These chefs, who are from Israel, Spain, Italy, France, and Portugal, propose a lot of seafood and salads.
Another favorite is gazpacho, a cold soup often made with tomatoes that is sometimes sipped directly from the glass.
Some days, hotpot or a dish brimming with wok hei are simply too hot. You can’t go wrong by asking a Mediterranean chef for tips on shrewd summer eating.
They know how to keep cool with their food, whether they are from Spain, Italy, Israel, or the South of France. When it’s this hot and muggy, we asked six Hong Kong chefs who were raised in warmer parts of Europe what they like to prepare and eat.
- Sanuy, Edgard
The northeastern Spanish city of Lleida is home to the culinary director of the eateries Barbar and Pica Pica.
Every summer, our family spent a few weeks in a little apartment close to the ocean. There were two meals that we always ate when it was extremely hot. One is a Rusa salad, which is a Spanish meal but has a Russian salad name. Boiling potatoes and carrots are combined with mayonnaise, tuna in a can, and olives. Some people include mussels or shrimp. I add the anchovy oil from the can. Then it is blended almost to a mush.
Mom always prepared a large tray to store in the refrigerator. It reminds me of the best summers of my life, in my opinion.
Gazpacho is something else I adore. My grandmother made gazpacho because she was tired of me grabbing a Coke or other soft drink. Half a tomato, cucumber, some vinegar, garlic, and occasionally watermelon, strawberries, or raspberries were added to make it kid-friendly.
A small amount of cumin would be added in the south. Because you didn’t want it to oxidize and lose all of its vitamins, you would make it that same day. I always have this in the summer. My gazpacho at Pica Pica is served alongside a dollop of cucumber sorbet to keep it chilled.
2. Toby Goldstein
Israel’s Tel Aviv is home to the executive chef of the Middle Eastern eateries Francis and Francis West, which serve food with influences from the Maghreb region of Africa.
Since my mother was a teacher, she shared our summer vacations. She wouldn’t even try to cook. We simply consumed a lot of falafels when dining out. We consumed a great deal of fruit during the summer. I associate peaches and plums with my early years.
I cook a lot of shakshuka for dinner when it’s hot. Basically, tomato sauce is used to prepare eggs. It’s available all day long, not just for breakfast. You only need one large pan to prepare it, and it’s simple. There is group seating. It’s easy, quick, delicious, and light.
3. Cantalloube, Léa
Toulouse, France, is the hometown of Ami’s chef de cuisine.
My parents would take us to see my grandparents in Le Barcarès, a little village in the South of France, even though they didn’t have the summers off.
We would only serve seasonal veggies as well as appetizers like melon with ham and ratatouille for our main courses. We had a lot of fish from the market, which was barely 100 meters away from our accommodation (330 feet). Sea bream was one of my favorite dishes to eat.
In the summer, my menu varies frequently. I currently enjoy grilling out a lot with pals. Everyone can cook together as long as the end result is nice.
Of course, I just eat a bunch of salads when it’s hot outside. Everyone has a distinct favorite salad, whether it be a Nicoise with tuna, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and green beans or a Greek salad with feta cheese.
4. Palombini, Fabiano
Italian seafood restaurant Perla’s executive chef was raised in Teramo.
My grandfather was a fisherman, and I’m from the Adriatic Sea’s southeast region. Sardines and mackerel, which are plentiful along the Italian coast from the center to the south, are still fished for by the family. We consume a lot of fish and seafood.
While we occasionally fix things, we typically just eat everything raw. Our Mediterranean diet typically consists of 60% raw fish, including mussels. Due of how fresh it is, we don’t need to cook.
Prawns, any kind of prawn, are my favorite. I still eat fish most of the time in Hong Kong. I don’t consume a lot of meat. The days I take off I got to islands with friends and family and have sea food.
I’ll grill or bake the fish that we aren’t able to consume uncooked. We are less steamy. In a tray, I would bake it with potatoes and vegetables. It’s flavorful, delicious, and healthful. Naturally, everything must be seasonal. We consume whatever is in season.
We’ll also serve spaghetti that has been prepared with fish, clams, or mussels. We Italians will perish if you take away our pasta.