A Glorious Summer Evening Cooking Seafood with Citarella
On Tuesday night, residents gathered on the stunning rooftop of the Tate for the third and final installment of our Summer of Seafood Series led by Joe Gurrera, Citarella's Owner and Original Fishmonger.
Joe Gurerra of CitarellaAs guests sipped wines that paired well with the dishes served – Poggiosecco "Etrah" Pet-Nat 2018, Mora & Memo "Tino" Vermentino di Sardegna 2018 and Majolini, Franciacorta Brut 2009– and admired Hudson Yards twinkling in the distance, Joe demonstrated three simple recipes for preparing fish: a Branzino Crudo, a Branzino Tartar, and a perfectly poached lobster.
Joe prepares the Branzino tartar
Though cooking seafood may seem intimidating to many people, Gurrera emphasized that it doesn't have to be (check out his easy-to-make ceviche recipe here). In fact, the most important step in preparing a good seafood dish may very well be buying quality ingredients. To demonstrate this, Guerrera let one particularly wary guest sniff his fingers after he had gutted a fish. The conclusion? His hands didn't smell at all – an indicator of quality seafood.
The branzino tartar
The night ended, as all good nights do, with a lobster, which Guerrera poached for precisely seven minutes – no more, no less. Do that, and you'll have perfect lobster meat every time, he advised. A valuable lesson from a lovely evening.
Guests entered a raffle to win Joe's new book (left), and Joe sliced branzino.
Guests watched from the rooftop of the Tate, which offers incredible views of Hudson Yards
