The Most Memorable Meal Aarón Sánchez Has Had

Food is such a big part of life. It's the focal point of some holidays, like Thanksgiving, and also a major player in celebrations such as weddings and birthdays. Every so often, a meal hits in just the right way, making it truly memorable for years to come. 

Your favorite meal of all time could be as simple as your grandmother's spaghetti and meatballs covered in Sunday gravy. After all, if the chef is a person of importance in your life, the meal is sure to stand out. Alternatively, it could be an intricate tasting menu, prepared using molecular gastronomy techniques and luxurious ingredients that you sampled at a 5-star restaurant. Sometimes, where you have the dish contributes to the experience, making an otherwise tasty, mediocre meal seem magnificent. 

When a chef, especially one that is widely regarded as a master of their craft, recounts their most memorable meal, you definitely want to pay attention. In an interview with Food Network, celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez reveals that his most memorable meal came from New York's Lespinasse and, believe it or not, it was a simple fish dish.

Sánchez told Food Network that his most memorable meal, "was Lespinasse in New York, when Gray Kunz was the chef. I had the loup de Mer, roasted artichokes and opal basil — I've never had a broth with so many beautiful and intense flavors layered in." An archived version of the Lespinasse menu reveals that his favorite fish dinner cost him $42 dollars (via Studyworld).

Loup de Mer may sound like an inaccessible ingredient, bu it's actually just European sea bass, also known as branzino – loup de Mer is simply French for "wolf of the sea" (via Fortune Fish & Gourmet). It has a sweet and mild taste profile. The Lespinasse menu found on Studyworld reveals that the branzino in Sánchez's meal was pan-crisped.

In the same interview, Sánchez also explained that ambiance played a major role in making his Lespinasse meal so memorable, saying, "It was one of the first really fancy restaurants I ever went to; I remember the chairs being far away from the table and there was no background music." According to 24Life, when you eat in a less noisy environment, your brain is better equipped to focus on the tastes and textures of your meal.

Throughout his culinary life, Aarón Sánchez has routinely created dishes that center around succulent seafood, perhaps inspired in part by his memorable loup de Mer meal at Lespinasse. Food Network features a unique sea urchin ceviche dish, but he has also made several recipes that utilize white fish comparable to loup de Mer. One such recipe is his whole grilled snapper with roasted fennel and grapefruit, which features pan-seared fish topped with his eponymous adobo (via Chef Aarón Sánchez). He also uses snapper in his Veracruz fish tacos.

According to The Village Voice, Sánchez stepped headlong into a loup de Mer adjacent culinary space when he went head to head with the Japanese chef and seafood specialist Morimoto on the hit cooking competition series "Iron Chef." The battle was to create the best black bass dish. Despite Morimoto's fish expertise, the contest ended in a draw.