Barton Seaver

Barton Seaver’s latest restaurant adventure is only part of his fascinating journey. In March 2009, Eli Hengst, Managing Partner of Blue Ridge, tapped Seaver to be the Executive Chef of the new seasonal Mid-Atlantic restaurant in Glover Park. Seaver is also overseeing the menu direction and the new culinary team at Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar, Hengst and Jared Rager's award-winning restaurant on Capitol Hill.

Barton Seaver

Barton’s childhood in Washington DC was centered around the dinner table, and emphasized the importance of community. Seaver attended the Culinary Institute of America, where after graduation he stayed on as a graduate fellow in the meat and fish departments. His restaurant experience also continued to grow, with positions at Tru in Chicago and Finch Tavern in New York.

After some time travelling, cooking, and fishing internationally, in 2007 Seaver turned his sights to Georgetown and opened Hook, a restaurant focused on sustainable seafood. Seaver’s devotion to the sustainable ethic earned him countless spots in the national media, as well as the title of Rising Star Chef from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. Keeping with the momentum he opened a casual, New England-style seafood shack called TackleBox. Barton left in 2008 to pursue a wider audience for his message.

Seaver has been lauded as a leader in sustainability by Seafood Choices Alliance and was recently named a Food Fellow with Blue Ocean Institute, helping to link the environmental community with real-life, delicious applications of an eco-friendly ethic. He is developing a forthcoming PBS series that helps to tell the story of our common resources through the communion we all share – dinner.

BARTON'S FEATURED RECIPE

Clams with Chorizo and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:
For the clams:
3 cups water
3 large top-neck clams per person
1 tsp whole coriander
half  of one lemon
water
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For the pine nut sauce:
1 small yellow onion, rough chop
3 cloves garlic
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup pine nuts
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons water
Salt to taste
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For the chorizo vinaigrette:
1 chorizo sausage, a dry cured Spanish product
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
1 cup white wine


Directions:
The recipes for the pine nut and the chorizo make more than is necessary for this dish. Extra sauce can be used for up to a week. Both are delicious with almost any fish or chicken preparation.
 
For the clams:
Fill a large saucepot with the water, coriander, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer.  Add clams and simmer until open.  Remove as they open.  Let cool.  Once cool, remove the clams from the shells and chop in half or roughly into bite size pieces. Reserve the shells for presentation.

For the pine nut sauce:
In a saucepot over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in the extra virgin olive oil until soft and translucent.  Add pine nuts and cook on medium for five minutes.  Add the lemon juice and remove from heat.  Transfer the mixture to a blender, add water and salt to taste.  Puree until the mixture is smooth.  Pass through a fine mesh strainer, making sure to push through as much of the puree as possible.

For the chorizo vinaigrette:
Take 1 chorizo sausage (they are usually around 4 oz.) and remove the peel. This is the very thin white casing that wraps the sausage that can be removed by scoring and then simply peeling it back with a paring knife or fingers. Finely grind in a food processor and add to a saucepot with 1 c extra virgin olive oil.  Bring to a simmer and let cook until chorizo is slightly crispy.  Add white onion and simmer another 2 minutes.  Add 1 cup white wine and cook until smell of alcohol has cooked off, about five minutes.

To serve:
Take a half clam shell and place 1tablespoon pine nut sauce on shell.  Place clam on top of sauce, then place a small spoonful of warm chorizo vinaigrette.  Garnish each clam with a few small leaves of frisee lettuce. Place shells on a bed of salt for stability.