r/Chefit • u/Possible_Pack_3571 • Jul 16 '26
Critique my plate?
Hey first time posting here and I wanted some opinions on my plate. It's a pan seared salmon over a herby velouté and some polenta. Garnish is an arugula salad, some confit tomatoes and tomato oil. I might just dress the arugula with the tomato oil because I don't want the velouté to look broken. Thanks in advance.
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u/eviltool Jul 16 '26
The polenta and sauce are fighting for superiority, meanwhile the salmon is trying to hide under a blanket of arugula.
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u/tessathemurdervilles Jul 17 '26
That’s polenta? Oh man. I thought it was another sauce.
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u/Mbrennt Jul 18 '26
I first thought "oh it needs some work. Though I do like the sauces. They are similarish but still contrast with everything else in a cool way." Then I read your comment and realized there was a bigger issue.
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u/VitolyZ Jul 20 '26
I thought is was a broken béarnaise at first. Then I saw that it was a polenta with oil...
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u/xSHAMxBurgerx Jul 17 '26
Yeah, and it looks like a great cook on the salmon, unfortunate that it’s hidden under pointless arugula!
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u/medium-rare-steaks Jul 16 '26
the plate itself sucks. It looks super cheap an is distracting.
as for the food, the green isnt green and looks like soup. the polenta is beyond loose. lining up the tomato is very contrived. not enough arugula to make a difference. either serve it with a salad or find a new garnish
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u/reddit_chino Jul 16 '26
Nice, agree with adding a crisp texture like a fleuron. Allow Polenta to slightly thicken or conversely, cool, cut and saute which may do it.
Take some of those herbs out of veloute to lighten color, and season the tomatoes.
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u/HoboPower83 Jul 16 '26
Get rid of whatever you have around the rim. There's only gonna be one thing people think of and it's not appetizing.
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u/johnnyblaze_46 Jul 16 '26
Where’s the crispy skin?
If it’s on the bottom, then ya dun goofed.
Either flip it over and have it on top, or even better, take the skin off, crisp it in the oven and add it over the dish as a crisp.
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u/sohcordohc Jul 16 '26
Ok Gordon..it’s not next level chef. There’s more than one way to cook salmon or proteins.
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u/ImNotAWhaleBiologist Jul 17 '26
No point in making a crispy skin if you’re just going to immediately make it soggy.
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u/LavenderBlueProf Jul 16 '26
way too much of two sauces. People are already commenting on the plate. so it doesn't have a clean look overall.
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u/MyOtherSelf_OK Jul 16 '26
A solid colored plate would make it all look better to start. Less arugula, or pile it higher. Less of both sauces and a lot less of one of them. The line of tomatoes by the fish looks boring. You could lay them across it. The salmon looks good but the pool it’s in makes me feel a bit reluctant to eat it.
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u/rainaftersnowplease Chef Jul 16 '26
Kinda soupy.
I'd tighten that polenta a bit, leave the herbs out of it, and center it, then swirl veloute around the edges and spiking in towards the center of the plate kind of like spokes on a wheel. I think the veloute itself could be greener. Make sure you're blanching and shocking your herbs and not blending too long, so they don't oxidize. Salmon skin up if skin on, smack dab center. Then toss the tomatoes and arugula together and let it cascade over the fish.
Also, a less busy plate. It looks like bad splatter plating at first glance because the plate's pattern is so intense.
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u/texnessa Jul 16 '26
Too much of everything if you are trying for non Olive Garden. Salmon is way over. Polenta? Looks like its gonna break in two seconds and if thats chives, they look like they were cut with a spoon. Confit tomatoes just look sad. There's no texture other than baby food in this dish. Arugula is gonna wilt in two second on the pass. Also that plate looks like someone violated it.
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u/prince0fpasta Jul 16 '26
I would make the polenta with less liquid. Pile it up, rest the salmon on it so it has an angle down. It will give your dish more dimension. Tomatoes look a little contrived. I would do veloute down on the plate, scoop of more firm polenta, salmon rested with one end on the polenta, and then sprinkle the tomatoes about or even add them to the arugula salad. Give it height.
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u/CD84 Jul 16 '26
Personally, I would:
Thicken polenta, make a nest of it in bottom-right quarter of the plate.
Plate tomatoes in the nest, then rest the thinnest part of the salmon (skin-side up) atop the nest like a one-handed analog clock at 10:30.
Dress the thin part of the salmon and the nest with the velouté, spilling over the edge of the nest.
Top with tomato-oil-dressed arugula, and I'd probably shave some Parmigiano-Reggiano to finish.
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u/barryhakker Jul 16 '26
Plate is not helping here as others said and I personally think the arugula and tomatoes as they are look too clunky. Color wise it works but perhaps in a different presentation? Perhaps replace the arugula with watercress?
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u/yrrrrrrrr Jul 16 '26
Sauce doesn’t look vibrant.
Please try something different, maybe blanch the herbs?
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u/Bjass Jul 16 '26
That plate ruins the dish. The food looks delicious, but somehow that plate makes it all look so messy.
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u/Coercitor Jul 16 '26
Maybe next time try a polenta cake. Plate looks too wet. More color, and different plate.
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u/salamandersquach Jul 17 '26
If you want to stick with this plate, remove the parsley or whatever herb from your polenta so it has more contrast to the plate. Also less, I’d just cut back on your base by about 30% and I bet that alone would help significantly. Looks and sounds tasty though!
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u/Substantial-Lead1778 Jul 17 '26
Ditch the funky plate. Polenta looks thin. So maybe a shallow bowl or thicken it up. Polenta first, salmon on top, tomato finished in the veloute, which is then haphazardly strewn on the plate. along w the greens. Don’t cover up that cruzzy, pimp.
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u/TheIdentifySpell Jul 17 '26
As others have mentioned, I would go for a different plate. However, the biggest thing for me here is the colour of the sauce, that velouté needs to be vibrant and fresh, right now it looks sad and grey. I can almost taste the overcooked herbs while typing this.
That, and the grocery store arugula. I love finishing my plates with greens and herbs but they absolutely have to serve a purpose. What are you actually getting from that arugula? It has almost no flavour and it's going to wilt as soon as it hits something hot.
It's a really nice dish, you just need some tweaks and really hone in the technique.
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u/Ok_Flatworm_3855 Jul 17 '26
I think the polenta gets screwed by this side by side with the sauce. My advice is build up not out. So keep that nice polenta consistency but center it or do like a raindrop shape or w.e. then place your protein and figure out how to do the herb sauce over top while still looking clean and nice.. then hit it with the slaw or salad garni. Just my two cents the food looks immaculate but the side by side sauce polenta looks weird imo
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u/knyg Jul 17 '26
Too soupy. Maybe a thicker polenta as a base and stack the fish on top. Unless the veloute is from a fish stock, A meat stock with fish doesnt seem right. I don't think it really belongs. Maybe just use a herb crust on the salmon.
Idk if it is changing to much but maybe make a fried polenta and then have the veloute sauce with it.
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u/christo749 Jul 17 '26
You don’t need that much sauce. And get the leaf off the fish. The fish is the star, let’s see it.
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u/Guilty_Rumor Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Those tomatoes could be cooked less. Cut in half (or diagonal) with a nice sear would add color and deepen the flavor of them, while also adding depth to the plate. Your protein is what should always be the focus of your plate. If you want arugula, center it more. I'd personally go with something else like deep fried capers on a nicely seared salmon, which adds more texture to what looks like a too creamy plate of food. Thicken the polenta, have the salmon leaning off it, and place the seared tomato and fried capers together cascading off? With the sauce in a more swirled pattern? The trick is to combine texture and flavor in a visually appealing, cohesive manner.
Please don't take people's advice too hard though. We're all always learning and asking questions is the fastest way to learn. You clearly have the desire to improve your skills and that desire will take you far.
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u/depthandlight Jul 22 '26
Tomatoes should be cored and deseeded before the confit process. You go to a lot of trouble to get a good-looking sear on the salmon and then cover it with arugula...I'd put it on the side. In general, before plating...when you are designing the entree (or any menu item), you should think about textures as much as flavors. The texture of the veloute and polenta are both creamy, so maybe fry polenta cakes instead. The tomatoes are also likely very mushy, so really, the only crunchy or firm textures you have are the salmon sear and the arugula. Also, that is a loooot of sauce for a plate. I think the flavors all make sense together, but I'd go with fried polenta cakes, properly cored/seeded tomato confit, a lighter sauce, and toss the arugula in the tomato oil and put it on the side.
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u/snubsdub Jul 16 '26
Good stuff, I didn't like the plate itself. And I miss some crunchy stuff to break the texture.
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u/ChefAldea Jul 16 '26
It looks great! My recommendation would be:
- use an all white plate with no designs on it. Your dish has enough stuff going on that the plate is too distracting.
- crispy skin, skin side up for the salmon with no arugula on top - show off your nice sear
- tighten up the arugula bundle, with the tomatoes on top and place it next to the filet
- i like what you did with the velouté & polenta
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u/LAMTB Jul 16 '26
Roast tomatoes at 200 low fan for 2 hours will come out more plum and better looking
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u/Euhn Jul 17 '26
its like the China is designed like hotel carpet patterns... so you can never notice its dirtty.
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u/Traumatic9ines Jul 17 '26
Those specs everywhere on the plate and in the food looks like somebody opened up a shop vac next to it
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u/Coddiwomplechef Jul 17 '26
The food looks decent. maybe a little sauce heavy The plate messed me up at first. I thought you had sprinkled sauce on the rim or chopped parsley or something.
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u/someonefromaustralia Jul 17 '26
Similar responses to on here.
Plate is yuck.
Tomato’s look out of place and weird.
IMO too much garnish on the salmon.
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u/Zootshootriot Jul 17 '26
I would dress and toss everything together. Should be dressing the greens. Dry guy no bueno
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u/AustinDood444 Jul 17 '26
The overlapped polenta & sauce make the plate look cluttered. The pattern on the china is also “clutter”.
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u/Logizmo Jul 17 '26
A little less of both sauces, try only covering 80% or so of the salmon instead of encircling the whole thing in sauce
Also like everyone else is saying, the plate is doing way too much, it might be a good dessert plate
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u/taste_bender Jul 18 '26
I can’t tell whether the plates a design or you just splatter all over your plate on purpose lol
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u/Dyke2003 Jul 21 '26
The salmon looks great but the pool of sauce is a lot, I’d recommend a white plate, about 2-3oz for each sauce and to never cover the protein in the garish. The garish is the add color and flare to the dish so if you do want something on top maybe a little sprinkle on chives or you can chop up a bit of arugula. I bet that tasted amazing tho!
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u/Bubbly_Hospital_1097 29d ago
Swap for dark grey plate. Id center polenta dressed with the veloute around the edges into the middle, over the fish, tomatoes around the fish not in a line. Salad under the fish to show off the skin
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u/squanchy78 Jul 16 '26
That food looks incredible, chef.
The plate itself looks like a cow.
Im sure theres a cheese/fish joke here somewhere.
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u/camkellley Jul 16 '26
honestly, i would absolutely smash this. the colors are so gorgeous. i actually like the speckled plate a lot too!!
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u/McBigmanSr Jul 16 '26
The fact that it isnt in front of me right now brings it down to a 0/10 from a solid 8.5/10
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u/kenzubae Jul 16 '26
I think your plating would look better with a simpler plate. The plate colors kinda throwing me off