Chefs Share Their Favorite Summer Recipes
Though it is definitely satisfying (and more than a little nostalgic) to eat concession stand hot dogs and dripping soft-serve cones in the summer, sometimes the palate craves more sophisticated fare. With that goal in mind, we've asked top chefs from our culinary partners – Citarella, which just opened their latest store in Hudson Yards, The Culinistas and Sakara Life– what foods they whip up for themselves when it's too hot to move. Refreshing, light and easy-to-make, these recipes are perfect for a last-minute rooftop meal – or even just a dinner for one after work.
(P.S. Related residents have special offers right now with all of these partners; you can access The Culinistas and the Sakara Life offers on your Resident Offer page. Visit your front desk to pick up your Citarella offer).
Chef: Joe Gurrera, Citarella’s owner and original fishmonger
Dish: Joe's Ceviche
Joe's Ceviche
Joe Gurrera
“Ceviche is a great summer dish because it’s light, fresh, and flavorful. It’s also easy to make and it travels well. When you’re ready to serve it, it’s great as-is or with tortilla chips and avocado.” -Joe Gurrera, Citarella’s owner and original fishmonger
Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ready In: 1 hr 20 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ pound raw sea scallops cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ pound raw large shrimp (16 to 20 per pound) peeled, deveined, and cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ pound skinless fluke or skinless striped bass fillet cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 plum tomatoes seeded and pulp discarded, cut into ¼-inch dice (about ½ cup)
- 1 small yellow onion cut into ¼-inch dice
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers seeded and finely chopped
- Sea salt to taste
- ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- 1½ cups freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 10 limes), plus more as needed
- White rice for serving (optional)
- 2 ripe avocados peeled, pitted, and sliced, for garnish
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the scallops, shrimp, fluke, tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños, to taste, and toss to combine. Sprinkle with a few generous pinches of salt and cilantro and toss again. Pour the lime juice over the mixture, making sure the mixture is completely covered by the liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Use a slotted spoon to serve as is or over white rice. Garnish with avocado.
Bonus: Citarella's Wine and Spirits Director Michael Acheson recommends pairing this ceviche with a nice Riesling, which you can pick up at their store at Hudson Yards.
“Joe’s Ultimate Ceviche is an ideal summer dish, bursting with fresh fish flavor and bright acidity. The Von Hövel 2017 “Saar” Riesling is a perfect pairing, with enough zip to keep up with all that citrus, and the slightest hint of sweetness at the end to round out the palate. “
Chef: Kristina Preka, Culinary Director, The Culinistas
Dish: Broccolini & Burrata
Broccolini & Burrata from The Culinistas
Kristina Preka (credit: Pulse Creative)
"The ingredients in this picnic dish go well together with little cooking involved. Since beach season starts immediately after Memorial Day, you need a tomato dish that will taste great as early as June. Roasting these crimson jewels in cumin and other warm spices solves that problem by concentrating the flavors, and also making a vinaigrette base that uses the juices released in the process. Pair it together with summertime broccolini as well as pepperoncini & sopressata from your local Italian grocery. Need I say more as to why it’s a beach favorite?"
Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ cup plus 2 TB olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne powder
- 1 bunch broccolini, chopped
- ½ cup pepperoncini, stems removed, cut into rings
- ½ cup sopressata, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chives, chopped
- 1 ball burrata, liquid drained, sliced into 8ths
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- In a small roasting pan, mix cherry tomatoes, ⅓ cup oil, cumin, onion powder and cayenne until fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and roast until the tomatoes are soft and golden brown in color, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the tomatoes slightly cool, then crush with the back of a fork.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat remaining 2 TB olive oil, and sear the broccolini, 4 to 5 minutes on each side, and season with salt and pepper.
- In a reusable glass container, build the dish: Lay a small amount of broccolini, pepperoncini, sopressata, burrata, spoonfuls of the roasted tomatoes, and chives, and repeat the process until the vessel is full. Drizzle the top layer with more oil and freshly ground black pepper.
***
Chefs: Whitney Tingle and Danielle Duboise, Founders of Sakara Life
Dish: Youth + Beauty Salad
Whitney and Danielle
For the Pumpkin Seed and Lemon Dressing
- 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) raw pumpkin seed oil
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce, or your favorite gem variety, chopped into 1-inch
(2.5 cm) strips - 1 large beet, sliced into matchsticks
- 1 cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
- 4 small carrots, sliced into matchsticks
- 8 radishes, sliced into matchsticks
- 2 bunches fresh mint, leaves picked
- 1 cup (175 g) pomegranate seeds
- 1⁄4 cup (35 g) raw pumpkin seeds
- 1⁄4 cup (35 g) sunflower seeds 1⁄4 cup (40 g) hemp seeds
Directions
- Make the dressing: In a blender, combine all the ingredients with a pinch of salt and a couple of cracks of pepper and blend until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
- Make the salad: Divide the lettuce among 4 large or 6 medium salad bowls. Top with the beet, cucumber, carrots, and radishes, then with the mint and pomegranate seeds.
- In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, sunflower, and hemp seeds and sprinkle the mixture over the top of each bowl. Finish off the salads with a drizzle of dressing.