Chef Bruce Ricketts travels to Basilan, a trip instrumental in bringing forth his newest contribution to the country’s gastronomic landscape. The night before the flight back to Manila, Bruce Ricketts ’ gaze holds still as the small boat he rides cuts through the narrow strait strewn with glimmering and flickering lights from settlements on the water. Days before, he met and forged relationships with people whose lives and livelihood revolve around the bounty that the open seas offer.
As the boat nears the concrete dock, cooling winds settle into salty balmy air, and his visit to Basilan nears its end. The trip toward the Philippines’ southern tip is an instrumental step in bringing forth Iai, his and partner Jae de Veyra Pickrell’s newest contribution to the country’s gastronomic landscape. “Pride is not in the ingredients, but in the taste of the fish,” Ricketts says, addressing a group of fishers in Maluso, one of the towns in Basilan that he visited with Pickrell.
The couple were joined by two of their staff from their restaurants in Manila who were there to observe and learn more about the food that they have learned to handle and process with meticulous care. To the curious spectators, Ricketts demonstrated the technique of ikejime, a method of slaughtering fish that preserves the quality of its flesh by manipulating its nervous system and eliminating the stress hormones that negatively impact the taste of its flesh. Ikejime is used primarily in its countr.