The Culinary Journey of Chef Robert Stirrup
Robert Stirrup’s culinary journey began in his family home just outside of London. In the bustling kitchen, he would carry out basic tasks to help prepare meals on the weekends, and this sparked a lifelong passion for cooking.
From Michelin-Starred Restaurants to The Ritz-Carlton Riyadh
Now, with more than two decades of experience behind him, including stints at five-star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, Stirrup is the director of culinary arts at The Ritz-Carlton Riyadh.
Chef Stirrup’s Insights and Recipe
Here, he discusses his favorite dish and his top tips for amateur chefs. He also shares his recipe for roasted seabass with etuvée of vegetables and herb salad.
Learning from Mistakes and Top Tips for Amateur Chefs
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
Probably one of the biggest was to keep trying to add flavors. When you’re not really sure of the different flavors and the complexity of ingredients, you keep adding things. Over time, you start to realize what will work with what. One of the big things that one of my chefs taught me, when I was 19 or 20 years old, was to actually smell and eat all the different herbs and understand what the flavors were and what you could actually pair them with.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Planning. If you don’t have a plan for what the dish is going to look like or be presented as, then you miss out on making a list and realizing that a lot can be done in advance. If you do a lot of the things in advance, then at the end you’re just doing the finishing touches of cooking the meat, cooking the fish, finishing the vegetables or reheating the sauces. Then you don’t put all the pressure on yourself at the last minute and panic and make a mess of it.
The Magic of Citrus and Common Mistakes in Restaurants
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Citrus. It can elevate so many different dishes, and there are so many different ways that you can use it. It’s not just a case of using lemon, either. You can use different herbs that have a citrus base. You can use limes. You can use yuzu. There are lots of different ways that you can revitalize a dish or bring back the freshness of a dish by adding citrus.
What’s the most common mistake that you find in other restaurants?
I always check how big the menu is. If I see a big menu, I always think that either the food can’t be fresh, or the team can’t be experts at making that many dishes. For me, having a smaller menu means the team is more focused, and the ingredients will be fresher because they’ll rotate them properly. I also prefer restaurants that serve a particular style of cuisine, rather than trying to do everything for everyone. Also, I think you can tell a good restaurant before you go in by how busy it is. If a restaurant’s empty, I’m not going there.
Chef Stirrup’s Favorite Cuisine and Quick Home Cooking Tips
What’s your favorite cuisine?
I like the simplicity of Japanese food. You can’t hide behind anything when you’re cooking Japanese food, because it’s so simple. It’s the quality of the ingredients that make the dish.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
I tend to just open the fridge and see what’s there. It’s something that always drives my wife mad. I don’t like to do big shopping trips, I prefer to buy ingredients on a regular basis, and then just see what there is. I don’t really think you need to put more than three or four ingredients together to make a dish, especially at home. But I think something easy that everyone enjoys is probably pasta. There are so many different dishes that you can do.
Customer Behavior and Chef Stirrup’s Cooking Style
What customer behavior most annoys you?
I think it’s just being impolite. Everyone’s busy, everyone’s rushing, but the person who is cooking for you or greeting you or serving you? They’re also humans. It’s doesn’t cost anything to have good manners and to be polite to people. And I think you’ll have a much more enjoyable experience and they’ll have a much more enjoyable experience.
What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?
I like to cook fish. It’s so versatile, whether it is sea bass, cod, snapper… anything really. Find a great piece of fish and some fresh vegetables, put them together and add some different seasoning. I always think it’s a sign of good cook if someone can cook fish well, because it’s very easy to overcook it and get it wrong. And, like I said, the less ingredients, the better.
Recipe: Chef Robert’s Roasted Seabass with Etuvée of Vegetables and Herb Salad
Serves two
For the seabass:
INGREDIENTS: 2 seabass fillets (180g each); 7g cumin seeds; 5g sumac; 10g dried oregano; 10g sesame seeds; salt and pepper to taste (approx. 5g each)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until aromatic. Transfer to a mortar and grind with sumac, oregano, sesame seeds, salt and pepper to make a fine powder. Set aside extra for future use.
2. Roast the seabass fillets seasoned with the spice blend until cooked through and golden.
For the etuvée of vegetables:
INGREDIENTS: 1/2 large fennel bulb or 8 pieces of baby fennel, shaved or finely sliced; 1 carrot or 4 baby carrots, shaved or finely sliced; 4 baby artichokes (optional), shaved or finely sliced; 2 banana shallots, finely sliced; 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; 10 basil leaves; 4 sprigs of thyme; 100ml vegetable stock; juice of 2 lemons; 50ml extra virgin olive oil; salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Sweat the shallots in olive oil until translucent. Add the crushed garlic and cook gently.
2. Incorporate the carrots and artichokes (if using), then add the remaining olive oil, herbs and vegetable stock.
3. Cook slowly at medium heat, covered with a lid or cling film, for 10 minutes. Then stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning.
For the herb salad:
Combine seasonal salad greens with fresh dill, fresh basil, and fresh sorrel.
ASSEMBLY:
Plate the seabass on a bed of the etuvée vegetables. Garnish with green vegetables of your choice, such as asparagus or green beans. Accompany with your fresh herb salad.