Cuts from fish are no fun, they get infected and take a very long time to heal!

These days I wear thick gloves for protection & use strong shears, tweezers, boning knives and a small cleaver to make the job more manageable.

I believe most consumers refer to the thick, cross cut (skin on and with bones) of whole fish as a steak. Chefs call this cut a darne! I rarely see darnes of seafood at national grocery stores but often see this cut at Asian markets.

 There is a small portion of the back bone in the cut which holds he fish together nicely but trussing with butcher's twine is the best way to hold the darne together.


I like to poach the darnes although it's perfectly delicious sautéed or grilled.



 

Baked Striped Bass Darnes/Steak

Prep Time: 10 min

Marinating Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 20 min

Yield: 4 portions


Ingredients                                          

4 ea.             Seafood 'steaks'/darnes (salmon, striped bass, cod)

1/2 Cup       Olive oil

2 cloves     Garlic, minced                        

1  tsp            Kosher Salt                                       

t.t.                Black pepper     

1 ea              Lemon, sliced thinly

3 Tbsp       Green onions, sliced thinly 

3 Tbsp       Italian parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp      Spice blend (I like the Goya sazon blends)


How to Prepare Baked Striped Bass Darnes/ Steak

Step 1

Have your seafood butcher fabricate the seafood carefully to eliminate all scales, grills, fins and blood.

Also request the portions are all the same in size, weight and appearance. Since fish have much different thickness at the tail end than in the middle, the portions may be dramatically different. (and will cook differently).








If you are preparing a meal for guests, it's best if each portion looks the same, in my opinion.








Step 2

Place the oil, lemons, garlic, herbs, seasonings into a bowl and blend with a whisk. Place the darnes into the marinade and toss so that all of the darnes are marinated. Allow the fish to marinate about 20 minutes.


If you are planning to marinate longer, do not add the salt at this time, it will draw moisture out of the fish. 


Step 3 

Place the darnes on to a sheet pan & bake at  350° F in a preheated oven until the seafood reaches an internal temperature of 145° F.     


If you are grilling, simply place onto a preheated grill which has been cleaned and rubbed with oil to avoid sticking. Grill for about 4 minutes on each side.


Vegetables; Braised Red Cabbage

By Tom Griffiths • December 27, 2025
One of the first thing students at the CIA learn to cook is vegetables. I suspect cabbages are not the most popular veggies in the United States but I'm certainly a fan!  I actually prepared braised red cabbage with a poached, sliced stuffing roll and roasted goose on the 10th and final day of the CMC exam. The CMC proctor made me julienne the core of the cabbage... Chefs know all about adding vinegar to keep red cabbage from turning blue!

Bread Stuffing Roll recipes

By Tom Griffiths • December 27, 2025
I would consider stuffing poached in a napkin as a roullade or torchon (like a foie gras torchon). It is a European technique where seasoned bread stuffing is formed into logs, wrapped tightly in a damp linen napkin or cheesecloth (or plastic wrap), and then gently poached to create moist, cohesive, flavorful stuffing 'log', perfect for slicing and serving with gravy. I like to slice and gently toast in butter to serve with pork or poultry.  I learned to prepare stuffing, rolled in a cloth napkin and poached in chicken broth at the CIA. I actually prepared this and served this stuffing roll sliced with roasted goose and braised red cabbage on the 10th and final day of the CMC exam.

Cookies: Italian Ginetti Cookie

By Tom Griffiths • December 17, 2025
Butter, spices, and traditional family recipes bring us together in the simplest—and most meaningful—ways. This is a cookie my mother baked at Easter time. The lemon sugar crust is delicious... perfect with coffee or tea.

Cookies: Snowball Nut Cookie

By Tom Griffiths • December 17, 2025
Butter, spices, and traditional family recipes bring us together in the simplest—and most meaningful—ways. Christmas cookies are more than nostalgic treats; they’re a celebration of childhood memories, and maybe cookies help to make us all a little more patient, thoughtful & friendly each holiday season. I remember driving with my father to the city each Christmas to pick up Aunt Flora. She would send us out with decorative plates of homemade, Italian Christmas cookies to deliver to the local relatives. It was always snowing-we would spend a few minutes visiting each family, have a few cookies and a glass of sweet wine or coffee. My mother and aunts began baking cookies the day after Thanksgiving. They filled the freezer with shoe boxes of cookies lined with wax paper for protection... frozen cookies are pretty delicious!

Cookies: Pignoli

By Tom Griffiths • December 15, 2025
Years ago I traveled to Santa Fe and Alburque with my son Ciro. We enjoyed fantastic Southwest cuisine at local shops and cafes. A highlight was purchasing fresh pine nuts in the shell- a little challenging to get the nuts out of the shells but the flavor was fantastic.

Sausages

By Tom Griffiths • December 15, 2025
I taught garde manger for years at the CIA... it was one of my favorite classes. I love caviar, foie gras, preparing hors d' oeuvres, decorative platters and especially forcemeats. And yes... I love making watermelon carvings too!

Mother Sauces: Sauce Tomat

By Tom Griffiths • December 8, 2025
I was amazed to learn of a French Tomato sauce (Sauce Tomat) as a young, CIA students many years ago. It's very different than the Italian sauce my mother made each week for Sunday dinner. I enjoy purchasing cases of inexpensive, local tomatoes in late summer called 'seconds'. These tomatoes are generally ripe, bruised tomatoes which I wash, chop and freeze to invite a taste of summer in my kitchen during the cold, winter months.

Beginners Recipe: Garlic Bread

By Tom Griffiths • December 3, 2025
Choosing Garlic: For the best flavor, select firm, heavy heads with tight skins. Hardneck garlic varieties (such as Music or German Red) offer more complexity and a cleaner heat than most supermarket softneck varieties. Preventing Bitterness: Garlic burns quickly. Add minced garlic to warm—not scorching—fat, and cook just until fragrant. Overcooking turns it harsh and metallic. Balancing Butter & Olive Oil: A blend of butter for richness and extra-virgin olive oil for aroma delivers a more nuanced flavor and prevents the butter from over-browning under the broiler. their color and freshness.

Peeling and cutting Pears

By Tom Griffiths • December 3, 2025
There is a large variety of Pears available to cook with. I remember peeling and poaching tiny, Seckel pears for garde manger presentations-challenging! Pears, like apples vary widely in texture, flavor, and culinary performance, making selection an important step in recipe development. Bartlett are juicy and great to eat ripe or for purees and sauces. Bosc are a little more dense and good for cooking. Red and green Anjou are more versatile and can be eaten fresh in salads as well as cooked in baked goods or savory dishes.

Cookies: Sugar Cookie

By Tom Griffiths • December 2, 2025
Butter, spices, and traditional family recipes bring us together in the simplest—and most meaningful—ways. Christmas cookies are more than nostalgic treats; they’re a celebration of childhood memories, and maybe cookies help to make us all a little more patient, thoughtful & friendly each holiday season. I remember driving with my father to the city each Christmas to pick up Aunt Flora. She would send us out with decorative plates of homemade, Italian Christmas cookies to deliver to the local relatives. It was always snowing-we would spend a few minutes visiting each family, have a few cookies and a glass of sweet wine or coffee. My mother and aunts began baking cookies the day after Thanksgiving. They filled the freezer with shoe boxes of cookies lined with wax paper for protection... frozen cookies are pretty delicious!