On Whidbey Island near Seattle, chef Vincent Nattress has a well-deserved reputation for making diners happy at his Orchard Kitchen. Yet his most impressive accomplishment just might be the way he generously shares tips and tricks during cooking classes offered during the shoulder season.
Here are a few savory suggestions from a recent session on cooking shellfish.
Chef Vincent Nattress owns Orchard Kitchen on Whidbey Island near Seattle. He and his wife, Tyla, ... [+]
Orchard Kitchen
Drive up to this rural address 20 minutes north of the Clinton ferry landing and it’s apparent this is a working farm complete with a tractor tilling spring soil, tender herbs sprouting and a flock of chickens running up to greet anyone approaching the coop. Where’s the scratch, they cluck.
Inside the rust-hued outbuilding, there’s a beautiful kitchen that looks as it’s ready for a photo shoot. Shelves are lined with an eclectic mix of cookbooks, gleaming pots and pans hang from hooks, jars of seasonings are carefully arranged. Is that house-made kimchi salt? Why, yes.
Orchard Kitchen, a popular destination dining restaurant on Whidbey Island near Seattle, has a farm ... [+]
For any diner who’s wondered what it’d be like to work back-of-the-house in a restaurant, this kind of hands-on experience offers a taste. But first, there are lessons to be learned about the featured ingredients.
Dozens of oysters, heaps of clams and mussels fill the prep space. Whidbey Island is famous for its shellfish, particularly the bivalves farmed on scenic Penn Cove.
“You hear a lot about how bad farmed salmon is for the environment,” Nattress said. “But farming shellfish actually improves the quality of the water because they act as filters.”
After a breakdown of the different types of oysters available in the Northwest — most are Pacific oysters originally from Japan, the tiny Olympia is the only native species — Nattress demonstrates his go-to shucking technique. He rocks the point of an oyster knife into the spot near the abductor muscle — about 2 o’clock if the pointy tip at the bottom is 6 o’clock. Popping it open while simultaneously cutting the muscle makes for a cleaner presentation, especially if you’re serving on the half shell.
Hold the oyster with a towel while handling them to help get the best grip. And backing up a bit: keep those oysters on ice, not submerged in ice water before opening and serving.
When prepping mussels, pull the beard towards the pointed end of the shell. Rinse mussels and clams just before cooking, not sooner.
Students at an Orchard Kitchen cooking class are asked to make pecorino mayonnaise to top oysters ... [+]
Orchard Kitchen's chef/owner Vincent Nattress said the pecorino-mayo topped oysters he teaches ... [+]
After the informative demo, students were asked to jump in on prepping and cooking the lunch they’d sit down to enjoy in an hour. Ingredients were chopped and scooped and measured into mixing bowls for spicy remoulade and pecorino mayonnaise — the latter was painted on top of raw oysters on the half shell finished under the broiler.
More oysters were breaded and fried in a cast iron skillet. The small group worked efficiently and with cheerful enthusiasm, which might have been fueled a bit by the flutes of Prosecco that were offered.
When steaming clams and simmering mussels, it’s essential that they be neither overcooked nor undercooked, Nattress said. The chef’s method for success is literally hands on. “I keep my hand on the lid and when I feel it start to warm up, I check to see if the shells have popped open.”
Then again, if a shell doesn’t eventually open when it’s time to serve, it’s not a fatal flaw, the chef said. Just check it.
During a cooking class at Orchard Kitchen on Whidbey Island, students learned tips and tricks for ... [+]
Soon, it was time to take a seat at the massive dining room table set in one corner of the kitchen. The fine meal was toasted by the group and as the well-fed students pushed chairs back and gathered their new recipes, the crew arrived to begin prepping for dinner service.
It might have been tempting for some of those feeling confident in the new techniques they’d been taught to offer to stick around and help, but no. Those pros were functioning on a much higher plane. And isn’t that why devoted food enthusiasts enjoy dining out? Taking a cooking class from a seasoned chef just reminds you of all the hard work and skill that goes into making those magical meals.
The next cooking class on May 24 will cover Kitchen Essentials. Tickets are $150 and must be booked in advance. During the summer season, dinner is served at Orchard Kitchen Thursday through Saturday with just one seating every evening for the prix-fixe menu that includes an option for wine pairings. Meals are served in the Orchard Kitchen’s historic barn in May and June before moving al fresco for the summer months.
