salmon, mussels pistou, Alaskan king crab,
Dungeness crab fryer legs and white fish.
The shrimp, scallops, salmon, white fish
and mussels are smoked, while everything
else is either steamed or boiled. Two
dipping sauces accompany the platter:
an ogo (seaweed) vinaigrette featuring
seaweed from Hawaii, and a gribiche
Chicken of the Sea
Terra Vista Restaurant
vinaigrette made with shallots, green
onions and sesame oil.
“Normally, a seafood platter includes
poached or raw seafood. It’s more unusual
to smoke seafood,” Dillon says. “We had a
little wood smoker and decided to smoke
smaller portions of the seafood. We wanted
to create an item that was specific to us
that you couldn’t find any other place.”
Sake-steamed honey mussels stand out
as a bold appetizer that is a frequent
special at Sunda. DeGuzman steams
the mussels in a sake ponzu sauce that
includes garlic and onions. He tops the
mussels with scallions and a shiso leaf.
“The dish has a sweet flavor, and the
mussels are very tender and really big,” he
says. “The mussels are British Columbia
honey mussels, and they are just making
their way to Chicago. They started being
used out on the West Coast about two or
three years ago.
“I put a little Japanese spin on our dish
with the sake. I have a strong Japanese
background in food. It is standard cooking
technique to add wine to mussels when
steaming, so I used sake instead of white
wine, and instead of lemon juice, I used a
Japanese sauce.”
Kathryn Kjarsgaard is a freelance food
writer based in Forest Park, Ill.
Starters inspired by desserts include
Peter Robson's savory salmon cheesecake with asparagus, top, and a sea
urchin crème brûlée with crabmeat,
ginger gelée and a piece of sea urchin
roe topped with anise glacé from
Bruce Dillon at Terra Vista.
