Yep - Crudo and Sparkling Wine!! For Spring!
A slightly cliché spring wine pairing that just can't be beat
It’s right around this time of year that my body’s composition morphs. In the span of about a month from March to April, it goes from a hefty makeup of mostly red Burgundy, Barolo, truffles, and wagyu to a much leaner balance of roughly 40% fish and 40% Chardonnay, leaving the remaining 20% for essential organs and the like.
That is to say that this is one of many crudo and Chardonnay pairings (sparkling or still) that I make when warmer weather comes around, but lately it’s one of my favorites. While some contrasting pairings (e.g. Indian food and Sauternes) can be spectacular, this is one of those straightforward pairings where everything is complimentary: the acidity, the citrus notes, the light body of each. A perfectly complimentary, easy-to-make pairing is ideal for right now, when I just want to whip up the optimal aperitif as quickly as possible, so that I can rush outside to the terrace to kick up my bare feet, feel the sun on my face and wine on my lips.
The ideal pairing for this recipe is the Racines Grand Reserve Sparkling Chardonnay - a saline, crystalline, lemon-laden sparkling wine which I challenge anyone to identify correctly in a blind tasting (it’s made in the cool, coastal Santa Rita Hills of California, but rivals the profiles of grower Champagnes or top Crémants de Bourgogne. Not all that surprising when your founding team includes Étienne de Montille and Rodolphe Péters, of Cult Classic Pierre Péters).
Serve this at 5 p.m. on a Tuesday, when you want it to feel like a summer Friday.
RECIPE (serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are, as an aperitif snack)
INGREDIENTS
1 pound sushi-grade hamachi (preferably dry-aged, if you’re in LA, get it at Joint Seafood)