GW Fins in New Orleans was started by two Ruth’s Chris veterans, so the high-end seafood restaurant always treated fish like fine steak—making it a “fancy” center-of-the-plate entree, said executive chef Michael Nelson.
“So why not try dry aging fish like steak?,” he thought. “I first heard about the technique in Australia, and right around the pandemic, I acquired two units designed to dry age meat.”
Trial and error
The restaurant’s pandemic pause gave Nelson the time to experiment and re-engineer the units to adapt to seafood. He had to figure out the temperature, humidity levels, timing and the species that worked best.
“Fish has to dry age at a low temperature and higher humidity than beef. And it only works with the freshest, best quality fish that is less than 24 hours out of the water,” said Nelson.
He discovered that primal cuts, such as ribeyes and tomahawks carved out of whole swordfish and tuna work well. “Bluefin tuna has red flesh like beef. Dry aging releases the moisture, breaks down the proteins into amino acids and concentrates the flavor,” he explains. “The amino acids need further time to break down—they are the ‘umami’ that release the flavors.
Nelson sources from local Gulf fishermen and suppliers and is committed to buying whole fish “for the quality, not the price. It doesn’t cost less,” he said. When he purchases a 300-pound bluefin tuna, for example, he’ll use half immediately, serving it as crudo or tartare or searing it for a chef-driven entree. But the other half is cut into steaks or chops and dry aged for about a month.
Turning “freshness” on its head
“We’re turning on its head the belief that fish always tastes best when very fresh,” said Nelson.
A dry-aged bluefin tuna steak or chop has the same fatty, umami flavors as Wagyu steak, he discovered, so he serves it steakhouse-style and puts it on the menu at a premium price.
“I butcher whole fish to preserve the bones, then leave the bones in during dry aging. If I don’t, the fish dries out too much,” he said. At GW Fins, he serves it bone-in, fanning out the fish on the plate like he would a steak. A one-pound Bluefin Tuna Tomahawk Chop or Ribeye goes for $90, while Yellowfin Ribeye is $80 and Swordfish, $50. A Dry Aged Bluefin Tuna “NY Strip,” wood grilled rare with potatoes, asparagus, bearnaise and house Worcestershire, is currently $70.
“Compared to non-aged items, we get a 25% premium,” Nelson noted. The higher price reflects the time it takes to dry age and the expense of the equipment.
Smaller fish, like snapper and tile fish, require less time in the dry aging cabinet. These species still develop richer flavor and the technique dries the outside of the fish but not the flesh—a benefit when it comes to cooking.
“When the fish is sauteed, the skin puffs up and gets crispy but the flesh stays moist,” said Nelson. Since both the aging time and wholesale price are less, these entrees have lower menu prices. Pan-seared American Red Snapper with Louisiana shrimp Creole, local rice and crispy okra, for instance, is $37.
Fin-to-tail = zero waste
Dry aging is also a preservation technique, as the fish keeps longer. But Nelson doesn’t stop there when it comes to reducing waste in the kitchen.
In fact, long before he was dry aging he was committed to buying whole fish. “With traditional butchery, you cut out the fillets and then throw away more than half the fish,” Nelson said. “I rethought the butchering technique and cut up the fish differently.”
At GW Fins, executive chef Nelson butchers 300-pound tunas, leaving the bones attached to create bone-in fish chops and steaks.
Instead of just releasing the fillets, he uses scissors to release the entire side of the fish, then pulls out the bones, keeping fins attached. He then uses the side fins with rib meat attached like a chicken breast. The section under the chin of the fish is marketed as “fin wings” on the menu. He coats the fin wings with tempura batter and fries them. On the appetizer list, they come three pieces to an order for $14. “They’re very popular,” said Nelson.
Breaking down large fish, such as tuna and swordfish, produces a lot of scraps. Nelson has developed a collection of recipes for charcuterie, substituting fish for meat. “Swordfish is like the pork of the sea,” he contends. His seacuterie boards, served with bread and condiments, go for $18-$28.
The seacuterie boards are composed of assorted "salume" made from fish instead of meat.
Italian-style seafood sausages are also one of GW Fins’ specialties. Nelson seasons the fish like the pork version, then grinds up the flesh with the connective tissue (which adds texture and flavor.) He might turn the sausage into a Bolognese, using the prep in a deconstructed lasagna with house-made ricotta; it is priced at $28. The kitchen uses other characteristic spice blends to make seafood-based kielbasa, pepperoni, andouille and chorizo.
Bluefin scraps are ground and turned into GW Fins’ signature burger ($24). It’s topped with bacon made from the belly of the swordfish. And the skin from the fish gets dried in the oven to create crispy cracklings, like chips, said Nelson.
“I even found a way to use the scales,” he added. “I dip the fish in boiling water until they fall off, dry the scales, then soak them in vinegar and boil them. The mixture forms a gelatin that we can use in desserts and gummy bears."