Meet Chef Stuart Brioza, the genius behind Michelin-starred restaurant, State Bird Provisions. Nestled in the vibrant heart of San Francisco, this urban-rustic storefront sets the stage for an ever-evolving menu of American small plates, expertly served dim-sum style.

Chef Brioza shares his signature Rice-Crusted Trout dish designed for you to savor in the comfort of your own home. Elevating the quality of the dish, Chef Brioza opts for Zero Acre oil, praising its exceptional ability to handle high-heat cooking (up to 485° F), ensuring a flawless sear and irresistibly crispy skin.

Many other common cooking oils used for this type of dish yield unwanted smoke and flavors. Chef Brioza emphasizes the pivotal role of Zero Acre oil in the recipe application– a “neutral workhorse” that can withstand the rigors of a high heat searing process. As Chef Brioza aptly notes, "The oil is integral to that crust," unveiling the secret behind the perfect culinary alchemy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup jasmine rice

• 2-3 Tbsp. Zero Acre oil

• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter

• 4 3-ounce skin-on red trout, sea trout, or arctic char fillets

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 Tbsp. State Bird Garum (see instructions below)

• 1 Tbsp. julienned ginger

• 2 mandarin oranges, segmented and white pith removed

• 2 tsp mandarin orange juice

• 16 hazelnuts, toasted, and halved

• 20 mint leaves

• 8 cilantro sprigs, thick stems discarded, picked into a few delicate clusters of leaves baby mustard greens

Instructions (Makes 4 Servings)

1. Grind the jasmine rice to a fine powder in a spice grinder. Pour the rice powder through a fine-mesh sieve into a small skillet, set over medium-high heat, and cook, shaking and tossing constantly, until the rice powder is very aromatic and just begins to smoke, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

2. Melt the butter in a small light-colored skillet over medium-low heat. Let it froth and bubble, occasionally stirring and pushing the froth aside to check on the color, until the butter turns a caramel hue, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

3. Pat the fillets dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. One by one, add the fillets, skin side down, to the rice powder, pressing lightly to help the rice powder adhere.

4. Warm Zero Acre oil in a heavy skillet (wide enough to hold the fillets with room to spare) over high heat until you see wisps of smoke. Add the fillets, skin side down, and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat to medium and continue to cook until the skin is light golden brown and crispy, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the fillets, cook for 30 seconds more, and transfer, skin side up, to a platter.

5. Add the garum, ginger, mandarin segments, mandarin juice, and hazelnuts to the brown butter and set over high heat. Cook, swirling the skillet, just until the mixture comes to a simmer, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, add the mint and cilantro, swirl again, and spoon the mixture over the fish. Top with the mustard greens. Serve right away.

State Bird Garum (Makes 5 Cups)

Ingredients

• 4 cups of fish sauce (preferably Red Boat brand)

• 1 cup of lime juice

• 1 lemongrass stalk

• 3-inch knob ginger, peeled and cut into a few pieces

• 3 medium garlic cloves, peeled

• 6 cloves

• 3 dried Indian or Indonesian long peppers

• 3-inch Ceylon cinnamon stick

• 1 whole nutmeg

Instructions

1. Combine the fish sauce and lime juice in a blender. 

2. Cut off and discard the bottom 1 inch and top 5 inches from the lemongrass, remove the outer layer, and cut the lemongrass into about-2-inch pieces. 

3. One by one, coarsely crush the lemongrass, ginger, and garlic in a mortar and transfer to a blender. Focusing on one spice at a time, coarsely crack the cloves, long peppers, and cinnamon stick in the mortar and transfer to the blender. Wrap the nutmeg in a kitchen towel, whack it with a heavy pan to crack into several pieces, and then add to the blender. Pulse the mixture to break up the solids a bit more, 15 to 30 seconds. 

4. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 1 month (the longer the better). Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.

5. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 months.

This delicious recipe was developed by Chef Brioza of State Bird Provisions, The Progress, and Anchovy Bar.