Cold, sharp, no oven
The Mediterranean Raw Bar
The summer answer to a kitchen you cannot use: raw fish, marinated prawns, tomatoes that need nothing, citrus, oil and salt. Everything is assembly and ice.
Preparation
What happens when
- The day beforeFish ordered for morning collection, cure mixes made, platters and ice organised.
- The dayFish cleaned and portioned cold, vegetables in iced water, everything dressed only at service.
Service
How to serve it
Everything comes out at once on platters and the table serves itself, which makes this the easiest format for a long table. Keep the platters on ice trays and replace rather than refill.
At home
A raw table for eight
Buy one whole fish and one kilo of prawns, and spend the rest of the budget on tomatoes and oil.
- Have the fishmonger fillet a 1.5 kg sea bass; slice it thin two hours ahead, keep covered on a cold plate.
- Peel 800 g raw red prawns, dress with olive oil, lemon zest and flaked salt fifteen minutes before serving.
- Slice 1.5 kg mixed tomatoes thickly, salt them ten minutes ahead, pour over the best oil you own.
- Serve fennel and radishes in a bowl of iced water with an anchovy butter, warm bread and cold wine.
Editor’s tip: Dress the fish at the table. Salt and acid start cooking it within a minute and the texture is the whole point.
Plan it
Quantities and timing
How much to buy
Quantity Calculator
Guest count, service style and menu shape turned into a shopping list in kilos, litres and pieces.
OpenDoes this menu work?
Menu Composer
Build a menu course by course and see the balance: weight, technique, temperature, colour, repetition, oven conflicts and a wine suggestion for each course..
OpenWhat happens at 19:40
Service Timeline
A backwards plan from the minute your first course leaves the kitchen: crew arrival, prep, table setting, briefing, doors, courses, speeches, coffee and strike..
OpenFormats
Where this menu belongs
Format
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Where it eats best
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