MEET THE CHEF

HIGH STYLE

BY GHM STAFF

Chef Tim Tibbitts is evidence that a native Bahamian can only spend so much time in the Canadian north. Born in the islands but raised in Toronto, Tim was a professional musician before indulging his lifelong passion for cooking. He attended George Brown College School of Culinary Arts and became a chef, serving in various posts before moving to Freeport, Grand Bahama, in 2012. Joined by his wife, a certifi ed sommelier, he opened up the Flying Fish restaurant, and the culinary world has been taking notice. The restaurant earned the fi rst AAA four-diamond rating in Grand Bahama’s history and in 2014, Tim was named one of Caribbean Journal’s “The Caribbean’s Top 25 Chefs.”

Chef Tim Tibbits | Flying Fish, Freeport, Grand Bahama

Today, the couple deliver truly upscale dining—think Austrian crystal wine glasses and custom forge cutlery—and a food experience that is sustainable in every way possible. There’s an onsite reverse osmosis machine to make bottled water, both still and sparkling, which are stored in recyclable glass bottles. An onsite laundry facility ensures the restaurant bathrooms are stocked with real towels instead of wasting paper towels. Meats are small farm raised, humanely, and free from antibiotics or growth hormones. All beef is Hereford. Pork belly and bacon are Kurobuta, the equivalent of Kobe beef for pork. Tim even smokes his own bacon.

Of course, the seafood is equally high quality and sustainably sourced.

“For many years now, we have not served sharks, bluefi n tuna, Chilean sea bass and other endangered species,” says Tim, who is also an avid tuna fi sherman. He admits his tuna fi shing is driven by both the thrill of the fi ght and the culinary possibilities. “It’s a delicious fi sh.”

“We try our best to make conscious decisions about our impact on our environment,” says Tim.

Fish is locally sourced, in season and sustainable. The menu constantly changes with availability of what’s abundant, including lionfi sh. “I love using it,” he says. “It cooks beautifully and is very versatile. Just don’t get pricked!”

Tim is always looking for ways to be creative. On Sunday nights, he even takes the stage and plays a little music. Just to keep things fresh.

Lionfi sh Cakes, Fennel & Orange Salad, and Orange Hollanda ise

2 lbs Lionfi sh fi llets, steamed, fl aked and cooled 1 med Red onion, fi nely diced 1 C Green onion or chives, fi nely sliced ½ C Yellow sweet pepper, fi nely diced ½ C Red sweet pepper, fi nely diced ½ C Parsley, chopped Zest of 2 lemons 3 T Sambal oelek chili paste 4 Eggs 4 C Panko bread crumbs 2 T Vegetable oil Salt and pepper, to taste In a large bowl, combine the lionfi sh, red onion, green onion, sweet peppers, chopped parsley, lemon zest, sambal oelek, eggs and panko together. Mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to mix until the mixture starts to come together. Take 3–4 oz. of the mixture and form into a ball, pressing fi rmly for it to stick together. Press fl at into a fi sh cake and set on a sheet pan. When all the mixture is pressed into cakes, place the sheet pan into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

In a large, non-stick skillet, pour 2 T of vegetable oil and set to medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, place the lionfi sh cakes into the pan. Be sure not to crowd the pan. Cook each side of the lionfi sh cake until golden brown. Remove the fi shcakes from the pan and place back onto the sheet pan. Place fi shcakes into the oven at 375°F for 10 minutes.

Fennel & Orange Salad

4 Oranges, segmented (reserve the juice) 1 lg Fennel bulb, shaved on a mandolin ½ C Fennel fronds, chopped ¼ C Extra virgin olive oil (good quality) Salt and pepper, to taste

Segment oranges into a non-reactive glass bowl. Shave fennel into a bowl of ice water and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove from the water and dab on a clean kitchen towel to remove excess liquid. Add crispy fennel to the oranges, followed by orange juice and olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, fi nish with chopped fennel fronds.

Orange Hollandaise

4 Egg yolks 2 C Clarifi ed butter 3 T Shallots, fi nely diced 1 t Black peppercorns, whole ¼ C Rice wine vinegar ½ C Fresh-squeezed orange juice Salt and pepper, to taste

Place orange juice, rice wine vinegar, shallots and peppercorns into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat. Reduce heat by 80%. Strain the shallot and peppercorns out, and cool the reduction slightly.

Fill half a pot of water and place it on the stove over high heat. Once the water boils, reduce heat to a simmer. Place a bowl over the water to create a double boiler. Add egg yolks and the reduction, whisking vigorously. As the egg yolks rise in heat, they will lighten in color and increase in volume. Continue whisking, controlling the heat by taking the mixture off the stove as it gets too hot and replacing it as it cools down. Keep whisking and drizzle in the clarifi ed butter. As it emulsifi es, the mixture will thicken to a velvetysmooth consistency. Remove the hollandaise from the heat, and season with salt and pepper.

Plate Assembly:

To assemble, place two lionfi sh cakes in the center of the plate. Spoon a generous dollop of orange hollandaise over the top. Finish with a handful of the fennel salad. Garnish with a few fennel fronds. Serve lionfi sh cakes warm.

Gr illed Calamar i in Brown But ter

2 lbs Cleaned calamari tubes and tentacles ½ lb Unsalted butter 2 heads Roasted garlic cloves kept whole and not squashed 6 ripe Plum tomatoes, insides removed and cut into small dice ½ C Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half lengthwise ¼ C Capers ½ C Parsley, chopped 3 cloves Fresh garlic, chopped fi ne ½ med Red onion, fi nely diced 1 T Sambal oelek chili paste ½ C Extra virgin olive oil 3 whole Lemons, cut in half to expose the round face, grilled

Make sure calamari is well cleaned, removing the quill from the tubes and the beak and eyes from the tentacles. Cut the calamari across the tube leaving a small piece attached. The fi nished cut should resemble a slinky. Place the prepared calamari, chopped fresh garlic, red onion, sambal and olive oil together in a bowl to marinate for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pot, cook the butter over medium heat until the milk solids begin to change to a golden brown color and the butter begins to smell nutty. The longer you can hold out before taking it off the heat, the better the fl avor you will achieve. Be careful, though, as it burns quickly and turns bitter if you wait too long. Remove from the heat to a metal bowl to disperse the heat and stop the cooking process. Do not refrigerate unless as a leftover.

Remove calamari from marinade and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Grill over very high heat for 45 seconds per side, until the calamari begins to curl and tighten up. Do not overcook the calamari or it will become tough as rubber bands. Meanwhile, reheat some of the butter with roasted garlic cloves, capers, olives and tomatoes just until hot. Place grilled calamari on the plate and spoon butter and accompaniments over the top. Serve with grilled lemon to fi nish.