Born in Madrid Spain, Sergio Martinez began his culinary career at the age of 15 working with his father: Chef Jose Luis Martinez in Aranjuez. During this time, he worked and studied Spanish cuisine at the Escuela de Hostelería in Madrid. At the age of 21, Sergio moved to Miami, Florida, to work as head chef at Ideas Restaurant in Coconut Groove. He then returned to Spain as Executive Banquet Chef at Finca La Montana where he worked for two years while continuing his studies, interning at Restaurante Coque (2 Michelin Stars) and Restaurante El Bohío (1 Michelin Star).

During his career, Sergio had the opportunity to work with Chef Mario Sandoval for a year at the Columbus Restaurant.

In 2014 he had the opportunity to open his restaurant, "LA CANICA". And in 2016 he opened his own restaurant with his father Chef Jose Luis Martinez "TABERNA & MEDIA" (tabernaymedia.com | Lope de Rueda Nº30) where, "Two generations of chefs, with two different ways of understanding the kitchen and a single goal, to impress".

Years later Sergio returned to Miami where he joined the TATEL family and as Executive Chef of Miami he has brought Spanish cuisine to the city.

In Miami he continued his career with world-renowned Chef Nobu, and after 3 years, having established his base at the Nobu London Shoreditch Hotel as Executive Chef, he combines the day-to-day management of the hotel with the company's future openings under the guidance of Corporate Chef Herve Courtot. With more than 15 years of experience, he says he is in his best professional moment with the maturity of more than a decade of professional career and with the same enthusiasm as the first day.

Although he confesses being in love with Spanish cuisine, the experience of products, flavours and textures that Japanese cuisine has unveiled to him made his heart split.

We are proud that a chef with such an impressive resume will share his culinary skills with our readers through the Ofelia Kitchen cooking section. These are three of the recipes that have made Sergio Martínez a prestigious chef.

Norwegian salmon tartar with avocado and sriracha marinade

Ingredients 2 people:

  • 250g Norwegian Salmon
  • 25g Red Onion
  • 10ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1pc Avocado
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 10ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 50g Sriracha
  • 20ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 100g Low Salt Soya
  • 30g Lime juice
  • 50g Cane Honey
  • 3pc Piparras (green chili pepper)

Preparation:

Cut the salmon tartare into small pieces of approximately 1cm, cut the red onion into very small brunoise and set aside cold.

Open the avocado in half and remove the stone, make several cuts all over the avocado, making a grid without breaking the skin, just the flesh, and with the help of a spoon remove all the flesh and place it in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and add olive oil, mix everything carefully until you have a homogeneous mixture, but with pieces of avocado and set aside cold.

To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients in a stand mixer at maximum power for at least 5 minutes, except the olive oil. Once the 5 minutes are up, gradually adding the olive oil at the lowest speed and leave it to emulsify for a further 2 minutes, then leave the mixture to rest in the fridge for 12 hours.

Presentation:

Place a plating ring on top of the plate and place the avocado mixture inside, filling a little less than half of the mould. To finish the dish, mix the salmon, onion and a little extra virgin olive oil in a bowl and place it on top of the avocado, filling the mould and pressing down gently. Once the surface of the salmon has been gently pressed down, decorate it with 3 mini chilli peppers and keep it cold if it is not going to be eaten immediately.

To finish, shake the marinade to emulsify it again and place it around the plate, remove the mould and that's it!

When presenting their creations, every chef wants to ensure that their dishes are displayed in the most elegant and exclusive way possible. That’s why we offer chefs who collaborate at Ofelia Kitchen the opportunity to choose from the wide range of tableware of our brand Ofelia. Sergio Martínez, a chef known for his innovative and artistic approach to cooking, has decided to opt for an artisan crockery with stone effect and irregular edges.

Escalivada of pickled partridge with "salmorejo cordobés"

Ingredients 2 people:

  • 150g Pickled Partridge
  • 20g Micro Mézclum

For the escalivada:

  • 2pc Red Pepper
  • 1pc Yellow Pepper
  • 2pc Roma tomato
  • 1pc Aubergine
  • ½pc White onion
  • 3pc Garlic
  • 50ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt

For the salmorejo:

  • 250g Ripe Tomato
  • 10g White Onion
  • 1pc Garlic
  • 10g Hard Bread
  • 20ml Mineral Water
  • 10ml White Vinegar
  • 50g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt

Preparation:

To roast the vegetables, wrap the garlic in aluminium foil, add olive oil and salt to the vegetables and roast them for 1 hour at 170ºC. Then put them in a container and cover them with cling film so that they cool down and the skin separates better. Once they are at room temperature, peel them and cut them into julienne strips. Once they are cut, mix them together and place them in a colander to release the juice and set aside.

For the salmorejo, put all the ingredients in a stand mixer and blend for about 7 minutes at maximum power, this will make the texture of the salmorejo silkier. The salmorejo has to rest for about 4 hours.

Presentation:

Place a plating ring on top of the dish and fill half of it with the escalivada mixture that you have previously seasoned, press down so that it keeps its shape and place the pickled partridge on top so that it covers the whole mould. To finish, place the salmorejo inside or around the mould and decorate with micro mézclum on top.

When it comes to presenting food, the choice of plates can greatly influence the perception of the dish. Crockery with dark background is perfect to enhance the colour and texture of the food. With this choice, Sergio Martínez has not only demonstrated his impeccable taste, but also his commitment to offer us an exceptional result.

Grilled squid with risotto of squid ink and lime mayonnaise

Ingredients 2 people:

  • 100g Mayonnaise
  • 20ml Lime juice
  • 1g Grated lime
  • 250 Carnaroli Rice
  • 200g White Onion
  • 4pc Garlic
  • 500g Grated Tomato Rama
  • 80ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Squid pieces
  • 60g Butter
  • 80g Grated Parmesan cheese
  • 10g Squid ink
  • 2pc Squid
  • Cilantro Sprouts

Preparation:

For the lime mayonnaise, mix the lime juice with the mayonnaise and the lime zest and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

To make the risotto, start by making the tomato sofrito, put oil in a frying pan and add extra virgin olive oil and, when cold, add the garlic, previously cut into brunoise, over a medium heat. Once browned, add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, add the grated tomato and leave to stew for an hour over a low heat. Once all the tomato liquid has been used up, add the rice and fry for 3 minutes over a medium heat. Add the chicken stock and squid ink and cook the rice for 13 minutes over a medium heat. At this point, add a little more stock (depending on how much the rice has absorbed), butter and grated Parmesan. Cover the pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Clean the inside of the squid but do not remove the skin, place a frying pan with olive oil and add salt and pepper to the squid. Place the squid fin side first in the frying pan and leave it for 2 minutes, add a little more olive oil and turn it over and leave it on that side for another 2 minutes until it has a nice golden colour and is cooked. Remove the squid from the heat and leave to rest on absorbent paper.

Presentation:

To serve, uncover the rice and move it gently until it has the risotto texture, which will have been provided by the butter and Parmesan. Cut the squid on the side opposite the fins into rings, but without going all the way through. Place the risotto in the centre of the plate and on one side place the squid in a half-moon shape. Place the lime mayonnaise on top of the rice with a few dots and decorate with some fresh coriander shoots.

Having the right tableware is essential to preparing an amazing recipe. Whether it’s a tough cutting board, a bowl to mix the ingredients, or an elegant serving tray, having the necessary items can make all the difference. So, make sure you have everything you need to create one of these wonderful recipes. And if you find you’re missing any kitchen accessories, don’t worry. Just head over to our shopping section, where you’ll find a wide range of options to choose from.

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