Culinary Talent at Six Senses Zighy Bay Executive chef, also known as Chef Stevie, brings with him the simplicity of flavours and textures that are required to make a great dish.
Celebrated for his exploratory palate – perhaps thanks in part to his Australian nationality and British heritage – the adventurous yet simplistic chef will be overseeing four separate food and beverage outlets at the dramatic Musandam getaway.
Chef Stevie is known for his passion and talent, two qualities that have made him a success in highend world-class hotels. He commenced his executive chef journey at the Aman Resorts group in 2000 where he acquired exotic tastes from Mahakua Hacienda de San Antonio, Mexico and Amankila, Bali, before moving to The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, and The Oberoi Lombok, Indonesia to share his inspirational and eclectic cooking with their team.
His global orientation has landed him in Hotel Le Gray Beirut under Campbell Gray Hotels where he shaped and delivered four stylish restaurants while guiding the team to be at the forefront of the dining industry in cosmopolitan Lebanon. He later moved to Montenegro to launch two historical sites of the 15th-century iconic island and stately Villa Milocerat Aman Sveti Stefan. He has also worked with the award-winning private retreat of Pangkor Laut Resort in Malaysia, as well as Per Aquum Huvafen Fushi, Maldives. With such vast multicultural exposure and mentorship, it is not surprising that Chef Stevie is an award winner of the Gallivanter’s Guide Awards for Best Hotel Cuisine Worldwide. Chef Stevie has a simplistic approach to cooking where he believes that “less is more” to create a flavourful and artistic dish. He comments: “Sustainably sourced, natural, delicious with awareness on intelligent nutrition, my approach to food is multicultural and layered with influences from travelling the world. Once the classic fundamentals are harnessed via understanding, simplicity of flavour, texture and the quality of produce, great dishes can be made simply and presented in a contemporary manner.”
Chef Stevie’s seasoned background in celebrated niche, private and urban hotels amplifies the commitment of Six Senses Zighy Bay to present an-out-of-the-ordinary experience for those seeking tantalising and transactional meals in which every detail counts for building precious memories at the beautiful resort. Chef Steven’s Seared Tuna and Eggplant Salad recipe is a reflection of his minimalistic yet flavourful approach to cooking. Seared Tuna and Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
• 2 medium-size black eggplants,
diced to 3cm • 150ml of olive oil • 2 lemons, zest removed and seg
mented • 50g of flat leaf parsley, picked and
washed • 6 baby capers, drained • 20 black Liguerian olives, stone
removed • 350g of yellow-fin tuna loin sliced
into 4 x 80 gram pieces Dressing • 30ml of organic apple cider vinegar • 150ml of rapeseed or virgin olive oil • A pinch of pure sea salt and ground
black pepper to season Preparation • Dice the eggplant 3x3cm with skin,
remove seeds. • Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and gently sauté the eggplant until lightly golden, season with sea salt and drain on absorbent paper. Using a sharp knife, slice a little off the top and bottom of the lemon to ensure a stable cutting surface. Start at the top and slice downwards following the curve of the fruit, cut away all the skin and pith. Slip the knife between the segments and pry away leaving a perfect segment, repeat with all other segments. • Pick the leaves from the parsley stalks, wash, drain, and roughly chop. • Combine baby capers and olives
in a bowl and gently mix. • For the dressing, combine vinegar, oil, pinch of sea salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, and whisk to combine. • Add this to the salad ingredients and gently toss, season with salt and ground black pepper and arrange in a pile on a serving plate. • Heat a non-stick frying pan with olive oil and quickly sear the tuna for 2-3 minutes on all sides, remove and place on a chopping board. • Using a sharp knife slice into even pieces and arrange on top of the salad.