A Cool Taste of Summer: My Adventures with Raw Cuisine

Steak tartare, a classic French dish, composed of minced beef. Photo by Lynn Nishimura

By Lynn Nishimura

As I sat around on a hot summer day, I started thinking of ways to eat light yet nutritious meals — and I thought of protein, and all the ways meat and fish can be served raw.

In a cosmopolitan city like Paris, you wouldn’t know — unless you knew — that dishes from all over the world can be found here, and prepared with remarkable precision. I like to call it “revisited with finesse.” While the recipes may be international, the products often come from right here in France.

One dish I’ve fallen in love with is salmon gravlax — a luxurious and surprisingly simple recipe I learned from a chef in Reims during a cooking class in Paris. It’s a bit unusual: a slab of raw salmon is marinated overnight in coarse salt and freshly squeezed beet juice. The mixture “cooks” the fish using salt and acidity, while fresh herbs add brightness. It’s incredibly French in its elegance and has completely changed the way I think about French gastronomy. Though not easy to find — and made only with high-quality salmon — it’s a unique culinary experience.

Another dish I absolutely love is steak tartare. Typically marinated and served with salad and fries, it’s a common and cherished dish in Paris. I’ve also had it in San Francisco, and I’m always intrigued by the variety of ways it’s prepared — the cut of the meat, the style of marinade, and the accompaniments. It’s a dish that many Parisians enjoy regularly and take pride in.

Ceviche, from Latin America, is another raw delicacy — often made from white fish that’s cubed and “cooked” in vinegar and coarse salt, served with vibrant root vegetables like radish and red onion.

Then there’s carpaccio, the Italian classic — finely sliced raw beef dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, salad greens, and shavings of Italian cheese. Simple, elegant, and always satisfying.

Of course, we can’t forget poke — a Hawaiian dish that became hugely popular over the past decade — and beef tataki, a Japanese preparation where the beef is finely sliced, lightly marinated, and seared just at the edges.

With the exception of the salmon gravlax, most of these dishes are now quite mainstream in major cities and can be found without too much difficulty.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into my culinary adventures — and that you find ways to stay cool and inspired this summer.