Acadia
Where: Acadia, Chicago
Who: Chef Ryan McCaskey
What: Pistachio fried oyster with pickled and gelled red onion and celery, oyster liquor bubbles, nasturtium and chive flowers
Ariana
Where: Ariana, New York
Who: Chef Vitalli Kovalev
What: Kovalev’s Sturgeon Pelmeni is filled with fresh sturgeon and spices and boiled. The dough is tinted with squid ink and the sauce is cream-based and has a strong saffron profile.
BLT Fish and BLT Fish Shack
Where: BLT Fish and BLT Fish Shack, New York
Who: Chef Luke Venner
What: Venner’s Salt-Crusted Branzino is a whole fish prepared by encasing the fish in a salt-and-egg white mixture that coagulates and hardens.
Faith & Flower
Where: Faith & Flower, Los Angeles
Who: Michael Hung
What: A whole roasted Tai Snapper wrapped in kombu is prepared by salting the interior cavity of the fish and stuffing it with lemon, scallions, garlic and ginger. The fish is wrapped in a large leaf of kombu seaweed that has been soaked in water and set in a cast iron pan, buried in hot coals and cooked in a wood oven. The fish is served in the kombu, which is cut open tableside.
Pakpao
Where: Pakpao, Dallas
Who: Chef Jet Tila
What: Pla Douk Pad Phet (Crispy Catfish with Red Curry), which includes crispy catfish, bamboo shoots, Thai apple eggplant, kaffir lime leaf, red curry and jasmine rice.
Plan Check Kitchen + Bar
Where: Plan Check Kitchen + Bar, Los Angeles
Who: Executive Chef Ernesto Uchimura
What: The Salmon Pastrami is composed of green peppercorns, an everything bagel chip, inky cream cheese, brined celery and borage and is inspired by the restaurant’s location in Fairfax Village, adjacent to Canter’s Deli and Jewish bakeries.
Rappahannock
Where: Rappahannock; Richmond, VA
Who: Chef Dylan Fultineer
What: Fultineer keeps ceviche on the menu, but varies the seafood component based on his access to the best fish available. He recently prepared a citrusy Fluke Ceviche that features subtle Mediterranean and Asian influences with finger lime, olives, Thai chilies, basil and coriander.
SPQR
Where: SPQR, San Francisco
Who: Chef Matthew Accarrino
What: Accarrino makes his own caviar that he uses in dishes like sturgeon skin crisp with Meyer lemon yogurt and caviar.
Travelle
Where: Travelle, Chicago
Who: Chef Tim Graham
What: “Seacuterie” features an Octopus Mosaic, a thinly sliced take on headcheese; Tramosalata Torchon, made with trout roe and shaped into a torchon; Smoked Salmon Terrine; pickled mustard seeds; preserved kumquat; pickled calamari and smoked whitefish rillettes.
Victor Tangos
Where: Victor Tangos, Dallas
Who: Chef Kirstyn Brewer
What: A daily-changing whole market fish that serves 2-4 people. Served with crushed lemony potatoes, crispy capers and pimento aioli.