Dish Deconstucted: José Pizarro's roasted monkfish with Serrano ham, black olives and thyme
Pizarro, who has lived in the UK for 13 years and worked in some of London's most prestigious Spanish restaurants including Eyre Brothers, Brindisa and Gaudi before opening his tapas bar José and restaurant Pizarro, explained that monkfish works well for this dish because it can carry other strong flavours easily.
He uses negra cacerena olives from his home region of Extramadura, Spain, but said any proper, ripe black olives will suffice, as long as they have an oiliness and not a dry metallic flavour.
The Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress, organised by Restaurant Magazine, took place at the Hurlingham Club on 30 June. Former El Bulli head chef Ferran Adrià, Fran Agudo and David Gil of Tickets in Barcelona and Tom Kerridge of the Hand and Flowers also took to the stage to discuss and demonstrate the art of modern tapas.
