Did you know that Citric Acid...

Fish Ceviche

To expand and broaden my blog, I've decided to start a "Did you know that..." series where I post random facts that pertain to foods that might be interesting.  Often, I come across amazing recipes, helpful tips on cooking/baking, and unconventional ways of doing things that are much more simpler than the old conventional ways, so why not share them with you? 

Tuna Tartare

As I was reviewing the Waterbar's salmon tartare, I instantly thought of my conversation I had with someone.  Can't remember who exactly, but we talked about raw sea foods "cooking" in citric acids.  A foreign concept, I looked to validate the truth.

As odd as it sounds, it is true. 

People normally think of cooking through the use of heat because the process changes the nature of the molecules and properties of whatever is being cooked.  Like heat, the citric acid also changes the physical and chemical properties even though it doesn't seem that way to the naked eye.  So even though the salmon tartare was in it's raw form, it was technically bathed and cooked in lime juice.  Hence why the taste was remarkably different from that of sushi.  However, I'm not quite sure if the salmon from Waterbar is the same grade as the ones served at sushi-specific restaurants.  That I would have to research more into.

Salmon Tartare

As far as cooking with citric acids, it is recommended to dice the raw sea foods into small cubes.  This is so that there is more surface area that the citric acid can effectively cook.  Try to marinate the sea foods from 15 minutes to about an hour, depending on the type of seafood.  Note:  Cooking with citric acids doesn't kill bacteria like heat would which means that there is a higher chance of getting food-borne illnesses and parasites.  Otherwise, it is a tasty alternative to cooking foods besides heat.

And now you know.

If you are interested in learning more about this, click here for a more detailed explanation.




<3 Lina Chen
 

The Waterbar

Located behind Googles' backyard in San Francisco lies a small restaurant with an ocean front view called the Waterbar. 

Right:  Waterbar's Bay Chips.  The potatoes were cut into thin slices and fried to perfection.  

A hint of a sea salt to add a little bit of flavor from the sea.

The bay chips is large enough to share between 2-3 people.

Left:  Strawberry Pop Tart.  The name says it all.  It's a strawberry pop tart.  It's moist inside from the strawberry jelly; the exterior, flaky.  The pop tart breaks down as you bite into it.  A delightful brunch pastry/appetizer Waterbar has to offer.  

Right:  Hama Oysters from Seattle.  Before I NEVER liked oysters.  The smell of it; repulsive.  The texture, too raw.  The taste, too fishy.  But Waterbar has completely changed my perspective on these seafood delights.  Perhaps it's because they were fresh and small, but they were delicious, unlike the various times I've had them before.  Waterbar's $1 per oyster deal is too good to pass.  So if you ever get the chance, get some.  Especially the Hama Oysters.

Left:  Grilled Calamari Fried Rice.  Not my cup of tea, but thankfully I didn't order this for myself.  It's basically an American-style fried rice with a char-grilled squid on top.  I have nothing against squid.  It's not exotic to me since Korean's eat it all the time, but it was just too smoky and the fried rice seemed a bit too bland for my taste.  It just didn't work very well in my opinion.

Right:  Salmon Tartare.  My culinary vocabulary is not up to date.  The rookie mistake I made was not knowing what the word "tartare" meant.  I ordered this dish thinking that the salmon would be cooked, but it was a surprise when it wasn't.  Oh, Lina.  Good thing I like raw fish, especially salmon.  It wasn't necessarily like eating sushi though; more like ceviche.  The lime "cooks" the raw salmon and brings out a new taste on raw salmon.  I liked it.

Out on the patio of the Waterbar.  Such a magnificent view.

<3 Lina Chen

399 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105
415.284.9922.   www.waterbarsf.com