Many babies have been conceived after the consumption of this dish. Be wary of this bright, herby salmon crudo with citrus tomato vinaigrette, it may lead to dancing.

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“Walk away from the crudo, I will use these chop sticks”

-Crude norris

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What is Crudo?

In short, crudo is Italian for raw. Usually fish or meat and always dressed with some kind of seasoning. Seasonings can vary widely, but normally it’s some sort of vinaigrette, olive oil, and/or citrus juice. 

It’s a pretty ambiguous term besides that, raw and seasoned. Technically you could do a vegetable crudo, but if you value your friendships, don’t. That’s just a salad Susan. 

Carpaccio’s are similar to Crudo’s, the difference being how thin the raw meat or fish is. Carpaccio is pounded or delicately sliced to be super thin. Like crudo, It is also seasoned with a citrus, oil olive, or sauce. 

What about tartare? Tartare is also raw meat seasoned with olive oil, citrus, or a vinaigrette. The difference here is that the meat is diced or minced. 

Okay, finally we have Sashimi. Sashimi is raw fish. It’s all about the quality of the fish, the preparation and technique used to serve that fish.

If you’re digging the raw fish, check out our other crudo recipes! Ahi Tuna Crudo Spicy Tangerine Recipe and our Salmon Crudo Ginger Soy Recipe.

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SALMON CRUDO

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Salmon Crudo Ingredients

Serving this Salmon Crudo Citrus Tomato Vinaigrette is all about letting a few really good ingredients shine. Don’t skimp on anything here, get the good stuff!

• Fish: Get the good stuff, only buy sushi grade Salmon. This is non negotiable. Your average local grocery might not carry this, so call around to your local fish monger.

• Olive oil: Again, get the good stuff, you’ll notice the difference. Think of it as the dressing to your fish salad. It’s going to coat every bite of your salmon crudo, make sure they are tasty bites.

• Veggie: Cherry tomatoes and a blanket of thinly sliced cucumbers gives this dish a much needed texture crunch. It’ll also help soak up that delicious vinaigrette. I like using either pertain or baby cucumbers.

• Citrus: It wouldn’t be a citrus party without some lovely lemons. For this salmon crudo recipe I use fresh Meyer lemons. If you wanna experiment, try using lime juice or even orange juice.

• Capers: They bring more acidity to the party. Along with the cherry tomatoes, toss the capers and their juice into a skillet and sauté for a couple minutes. This will bring out the sweetness.

• Salt & Pepper: I’ll grind some salt and pepper onto my cucumber blanket and then finish the salmon crudo with some coarse sea salt flakes. 

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How to Make Salmon Crudo

Follow these step by step instructions to make this salmon crudo. It only takes a few minutes to come together and you wanna eat it right away, so make sure folks are hungry when you start putting it together. You can let it rest in the fridge for a little while before serving.

Step 1: Prep Salmon Crudo Ingredients

First step to making this Salmon Crudo with Citrus Tomato Vinaigrette Recipe, is chilling your fish.

Throw your salmon into the freezer for about 10 minutes. This will make it easier to cut. While your fish is getting a chill, slice your cucumbers and make the vinaigrette.

Layer your serving dish with the sliced cucumbers. Season them with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Step 2: Make the Vinaigrette

In a small skillet heat a Tbsp of olive oil, sauté the tomato’s, capers, and caper juice for 2-3 minutes. This will make those cherry toms that much sweeter.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, citrus juice, zest, and salt and pepper. Stir in salted tomatoes and capers. Mix, set aside.

Step 3: Plate Salmon Crudo

Next, take your salmon out of the freezer and cut against the grain, making 1/8-1/4 inch slices. Use a super sharp knife to pull the fat end of the blade towards you in one firm motion. Try not to saw the fish.

Arrange your pieces of fish onto the cucumbers. Drizzle the vinaigrette liberally over the salmon crudo.

Garnish with course sea salt, and a final squeeze of a lemon. Boom! You have made Salmon Crudo with Citrus Tomato Vinaigrette. Now put the fish into your mouth hole.

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Plating Salmon Crudo

Plating is the fun part. Choose a serving dish and treat it like a blank canvas. There is no wrong way to plate this salmon crudo with citrus tomato vinaigrette, just have fun with it.

Instead of thinly sliced cucumbers, sometimes we’ll use watermelon radishes for some extra color and wow factor. Watermelon radishes are a bit peppery, so keep your flavor profile in mind when making adjustments.

Shapes and designs are fun to do. Make a flower in the middle with the fish and fruit pieces. Lay the fresh dill on top the fish. Since this dish is super easy to prepare, take the time to plate it nicely. We eat with our eyes first! It’s a real thing, the Guardian said so.

Obviously fun plating isn’t mandatory. The fish is the star here, and if you’re eating alone in the dark just throw all the ingredients in a bowl and season with your tears.

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Salmon Crudo Variations

Feel free to mix up the ingredients. Add a red onion, or a shallot into the mix. Garnish with micro greens or thinly sliced basil.

Or go a more Japanese route and use sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger! Like we did in this Salmon Crudo Ginger Soy Recipe.

Or try swiping out the type of fish you are using. You don’t even need to modify the recipe when you change the fish, it will work with almost anything. There are so many delicious options. Sea scollops, hamachi, albacore Tuna, or Ahi Tuna.

Speaking of Ahi Tuna? Check out this Ahi Tuna Crudo Spicy Tangerine Recipe.

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Inspirations!

So maybe you aren’t ready to dive into preparing raw fish at home. Or maybe you have never tried raw fish and you’re curious.

If so, don’t wait any longer! Raw, fresh, high quality fish is one of the great joys in life. When Frankie and I need a “make us happy” meal, we don’t seek out the golden arches, we get sushi.

One of our favorite restaurants go get sushi, crudos, and sashimi is Bamboo Sushi. They have locations up and down the west coast. If you’re in Portland, Seattle, or the Bay Area do yourself a favor and check them out! They definitely inspired some of our crudo recipes.

If you don’t live in those cities, chances are you aren’t too far away from a restaurant that serves crudo. Get out there and explore! Cheers.

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