Golden Eye Chef
FEATURE · SAN SEBASTIÁN
Golden Eye Chef
Cooking, competition, San Sebastián and the dish that brought them together.
San Sebastián · August 2026
Nothing brings me joy quite like cooking at home for family and friends.
Ever since my adventures in the Basque Country, I have completely fallen in love with hake, or merluza, as it is known locally. I swear this fish was never an option at restaurants or fish markets when I was growing up, nor is it easy to find back home today. But its delicate, flaky texture and subtle flavor make it an absolute winner in my book.
The Golden Eye Chef Competition
This year, I had the honor of competing in Golden Eye Chef. Think of Golden Eye Chef as the ultimate culinary showdown, brought to life by blind and visually impaired cooks from around the world.
Born in India, the competition pits passionate home chefs against each other to showcase pure talent, precision, and serious kitchen magic. Even though my entry was just a single 15-minute video, filming it made me feel like I was right in the middle of a MasterChef-style reality show!
The twist for this year’s competition was that every contestant had to cook a dish representing their country. Since I recorded my entry in San Sebastian, I chose merluza en salsa verde: hake in green sauce. It is an aromatic, delicious one-pot dish that holds a special place in my heart.
Cooking Merluza en Salsa Verde
To kick off the video, I walked through setting up my mise en place: chopping fresh spring onions and garlic, measuring out the flour and liquids, and neatly arranging every ingredient across my counter.
I even showed off the little bay leaf plant where I snipped a fresh leaf for the recipe.
Once everything was set, it was game time. Step by step, I built up the sauce layer by layer, filling the whole room with incredible aromas. The signature green comes mostly from fresh parsley chopped by hand, and I could not resist splashing in a bit of local Txakoli white wine, one of my absolute favorites.
When the camera first started rolling, I definitely had a few butterflies. But by the time I laid those delicate fish fillets into the pot, the nerves vanished, and I was completely in my zone.
I finished off the dish by garnishing deep plates with tender spears of white asparagus and halves of hard-boiled eggs. Looking down at the final plate, I felt immensely proud.
The Result
Over the next few weeks, I shared the video with everyone I knew, including family, friends, and far beyond. I stayed on top of social media, regularly reminding people to vote, while quietly hoping the judges would fall for the flavor, techniques, and heart behind the dish.
Looking back, entering was an amazing experience. I walked away with second place in the largest category, which was such a satisfying finish.
Looking down at the final plate, I felt immensely proud.
Daniel Aronoff
Watch the Dish Come Together
Golden Eye Chef: Hake in Green Sauce →
KEEP READING
Milla Lore 124 — Daniel’s return to restaurant writing in San Sebastián.
Why I Stopped Writing — The story behind the long silence and the return.
Basque Country — Explore more stories from a place that became part of Daniel’s life.