Crudo Tuesdays

When it's as hot as it's been for the last few days, cooking over a hot stove -- or cooking at all -- isn't so appealing.  Which makes crudo, the Italian take on sashimi that's so popular these days, that much more appetizing.  It's surprisingly easy to make yourself (thinly slice sashimi-quality raw fish on a diagonal, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of sea salt), and with a salad of interesting greens, you have dinner.  Or head over to Il Grano on any given Tuesday evening and sample chef-owner Salvatore Marino's full menu of the stuff. (This is his wild bluefin tuna crudo, with arugula and a fine dice of artichokes, tomatoes, carrots and onions.)

Marino, who likes to point out that he's been serving crudo since 1997 (the menu for last week's Crudo Tuesday, the first, marked each of the 12 raw dishes with their inaugural year, as if they were wine vintages; above is 1997) takes his fish very seriously.  He says he decided on Tuesdays because that's when the freshest fish are flown into the downtown Los Angeles fish markets from Tokyo's Tskiji fish market, the most famous of them all. 

Last year, while working on a crudo story, I had the sleep-deprived pleasure of meeting Marino early one morning (by early, he meant 4 a.m.) at International Marine, the downtown Los Angeles fish wholesaler where many of the city's most fish-centric chefs can often be found trolling for amberjack and toro, wild snapper and cuttlefish.  (As I slid across the wet concrete, FDA-approved hairnet in place, I could see the boxes marked in felt pen: Matsuhisa, Providence ... )  Here's the handsome yellowtail I brought back that day to the Test Kitchen; it later became crudo, accompanied simply with a little lemon vinaigrette and a few heirloom cherry tomatoes.  OK, not as crazy inventive as Marino's mackerel with mint, fava puree and whole-grain mustard (that one's a 2008), but pretty tasty.  No stove required.

Il Grano, 11359 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 477-7886. Though crudo is also served at lunch, the full crudo menu is served at dinner. Lunch 11:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.; dinner 5:30 - 10:30 p.m. 

-- Amy Scattergood

Photos by Amy Scattergood