Patagonia produces some of Argentina’s best Pinot Noirs, wines which are rich in strawberry and cherry flavors, accompanied by touches of vanilla, tobacco and walnut. In spite of its delicacy, Patagonian Pinot Noir is surprisingly well structured, and may benefit from a brief passage through French oak, which gives it texture and silkiness.
When it comes to pairing Pinot Noir with the food on your dinner table, the mind lingers on a delicious butterfish tiradito (a traditional Peruvian dish, similar to ceviche) with a crunchy Nikkei tartare. This dish pays tribute to traditional Peruvian cuisine, so full of seductive flavors suggestive of the Far East, Africa and Europe.
Butterfish, a very delicate white fish of the Pacific Ocean, is one of the few in its species that can offer a rich fatty structure, similar to that of codfish. The tuna tartare adds to the complexity of this dish, but it is the Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei sauce which lends it its true charm with its sun-dried ají pepper powder, tamarind and Naranjilla-scented ‘tiger’s milk’ (leftover ceviche marinade with wine or vodka) flavors. This dish’s well-defined character comes from the combination of the powerful taste of the fish and the subtlety of the Oriental seasoning. It is just like Patagonian Pinot Noir, a wine that offers both complex and delicate aromas. In brief: a perfect match.
César Jiménez
Master Sommelier
Astrid & Gastón Bogotá
Award of Excellence and Best Award of Excellence, Wine Spectator
(www.astridygastonbogota.com)
Butterfish tiradito with crunchy Nikkei tartare
Chef: Francisco Rodríguez, Astrid & Gastón Bogotá
Recipe:
BUTTERFISH TIRADITO
Ingredients:
4 portions
250 grams butterfish
30 grams rocoto pepper
30 grams grated turnip
20 grams chopped Chinese onion
50 grams cubed mango
4 fried wonton wrappers
250 grams sugar beet extract
125 grams sugar
125 grams white wine vinegar
20 grams chopped ginger
25 ml lemon juice
20 ml sesame oil
2 grams chopped coriander
Shellfish Mayonnaise:
50 grams shellfish
30 grams mayonnaise
20 grams Anguilla sauce
20 grams sesame oil
Tuna Tartare:
120 grams fresh tuna
30 grams diced tomato
20 grams chopped white onion
15 grams chopped rocoto pepper
2 grams chopped coriander
60 grams cooked quinoa
1 gram grated kion
10 grams sesame oil
30 grams olive oil
Lemon juice
5 grams English sauce
2 grams Tabasco sauce
Salt
Pepper
Guacamole:
100 grams clean avocado
15 grams chopped white onion
20 grams tomato
15 grams rocoto pepper
2 grams English sauce
1 ml Tabasco sauce
30 ml olive oil
2 grams coriander
Salt and pepper
Slice the butterfish and preserve in a cool place.
Prepare a gastric with the sugar and the vinegar, add the ginger grated into slivers and the sugar beet extract.
Let reduce until it forms syrup, leave to cool and preserve.
Pour the preparation into a bowl, add the lemon juice, the chopped coriander and the sesame oil. Mix well, strain, and preserve in a cool place.
In a bowl, mix the tuna cut into bite size pieces, the onion, the tomato, the coriander and the cooked quinoa.
Season with salt, pepper, olive oil, some Tabasco and some English sauce, and the rest of the ingredients, except the lemon juice, which will be added at the moment of plating up.
In a bowl, crush the avocado with a fork, add the rest of the ingredients, and season with salt and pepper.
Adjust seasoning if necessary and preserve in a cool place.
Arrange the tuna slices on a plate, spread the sauce over the tuna and top with a bit of the rocotto pepper, the mango, the coriander and the chopped Chinese onion.
To give it a final touch, frame the food with a brushstroke of the shellfish mayonnaise and place some tuna tartare and some guacamole on the fried wonton wrappers.
Crown the tartare with the turnip and a bit of sesame oil.
