Rob Ruiz is an artist when it comes to plating. He uses flavors, textures, colors and composition to make incredible works of art. Here is his theory on plating.
The base of chilled charred fennel root was the perfect crunch and neutral colored foundation for the bright salmon.
Working with plating chopsticks allows Rob to be accurate with the placement because you can finesse the ingredients more with the narrow tips of the chopsticks. Tweezers work also but the chopsticks allow you to plate a wide range of sizes of ingredients from tiny micro greens to cuts of meat.
The mandarin wedges added a natural sweetness to the dish, but kept the same color of the salmon to not over complicate the color scheme. His plum sauce was not only delicious by adding a touch of sweetness to the dish, but it added a complementary color to the salmon. Much like in graphic design, you have to abide by complimentary colors as much as you can so your colors work well together. Too many colors can ruin a perfect composition.
A touch of green pops off the orange and reds, and the flavor of dill is a classic pairing to salmon.
A touch of lemon infuse olive oil brings everything together.
