British chef fares swimmingly at Original Fish Market

Daniel Mosedale's culinary skills have taken him through Europe, Australia and Jamaica. It's no wonder, then, that at The Original Fish Market in the Westin Convention Center, Downtown, Mosedale's ever-changing menu blends French expertise with Asian and Jamaican influences.

Some of his featured entrees include a plantain-crusted mahi-mahi with roasted vegetable couscous; pine nut-crusted tilapia with a warm Mediterranean salad; mesquite-grilled sea bass with crispy noodle galette, seafood wont on and peanut drizzle; and a mesquite-grilled swordfish with lobster-corn hash and consomme.

Mosedale, a British native who has been in Pittsburgh for 18 months, says he loves preparing seafood in a variety of ways. "It's making sure I get the best possible product and maximizing it the best way, using techniques from the different countries I've worked in," says Mosedale, 33. "I think what makes us different here from other restaurants is the quality of the product we put out compared (with) the number of people we serve. We'll do 600 dinners on a Saturday night."

The fast-talking and even faster moving Mosedale oversees 26 bustling chefs in the vast kitchen, which is busy from early morning to very late at night. The Original Fish Market, while owned by the Westin Convention Center, is run as a free-standing restaurant. In addition to the focus on fish, the 4-year-old business features a sushi bar.

Mosedale says he considers himself primarily a restaurant chef, even though he worked for Ritz-Carlton in Jamaica for 12 months and in Australia for two years. He met his wife, a restaurant manager, while working in Australia.

"The biggest challenge with being a hotel chef is dealing with banquets and trying to be in 1,000 places at the same time," Mosedale says. "I'm here from 10 in the morning to 10 at night. It's just different."

Mosedale initially learned how to cook more out of necessity, he says, than from desire. "My parents were both working, so I had to cook for myself or go hungry."

He and his parents often traveled to France, and that's where Mosedale "fell madly in love" with the country and its cuisine. He went to culinary school, however, in Great Britain.

"My cooking is very French, but we have a multicultural menu," Mosedale says. "Cooking has been very good to me -- it has allowed me to travel around the world."

Mosedale shared his recipe for Moroccan Spiced Salmon with "Cooking Class." The salmon, which he buys at Benkovitz Seafood in the Strip District, is firm, meaty and spicy. Topped with a luscious salsa verde, the fish goes well with fresh vegetable couscous.

Mosedale suggests serving a fruity sauvignon blanc with this meal.

Editor's note: 1/2 tablespoon is equal to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Preserved lemons are an indispensable ingredient and flavoring in Moroccan cooking. They are whole lemons that have been soaked in a salt-lemon juice mixture for about 30 days. Look for them in specialty food shops or on the Internet.

• 1/2 pound instant couscous
• Boiling water
• 2 whole lemons
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) olive oil, divided
• Salt
• 1/4 cup diced seeded cucumber
• 1/4 cup diced green onions
• 1/4 cup diced sweet red pepper
• 1/4 cup diced fresh jalapeno pepper
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• Preserved lemons, julienned
• 4 (8-ounce) salmon fillets
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon chile powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 (8-ounce) salmon fillets
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

About 1 tablespoon each fresh basil, parsley, cilantro, chives and mint

Additional fresh herbs, for garnish

Place the couscous in a stainless-steel bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the grain to rehydrate for 5 minutes.

Grate the peel off half of 1 lemon and set the peel aside. Using a fork, fluff the grains and season with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice from 1 lemon half and salt to taste. Add the grated lemon peel; mix well. Add the cucumber, green onions, sweet pepper, jalapeno pepper, cherry tomatoes and 8 to 10 preserved lemon strips. Mix well. (The salad is served at room temperature.)

In a bowl, place the cumin, ginger, chile powder, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Mix well. Dust both sides of the salmon fillets in the spice mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and place the fillets in the pan. Cook on both sides until just done, for about 4 minutes per side.

While the salmon is cooking, prepare the Salsa Verde: Put the mayonnaise in a blender. Chop the fresh herbs and blend them into the mayonnaise. Grate the peel of the remaining whole lemon and add it to the mixture. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the blender. Blend well.

Divide the couscous salad among 4 dinner plates. Put the salmon on top of the couscous, then top with the Salsa Verde. Garnish with fresh herbs, as desired.

Makes 4 servings.