Chefs showcase creative ways to highlight seafood
Fish by José Andrés creates a summery Idaho farmed trout with a 'peachy' air, using heirloom tomatoes and peaches, then cooking in a charcoal oven for a crispy skin and smoky flavor.
At Ocean Prime the recently added Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl with avocado and Sriracha vinaigrette sells exceptionally well.
Sunda New Asian's best-selling seafood entrée is a Chilean sea bass dish that chef Mike Morales first made on a whim.
Centrolina serves its branzino whole, head to tail, boneless so that it can be stuffed with lemons, rosemary and thyme.
At Cindy’s in Chicago guests often ask about the seafood's sustainability - keeping the restaurant searching for the best producers of sustainably raised seafood it can locate.
Granville, Los Angeles, features a rainbow trout with an amandine crust that uses pepitas and housemade preserved lemon, with grass-fed butter, giving it both familiarity and subtle unique touches.
At Coasterra two of the best-selling seafood entrées are head-to-tail options - a whole-roasted local fish of the day, and the Puerto Nuevo-Style Maine Lobster.
Pisco Rotisserie & Cevicheria's top-selling ceviche is the Ceviche Martini de Tigre, which he blends the traditional flavors of Peruvian ceviche with Southern California ingredients.
At Sur Lie, Portland, Maine the pan-seared scallops has developed an almost cult-like following. The scallops are sourced, processed and repacked meticulously to ensure this popularity is maintained.
The Salt Line in Washington, D.C. creates a New England take on a Southern U.S. classic, utilizing Mid-Atlantic ingredients.
Nico Osteria in Chicago uses a deeply flavored glaze on its collar, then finishes with a spice mix, and grills until crispy.
Prawn Coastal Casual in California centers on flavorful broths made in tilting steam kettles, creating a rich taste with complex flavors.
When Pacific halibut is in season, Travelle Kitchen + Bar sells three times as much of it as the next best-selling seafood items on his menu.
Oysters are the best-selling seafood item at gastropub Publican Anker, served on the half shell with just a slice of lemon, or roasted, with yuzu butter.
Tavernonna in Kansas City, Mo., has found success in selling both scallops and halibut by pairing them with produce brought in from local farms.
Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, in Louisiana, takes jumbo Gulf shrimp and stuffs them with cream cheese and pickled jalapeños, wraps them in smoked bacon, char-grilled, serves them on sweet-corn grits and and tops them with a chile glaze.
The highlights of the menus at Aqua by El Gaucho in Seattle and The Lakehouse in Bellevue, Wash., are Maine scallops and wild Alaska king salmon, respectively.
Buffalo Ranch Octopus is one of the top-selling menu items at Herringbone Waikiki, Honolulu, offering an unexpected take on how octopus is traditionally served.
At seafood-centric Oceana in Manhattan, mild fish like the top-selling halibut is prepared using more pronounced ingredients, varying with seasons.
At farm-to-table Canoe in Atlanta, Matthew Basford keeps the flavors complementary with the strength of the fish flavors.