American diners didn’t used to have it so good when it came to seafood starters. A typical fine-dining menu might feature a prawn cocktail, perhaps a smoked salmon crudité, or maybe oysters.
But as American chefs have embraced a more global cuisine, the result has been a significant broadening of the repertoire of seafood small plates on offer in U.S. restaurants. Now American chefs are adding their own personal signatures to their menus, using local and imported seafood and ingredients to craft their own unique creations.
“Crudo” is one area where they really seem to be having a lot of fun. A dish of sliced, seasoned, uncooked seafood – often served with a sauce – the crudo can be traced back to Roman times, but survived to modernity mostly in Italian and Spanish cooking. Now crudo has jumped the pond with gusto, and American diners are reaping the rewards.
Here are some restaurants from around America who are making their mark on the world of crudo.
