Óscar Salazar
Imagine holding a sea bass of almost epic proportions in your hands, and the challenge of using it to create five different culinary concepts without wasting a single gram. That is the daily routine for chef Óscar Salazar in the kitchens of 7Pines Resort Ibiza. His ace up his sleeve flies in directly from the Canary Islands under the Aquanaria seal. This product forms part of the Granada-born chef’s culinary philosophy: the utmost sustainability and making full use of every part of the fish. A true culinary puzzle where everything quite simply fits together.
Mastering the stoves at this intense and demanding level is no accident, but the result of countless hours of experience and expertise in haute cuisine. Óscar Salazar, currently in his third season as executive chef at 7Pines Resort Ibiza, has an impressive CV. He started out in his native Granada before making the leap to San Sebastian to hone his skills alongside Martín Berasategui, further honing his skills at Sergi Arola’s two-Michelin-starred sanctuary in Madrid. After facing the rigours of the Pyrenees at the Hermitage in Andorra with Nandu Jubany, his definitive love affair with the Balearic Islands began a decade ago. Ibiza captivated him and, since his arrival at Destino, his career has been unstoppable: head chef at A Son de Mar, Executive Sous Chef for four years at Ibiza Gran Hotel, as well as working at Aguas de Ibiza, all while juggling projects that emerged in Mallorca in the midst of the pandemic and winter seasons in charge of kitchens in Baqueira.
Today, his home is 7 Pines: a luxury resort where the Mediterranean is the official language, yet which has a clear international focus. And it is within this complex equation that Aquanaria’s sea bass becomes the perfect tool. XXL specimens reared in the open sea, battling it out in the rough currents of the Atlantic. A clean-tasting product, with an exceptionally firm texture and impeccable marbling. For Salazar, it is a blessing from a logistical point of view. “I’m lucky enough that I can take a sea bass and distribute every single cut across all of the hotel’s dining outlets,” explains the chef.
In restaurants such as Cone Club (the resort’s flagship establishment, with a distinctly Mediterranean feel) or Nela’s more fire-focused concept, the full utilisation of the fish borders on precision engineering. Salazar’s team demonstrates on a daily basis that haute cuisine and zero waste are concepts that must go hand in hand. “If in a restaurant I use the supreme cut, the upper part of the loin, to grill it with Catalan-style spinach, I use the bones to make a fumet or for the leche de tigre,” he explains matter-of-factly. This obsession with throwing absolutely nothing away leads him to extract all the collagen from those bones to thicken a silky pil-pil that crowns one of Cone Club’s most acclaimed dishes: a spectacular sea bass, butterfly-cut and slowly cooked in a charcoal oven with the classic touch of the Bilbao-style sauce.
But if there’s one place where this ingredient is put to the test at the highest level, it’s at Ikisaki, the new Nikkei cuisine concept at 7 Pines. Amidst ceviches, the bar and the robata grill, Salazar pays tribute to Peruvian-Japanese cuisine by preparing a patarashca. To do this, the sea bass is wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked over the embers, accompanied by a roasted garlic cream and a shiitake mushroom stew that adds depth to the dish. It is in demanding dishes like these that the raw ingredients cannot hide their true nature. “The best thing is that this sea bass has the perfect amount of fat and omega-3... It’s not dry... it sweats, and that means it creates its own juices and its own sauce. It’s spectacular,” says Óscar Salazar.
The Aquanaria sea bass has the perfect amount of fat. It’s spectacular
The Canary Island brand’s versatility allows it to cater to every occasion within the same venue. In a brilliant nod to his southern roots, the team creates a sea bass tartare dressed with a traditional Andalusian adobo marinade. Meanwhile, in the relaxed atmosphere of the Infinity Pool Bar, the fillets take centre stage in fresh, light dishes. Even in the hotel’s demanding events department, the different cuts of fish find their place, adding an undeniable signature and guaranteeing a consistent premium flavour on a large scale.
For Óscar Salazar, surrounding himself with suppliers who follow responsible and sustainable fishing practices is the only viable way forward in today’s luxury catering sector. By committing to this product, 7 Pines creates a positive cycle where food margins add up, the diner enjoys the meal and the marine environment is respected. A masterclass that demonstrates that, with the right product, creativity can truly be highly sustainable.
