by Anna Redmond
A garnish is something that finishes off an entree. It’s a little bit of pizzazz that could have been omitted without really changing the character of the dish. But including it yields elegance, enhances taste, and provides a sense of culinary completeness.
If a plate were a movie, the main dish would be the leading role, the side dish would be the supporting actor, and the garnish would be that strange old man in a coffee shop who only has two lines, but his scene makes it into all of the previews.
A garnish is one of the things that can impress you in a restaurant, and ironically (at least from a perspective of cooking difficulty) it is one of the easiest and fastest things you can replicate at home. But very few people do on a regular basis. And when they do, it’s because the recipe they are using includes a garnishing suggestion.
I want to break down those “included with purchase” garnish barriers. You can garnish food all by yourself, without a recipe, without supervision, without a degree from a culinary school. You can wow your family, friends, frenemies, neighbors and significant others. You can create taste combinations that make pregnant women clap in glee, and others say, “Wow, I’ve never eaten that together but it tastes great!” And the best thing about a garnish is that you can include it so casually, so unobtrusively that should someone else think, “Hmmm not so sure I like that,” they have every right to just brush it aside with a fork, and you can pretend that you just put it there to be decorative.
A Few Garnishing Rules
1. A garnish is best used to complement the taste of your main dish, not compete with it. Try to pick flavors that provide contrast, pairing a light pickled garnish with a heavy meat, or a creamy avocado garnish with a lighter fish. Heavier, richer and flavor-laden entrees pair well with garnishes that are sweet, pickled or tart. Lighter foods can take heavier flavors. Garnishes typically (though not always) pack a lot of bang for the buck in taste. Ideally, you would have just a smidgen of garnish in every bite.
2. Think about garnishing in terms of giving your taste buds a break. Sushi chefs encourage patrons to have a bit of ginger between dishes to clear the palate. Construct your meal with a similar practice in mind. A good garnish should be a taste that goes well with your main dish, but is fundamentally different in some way. Your taste buds should have a little break, say, “Ahhh what a nice, different taste,” and then return rejuvenated and ready to appreciate the main course with renewed vigor. For example, short ribs are one of my favorites – but they are also extremely rich and heavily flavored. They traditionally pair well with sides of potato, gnocchi, sometimes pasta. All very heavy foods, and ones that can overwhelm your palate. I would throw in a garnish of thinly sliced pickled beet, possibly with some raw very thin onion. Or, try a ponzu-seasoned seaweed salad garnish.
3. Focus on taste instead of presentation. Making the color palate work should not be your first priority. Restaurants throw out enough radish rosettes already.
4. Make it simple. You know that saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater?” There must be some converse of “Don’t throw the kitchen sink into the bathtub when all you’re trying to do is bathe a baby.” Okay, maybe not. But you see where I’m going with this. Sometimes the best garnish is just some chopped dill with some sea salt on top.
5. Trust your taste buds. Seriously. Taste your food. You’ve cooked your fabulous specialty, it’s sitting steaming on the counter top, and you’re racking your brain for a something to throw on that side to give it that certain je ne sais quoi… just put it in your mouth. Then put the other thing you’re thinking about adding alongside it in your mouth. I say this glibly, but it comes from a place of empathy. My mother used to cook in a rush without trying anything at all, and when I came into the kitchen she would ask me to “fix the taste”. I would add different amount of salt, pepper, sugar, and spice until I got the tantalizing taste I desired. All because I tasted the food.
Avocado Relish
Ingredients

1 soft avocado 2 Tbs red onion, coarsely chopped 1 Tbs red bell pepper, finely chopped 1 Tbs fresh lime juice Pinch of sea salt to taste (preferably larger crystals, not superfine)
Optional Additions 1 Tbs parsley, finely chopped 1 Tbs cilantro, finely chopped 1 Tbs dill, finely chopped 1 Tbs sesame seed oil Black pepper Cayenne pepper
Directions:

Chop avocado into small pieces, place in bowl, and mash to preferred consistency. On separate cutting board, coarsely chop bell pepper and red. Combine avocado with lime juice and salt. Toss in bell pepper and onion, combine and serve immediately.
A few notes on the “optional” additions. I love herbs, so I would dump all of them in there. If your main course is already heavily herbed, you may want to omit these. The sesame seed oil is great in there if you’re serving an asian-inspired dish (like grilled ahi tuna) or even if you’re not but just want a bit of asian flavor. The black and red pepper look rather decorative on top, but should be added to taste, depending on whether or not you and your guests like it spicy.
As for serving suggestions, I will never tell you it’s wrong to just lop this on the plate, but if you are looking for some added pizzaz, you can perch your avocado relish on a few spinach leaves and place a spring or two of parsley on top. If you really want to get crazy, you can even top it with small dollop of roe.