“I love cooking Brussels sprouts mainly because I feel they have a bad reputation. The general population overcooks them, and when you overcook Brussels sprouts, they tend to give off a bad aroma and become bitter over time,” says Ricardo Jarquin, chef at Travelle Kitchen + Bar in Chicago. “At the restaurant, we take the leaves off and flash fry them along with bacon. Once crispy, we toss them in a light lemon vinaigrette, Parmesan, pepper flakes and pine nuts. At this stage, they are already delicious, but we take it a step further and add a fried egg over the top. We garnish the dish with mustard seeds, espelette and petite greens.”

At Sushi Roku in Vegas and Los Angeles, chefs flash fry Brussels sprouts leaves and dust them with truffle oil and sea salt. “Edamame is usually the tabletop nosh in a Japanese restaurant, but we wanted to try something different. The popularity of Brussels sprouts lead us to experiment with using this ingredient,” says Tom Cardenas, v.p. of operations for Innovative Dining Group. “The original version of this dish had us tempura battering and frying the Brussels sprouts, but after a few tastings, we decided to go for the lighter version without the tempura batter.”

“While most folks serve them hot, we roast our Brussels sprouts to get the char, and then chill them,” says Hasnain Zaidi, cofounder of Tava Kitchen, with three locations in the Bay Area. “They can then be an everyday exotic kind of salad where our mint chutney aioli can really shine.”

“I always loved the classic Brussels sprouts with bacon and onions, but I wanted to challenge myself and make something vegetarian that also felt festive,” says Bahr Rapaport, owner and executive chef of Mezetto in New York City. “I was once enjoying a cheese plate and took a bite of bleu cheese with dried fig. It was right around Rosh Hashanah, so I had apples and honey on my mind. The next morning, I stormed into the kitchen with the idea to make a Brussels sprouts and fig dish with honey, almonds, bleu cheese, apple and balsamic reduction.”  

At Nosh & Booze in Chicago, chef Barney Smith combines crispy Brussels sprouts with red cabbage, carrots, Fresno peppers, scallions, bacon, crunchy shallots and bacon vinaigrette dressing. “Brussels sprouts are still having a moment and I wanted to come up with a way to serve them that would make even those that hate Brussels sprouts like them,” says Smith. “Our Brussels sprout salad has become a crowd favorite and most tables order one to share as a starter.” 

Brussels sprouts are one of the most nutritious items on Earth, with four times as much vitamin C as oranges and high levels of folic acid and fiber. Many consumers have lived their lives despising this powerhouse vegetable because of early exposure to overcooked sprouts. With talented chefs opening consumers’ eyes to the true potential of these little gems, we’re seeing new Brussels sprouts lovers emerge every day.

Here are some of the newest Brussels sprouts dishes causing a stir across the nation.

“This is our most beloved dish, and is a favorite for even those who traditionally dislike Brussels sprouts,” says Wes Davis, chef of Bostwick Lake Inn in Rockford, Mich. “Garden-fresh Brussels sprouts are halved and fried for one to two minutes, then tossed with sea salt and a crystalized ginger-blood orange glaze. The dish pairs wonderfully with a dry rosé or an IPA.”

“This is one of my favorite examples of our focus on seasonality and finding the best product we can,” says Aaron McKay, chef at Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago. “This is a dish that we’ve had, in some form, on the menu since early spring. When the first asparagus came into season, we’d put together a dish that was a perfect counterpoint to the sweet, bitter, and nutty flavors of seared asparagus. We liked the accompaniments (hazelnuts, Iberico pancetta, anchovy aioli, and lemon vinegar) so much, that we kept them through snap pea, snow pea, and broccoli seasons. As we were ending the summer, we tried the first Brussels sprouts of the season with the dish, and it’s been extremely popular.”

“Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables to cook with,” says Troy Guard, chef and owner of TAG Restaurant Group in Denver. “They are so versatile, and there are so many fun preparations, which is why I serve them at a lot of my restaurants. At Los Chingones, where most people might not expect to find Brussels sprouts on the menu, we serve them extra crispy with traditional Mexican flavors, including a pasilla chile lime and cotija cheese. You get all the flavors you want from a Mexican dish, with a unique and delicious base.”

“The crispy Brussels sprouts were a last minute addition to our mac,” says Mariela Bolaños, chef at MAD Social in Chicago. “We have another Brussels sprouts dish on the menu and I was trying to think of other ways to incorporate it into additional dishes. When I added it to our mac, it just worked. It gave it a crunch and makes our mac a little more unique.”