Best of the West Best Restaurant Pier W Breaks Down the Pacific Rockfish Dish

Best Restaurant: Pier W 

Executive chef Cassandra Soja credits sous chef Daron Kinder with developing the Pacific Rockfish Corn Husk Papillote for the landmark seafood restaurant’s current lunch and dinner menus. Instead of employing the French cooking technique of en papillotte in the traditional way — enclosing a portion of food in a parchment paper or foil pouch so it steams in its own juices while baking — he wrapped the rockfish in cornhusks and added a south-of-the-border twist. She compares the result to a tamale without the masa corn dough that encases its savory or sweet filling.

 “We’ve had rockfish on the menu for a while,” Soja says. “We were trying to think of different ways to just change it up.” 

• The Pacific rockfish. The star of the dish is two fresh 3.5-ounce pieces of this mild, flaky fish caught in deep Pacific waters off the North American coast from Washington state to Alaska. Soja likens it to cod. “It’s going to bring on whatever flavors that you introduce to it,” she says. “It’s a very good fish for people that aren’t necessarily a big fan of seafood.” 

• The salsa rosa. The rockfish is wrapped with a mix of finely chopped sundried tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, garlic, onion, balsamic vinaigrette, tomato paste, red wine and jalapeno, along with a little dried ancho that Soja says adds a smoky-sweet flavor and a tad of heat.  “As the rockfish steams in the corn husks, the flavors [from the salsa rosa and the fish] just kind of meld together,” she says.

• The cilantro lime hominy. The cornhusk-wrapped rockfish is plated on a bed of hominy tossed with grilled cut-off-the-cob corn and sauteed in a vinaigrette made of green-tomato scraps, cilantro, lime, garlic, thyme, agave and a little salt. “The hominy is a little bit softer, the corn’s got a little bit of crunch to it, just a little bit of texture” Soja says. “And honestly, I love the flavor of corn. If you have a corn husk, I feel like you should incorporate the corn into the dish.” 

• The petite herb salad. The dish is garnished with a quarter-cup of fresh tarragon, scallions, thyme, cilantro, parsley and microgreens dressed in lemon oil. “It’s just a nice, fresh taste,” Soja says. “It’s not supposed to take over the dish — it’s supposed to accompany.” 

 $32 Lunch $42 Dinner, 12700 Lake Ave., Lakewood, 216-228-2250, pierw.com