Italy’s Answer to Sashimi
You don’t need advanced knife skills or a lot of elements to make crudo at home—just a bit of fresh fish and good olive oil. Japan has sashimi , Hawaii has poke, and Peru has ceviche, but in Italy (and Sicily in particular) it’s all about pesce crudo .
I became well acquainted with pesce crudo (Italian for “raw fish,” unsurprisingly) during a recent trip to Sicily. Crudo at its simplest is nothing more than raw seafood dressed with olive oil, sea salt, acid (such as lemon juice or good quality vinegar), and sometimes pepper.
With advanced refrigeration and science on the customer’s side, result quality fish is as easy as driving down to your local Whole Foods, or fish shop. First, be sure to use a very sharp knife when portioning, and always cut the fish against the grain.
Keep the seafood refrigerated while prepping the other components to ensure freshness (you can even pop your fish into the freezer for 10 minutes or so to make it easier to slice). Depending on the type of fish, this could be a full-bodied, fruity, herbaceous Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil or perhaps an extracted nut oil, such as pistachio oil or hazelnut oil. With a milder-tasting fish (like white fish or scallops), consider a more subtle, nuanced oil so as not to overpower its delicate savor.
Tuna Crudo With Capers 4 servings Ingredients 8 ounces sushi-grade ahi tuna Squeeze of lemon Extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons capers, rinsed Microgreens (such as basil) for garnish Pinch of flaky sea salt Given the freshness and buttery texture of the sushi-grade tuna I found at my local producers’ trade, it needed nothing more than a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil. Place the fish in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Slice the tuna thinly with a sharp knife and lay the slices on the plate, overlapping slightly. Whitefish Crudo With Pistachio and Mint 4 servings Ingredients 8 ounces sushi-grade white fish (such as snapper, bream, bass, grouper, rockfish, yellowtail) Juice of 1 lemon Extra-virgin olive oil Chopped pistachios for garnish Leaves from few sprigs of mint Zest of 1 lemon Pinch of flaky sea salt You can use several kinds of whitefish in this recipe—such as snapper, bream, bass, grouper, rockfish, or yellowtail.
The combination of pistachios, lemon, and mint is a classic pairing that I encountered throughout Sicily. Place the fish in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Slice the fish thinly with a sharp knife and lay the slices on the plate, overlapping slightly. Scallop Crudo With Basil Oil 4 servings Ingredients Crudo 6 scallops Basil oil 1 cucumber Squeeze of lemon 1 small shallot, thinly sliced Microgreens (such as arugula, radish) Pinch of flaky sea salt Basil Oil 1 cup packed basil leaves ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil Pinch of flaky sea salt When raw, scallops possess a mild and sweet savor.
Drop the basil leaves in the boiling water for 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, remove the leaves and place in the ice bath to cool down. Place the blanched basil, oil, and salt into a blender and puree until very smooth.
Crudo Place the scallops in the freezer for 10 minutes. Slice the scallops thinly, in thirds horizontally, with a sharp knife and lay the slices on the plate, overlapping slightly with the cucumber.
