Simple Snapper Crudo Recipe

First, let's address the question you surely have: What is crudo, anyway? According to Eater, "crudo" means "raw" in Italian. The dish is typically comprised of uncooked fish or meat, complete with citrus juice or olive oil. It differs from sashimi, because sashimi is not prepared with sauces like these, and it's different from sushi, because of the many reasons you are welcome to delve into.

Long story short, crudo is a dish centered on a raw ingredient, and in this case, it's fish. Now to address the concern likely arising within you: Can you safely prepare and eat raw fish at home? The answer is by all means yes, according to chef and recipe developer Nathaniel Lee of Beginner Food, provided you do it right. Which basically means buy good fish from a trusted seller. "Use fresh fish," Lee says, "and try to purchase [it] from a fish market or a dedicated fish monger rather than a supermarket case. Do not purchase prepackaged fish for raw preparations." And plan to use a good sharp knife, too.

Regardless of whether you're serving it as a starter, a course, a light lunch, or a party app, to prepare this gorgeous dish, you'll need these ingredients: one snapper fillet, roughly eight to 10 ounces in size, a shallot, about a half dozen cherry or grape tomatoes, a lime for juicing, a jalapeño, about a tablespoon of microgreens (like broccoli or pea microgreens), some olive oil, salt, and a thinly-sliced radish, for garnish.

Start things off by washing all of your fresh ingredients — and yes, that includes rinsing the fish fillet well. Now peel and then dice the shallot (Okay, you didn't need to wash that one!), cut the tomatoes in half or into quarters if they are large, then slice the lime in half. (You can juice it, or plan to just squeeze the halves, just watch for any seeds if you go that route.)

Next, gently de-stem the microgreens. Then, de-seed and chop the jalapeño. (Avoid touching your face, and wash your hands immediately after handling the jalapeño pepper.) Lastly, set all of these prepped veggies aside, and wipe clean your work surface.

Thinly slice the snapper fillet, creating narrow strips of meat cut at an angle to the grain of muscle so they hold together. And for the record, if you can't find decent snapper, you don't have to give up on this dish. "Alternative options for snapper are yellowtail, bass, halibut, or escolar," says Lee. (Note that those more traditional sushi/sashimi fish, salmon and tuna, don't work as well with the flavors brought together here.)

Your prep work is done, now it's time for the artwork, if you will. Plate the fish first, laying the strips out in an elegant pattern. Then, top the strips of fish with the vegetables, and then over that, drizzle the olive oil, sprinkle on the salt, and then add squirts or drizzles of the lime juice to finish it off.

And as for pairing ideas, you want something rich along with something crunchy. Lee says, "[I] recommend [serving crudo] with chips and guacamole — basically you want something fresh but unctuous."