When I had to think of a good Poisson d’avril dish on Tuesday, I immediately went to a classic sole meuniere. It’s classic, but it’s safe.
When you want to get away from the ‘ol lemon butter standby and try something a little more wild, take a cue from the 2014 Denver FIVE who recently got creative with fish dishes at their first FIVE at FIVE™ event. Here are 5 unconventional ways to prepare fish that will wow your palette:
1. Gravlax Crespelle
Just try googling this dish – it doesn’t seem to exist outside of the mind of Nadine Donovan of Denver’s Old Major, but it definitely deserves a place in cookbooks. Imagine a Nordic salmon crêpe with some horseradish dipping cream. Mmmmm.
2. Pastrami Cured Tuna
Thin sliced and served with sauerkraut and Russian dressing like a traditional pastrami, the tuna really shines in this oddball preparation. Though we might not ever know the exact ingredients for Carrie Shore’s Pastrami Cured Tuna, you can use the same brine as you do for your traditional pastrami, but it cures in just a few hours.
3. Korean Roasted Tilapia
What’s one way to to make sure your tilapia doesn’t taste bland? Roast it in kimchi and Korean spices. This otherwise light fish can really take on some of those fuller flavors and it gets a gorgeous red color to boot! Aniedra Nichols of Elway’s plates this with a classic baby bok choy.
4. Seared Albacore with Pork Belly, Grapefruit, Vanilla Caramel, and Black Pepper Sauce
All of these things sound like they’d independently clash with a seared white tuna, but together, the independent notes form a fantastic symphony of flavor. The salty pork belly, the acidic grapefruit, the sweet caramel, and the spice of the pepper each bring out a new flavor in the tuna, beautifully executed by Panzano‘s talented Elise Wiggins.
5. Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass
I’m ready to glaze everything in miso after trying this buttery sea bass, paired with a nest of springy buckwheat noodles. It’s going to be hard to recreate the magic Jenna Johansen put on a plate, but this Epicurious recipe looks like a great start.
After 5 spectacular (and unique) fish dishes, I couldn’t be more excited for the Denver FIVE’s upcoming “ColoradoRadical” dinner on April 20th.
How do you like your fish? Have you tried any of these oddball preparations? Would you? Let me know in the comments!