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Seafood Best Sellers: Halibut and Scallops Bryant Wigger, Executive Chef | Tavernonna, Kansas City, Mo.

At Tavernonna in Kansas City, Mo., the scallops are paired with puréed carrots and cured guanciale, and topped with sea bean butter.
PHOTO CREDIT: Tavernonna

Bryant Wigger at Tavernonna sees being in the middle of the country as a seafood-procurement benefit. “We can get fresh fish from both coasts,” he says. While his is not a seafood-heavy menu, Wigger has found success in selling both scallops and halibut by pairing them with the produce he brings in from local farms.

In spring, he highlights the natural sweet and salty flavors of the scallops with puréed young carrots and cured guanciale sautéed with spinach. He tops the dish with sea bean butter to add natural salinity to the dish as well. “We brine the halibut, which adds a nice crispiness when you pan-fry it, but it also extends the life of the fish,” he says.

He serves that with the classic Italian pairing of prosciutto and peas, atop a beet pesto. “The beet pesto ties the land and sea elements of the dish together and also adds a nice pop of color.”

From the special Sept/Oct 2018 Seafood issue of Flavor & the Menu magazine. Read this issue online or check if you qualify for a free print subscription.

 

About The Author

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Christine Burns Rudalevige is a seasoned food writer and classically trained cook living in Brunswick, Maine. She has worked as a chef, a farmers’ market manager, and a boutique caterer. Christine founded the Family Fish Project (a website dedicated to eating seafood at home) and later worked as a lead culinary instructor at Stonewall Kitchen. The dedicated home cook and food writer has lent her voice to regional and national media outlets, from NPR to Cooking Light.