Category: Fish

Busy at the Belvedere: Watermelon Tiradito


This summer, I’ve been doing something completely outside my comfort zone —working at the Belvedere steakhouse in upstate New York. I knew I would be spending my summer upstate, and I like to keep busy so I decided to look for a summer job in a local kosher restaurant, something I had never done before. I heard about this newly built steakhouse, set up an interview, and the rest is history! I worked with the owner on curating the menu, plated all the dishes for the staff, and tweaked some of the dishes. Every week, I challenge myself to build a new appetizer around a single seasonal ingredient, finding multiple ways to showcase it on one plate. I call it Busy at the Belvedere, my pop-up menu for the season!

It’s been one of the most creatively rewarding experiences I’ve had in years.

Creating recipes for a restaurant is completely different than creating them for my blog or instagram. Every component has to be beautiful, delicious, practical to execute during service, and worthy of taking up real estate on the plate. I’ve learned to edit, rethink, and refine every idea until it earns its place.

The adrenaline of service is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Once tickets start printing and the kitchen comes alive, there’s an energy that’s impossible to describe. I finally understand why chefs love working the line. It’s stressful, exhilarating, and incredibly addictive.

This week’s featured ingredient is watermelon.

Instead of treating watermelon as something sweet, I wanted to explore its versatility. The rind is transformed into crisp, tangy pickles, while the flesh is blended into a vibrant watermelon leche de tigre that brings freshness, acidity, and just enough sweetness to balance the rich tuna.

Working in a professional kitchen for the first time has challenged me creatively every single day. I’m already thinking about next week’s ingredient, and honestly…I may have to open my own restaurant one day. (Only half joking!).

Now, for the dish! Tiradito is a Peruvian-style raw fish dish similar to sashimi or crudo. Thin slices of raw fish are laid out and dressed with a flavorful sauce (often citrus-based) right before serving. Unlike ceviche, the fish is not usually marinated for a long time, so it stays more like fresh sashimi in texture.

Leche de Tigre (“tiger’s milk”) is the bright, spicy, citrusy marinade/sauce used in Peruvian ceviche. It’s traditionally made from lime juice, fish juices, aromatics (like onion, garlic, cilantro), chili, and seasonings. It’s acidic, savory, and slightly creamy/cloudy, and it can be served as a sauce over raw fish.

Alas, here’s the full recipe for my WATERMELON appetizer!

Tuna Tiradito with Pickled Watermelon Rind & Watermelon Leche de Tigre

Tuna Cure

2 parts kosher salt
1 part granulated sugar
1 center-cut tuna loin or toro

Combine the salt and sugar.

Coat the tuna evenly on all sides and refrigerate for 15-25 minutes, depending on thickness.

Rinse thoroughly under cold water, pat completely dry, wrap tightly, and chill before slicing paper-thin.

Pickled Watermelon Rind

Rind from 1 small watermelon, green skin removed and rind cut into thin strips (I like to leave a bit of the pink watermelon at the edge for prettier presentation)
1 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Bring the water, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot brine over the watermelon rind. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight before using.

Watermelon Leche de Tigre

2 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
1 stalk celery or a handful of cilantro stems
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½-inch piece fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove
1/2 seeded jalapeño
kosher salt, to taste
1-2 tbsp honey, to taste

Blend everything until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Chill well.

To Plate:

cured tuna
pickled watermelon rind
small cubes of watermelon
sliced jalapeno
watermelon leche de tigre
lime zest
flaky salt
extra virgin olive oil
cilantro microgreens

Arrange five thin slices of cured tuna on the plate. Place pickled watermelon rind, jalapeno and cubed watermelon around it. Pour the watermelon leche de tigre onto the plate. Finish with flaky sea salt, olive oil, lime zest and microgreens.

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Knicks Victory Fish Tacos!

New York has a way of turning sports into something much greater than just a game. When a team wins, it doesn’t stay confined to a scoreboard or a TV screen. It spills onto the streets, into strangers high-fiving each other, into music blasting from the streets, and people dancing around their neighborhoods. That’s what the Knicks victory felt like.

Saturday night was one of those rare city moments where everyone came together like family! People were proudly wearing blue and orange, jumping with excitement, honking their horns, and clanking their glasses. It wasn’t just celebration—it felt like a reset of the city’s mood and a reminder that shared joy still exists here.

I wanted to capture that feeling in food.

So I built a fish taco that mirrors the colors of the moment: orange and blue, bold and festive, simple enough to eat standing up in a crowd if you had to.

The base is blue corn tortillas, obviously. And the fish, salmon, of course. For the slaw, I used red cabbage (we’ll make believe it’s blue even though it’s more of a purple) and carrots to play into the color story, and add some crunch. For the sauce, I made an orange chipotle-lime crema that really pulls everything together.

The combination is simple, but intentional. Blue, orange, crunch, smoke, acid, heat. A celebration on a plate.

There’s something about making food after a city moment like that. It’s less about replication and more about interpretation—taking a feeling and translating it onto the plate.

Knicks Victory Fish Tacos!

Old Bay Flaked Salmon
4 slices salmon fillet
2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the fish and pat dry. Rub Old Bay seasoning over the fish until well coated and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with lemon zest and juice and sprinkle with salt. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Cabbage Slaw
1/2 small red cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, julienned and cut into small pieces
olive oil
fresh squeezed lime juice
fresh squeezed orange juice
kosher salt, to taste

Drizzle the cabbage with olive oil and season, to taste, with lime, orange juice and salt.

Chipotle Lime Crema
1 cup sour cream (can sub mayo or Greek yogurt)
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
1 tbsp adobo sauce
1 clove garlic
juice of 1/2 lime
kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

For serving:
blue corn tortillas
fresh cilantro
lime wedges

To assemble fish tacos, heat the tortillas over an open flame until lightly blistered. Fill with the fish, cabbage slaw, crema and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Related Recipes:

old bay fish tacos
Fish Tacos with Savory Plantain Tortillas
fish tacos with broccoli slaw

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Sheet Pan Roasted Fish & Gnocchi

I love me a sheet pan dinner, and this one has to be a favorite! When I learned that you can roast gnocchi in the oven instead of boiling it, it was LIFECHANGING. The dumplings take on a lovely chewy texture, and they caramelize around the edges for the most delicious bite! Adding fish fillets in the center of the pan makes Meatless Mondays a breeze!

Sheet Pan Roasted Fish & Gnocchi

For the gnocchi:
1 lb. store-bought gnocchi
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cubes frozen basil
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt, to taste
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

For the fish:
2 fillets striped bass, or white fish fillets of your choice
2 cubes frozen basil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

On a sheet pan, combine the gnocchi, tomatoes, zucchini, basil, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, slat, olive oil and balsamic, stir to combine. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, stir, and move the gnocchi around the perimeter of the pan to make room for the fish. Place the fish fillets in the center. In a small bowl, mix the basil and olive oil, brush over the fish. Add the lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

sheet pan pesto gnocchi
shlishkes
Old Bay fish tacos
sheet pan branzino

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Thai Fish Curry

It was Meatless Monday and I was not in the mood of making dinner (true story – yes it happens to me!), so I topped by the fish store to pick up some branzino – the easiest 5-minute fish dinner (I cook it whole!). They had some really fresh Turbot on hand so I switched gears and decided to whip up a quick coconut curry, a recipe that packs a punch of flavor but comes together is 10 minutes. Just the way I like it.

Thai Fish Curry

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2″ chunk ginger, finely julienned
3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 (15-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
6 white fish filets (I used Turbot)
zest and juice of 1/2 lime
toppings: chopped cilantro, chopped scallions and extra lime wedges
4 cups cooked rice, for serving

Method:

Heat the coconut oil in a wide skillet and add the onion, saute for 2 minutes, add the peppers and continue to saute another 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until softened. Add the coconut milk, curry paste, turmeric, salt and peppers and bring the mixture to a simmer. Season the fish with salt and pepper and gently place in the sauce, spooning some of it over the fish. Grate the lime zets over the fish and add the lime juice. Cover the pot and simmer 12-15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Top with scallions and cilantro and serve over rice.

Related Recipes:

Thai chicken curry
curry chicken salad
peanut chicken curry

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Smoked Salmon Carpaccio

Smoked salmon

Why put out a sad cardboard tray of smoked salmon when you can make smoked salmon carpaccio so easily! Plus, it sounds fancy! I love how adaptable this is. You can top it with any of your favorite vegetables like thinly sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs of your choice. Make your own and have fun with it!

Smoked salmon

Wishing you a Gmar Chasima Tova and an easy and meaningful fast!

Smoked Salmon Carpaccio

1 package smoked salmon
jalapeno, thinly sliced
radishes, thinly sliced
red onion, thinly sliced
capers
lemon zest
fresh dill
good quality olive oil
flaky salt

Method:

spread your lox out on a large platter covering the surface. Top with the toppings of your choice and Finish with olive oil oil and flaky salt!

Smoked salmon

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