Customers not only choose appetizers to start a meal, they also order them as snacks, small plates and table shares. To get a bigger piece of this business, freshen up your starter selection with these five new recipes.
Guests dining at Pennsylvania 6 can take a seat during happy hour and choose from a variety of starters that range from the familiar to the creative. Very popular are the shareable skillets piled with freshly fried shishito peppers seasoned in sea salt and served with a side of charred lemon for an extra shot of flavor. These Japanese peppers have a balanced flavor of sweetness with a hint of smokiness.
Click here for the recipe.
These chicken kebabs are glazed with watermelon molasses, a blend of pureed watermelon, lime juice, sugar and olive oil, but regular molasses thinned with lime juice can be substituted. Grilled watermelon on the side adds a healthy twist of fruit to the hearty appetizer. Serve as a small plate for one or pile several kebabs on a platter for the table to share as a starter.
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Potatoes and trout are two of the top foods produced in Idaho. Chef Wiley Earl makes the most of both at his Boise restaurant, Lucky Fins Seafood Grill, by menuing a zesty smoked trout dip with made-to-order lattice potato chips. Customers enjoy snacking on the chips and dip with a beer, but the combo also can be served as an appetizer or late-night nibble.
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Chef Louis Robinson created this recipe when he launched Spice as a pop-up restaurant. It features a johnnycake as the base—a pancake with New England roots—fused with Caribbean flavors. The appetizer is rounded out with buckwheat honey-glazed bacon, grape tomatoes, butter lettuce, avocado, serrano chilies and burnt scallion mayo.
Click here for the recipe.
Stuffed mushrooms occupy a spot on many appetizer lists. Dean Jorge de la Torre updates the classic with a lighter, plant-forward prep, stuffing the caps with a zesty filling of wild mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, jalapeno and cilantro. It makes for a modern but just as elegant presentation.
Click here for the recipe.
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