GRUB, AHOY!

For Indians, seafood once started with crabs and ended with lobsters. But with more urban yuppies ready for some adventure with sea fare, a host of new imports scoured from the oceans of the world are finding their way on to menus. 8220;There was a time when exotic meant a surmai or a pomfret or at best, a sole. In the last few years, people have gradually opened up to newer things in food, probably because they travel a lot more now. So now a lobster or a prawn is quite commonplace as opposed to a Caribbean cod or a halibut,8221; says Kukreja.
At her restaurant, the Snow Fish is steamed to open up the little pockets of fat in its body. 8220;The fish cooks beautifully in its own fat, mixing with the gravy of your choice, which adds immensely to the flavour,8221; Kukreja explains. Besides the Snow Fish, Ploof also serves John Dory, halibuts from the Atlantic besides the more regular scallops, calamaris and squids.nbsp;

At Smoke House Grill, the popular eatery in Delhi8217;s Greater Kailash II, the carpaccio now comes with a twist. Instead of the thinlynbsp;sliced meat served with a cold vinaigrette madenbsp;of olive oil and lemon juice, chef Mayank Tiwari serves up an octopus carpaccio that is quite distinct from anything you might have ever had before. The octopus or tako, imported from Japan, is diced into thin shreds and flavoured with fennel and pine nut before being teamed with a calamari and rocket leaf salad. Tiwari has more surprises up his sleeves: his seared scallops in a Serrano ham wrapping with cider cream is as innovative as it gets while his smoked salmon and moguro, as Japanese yellowfin tuna is popularly known, blends two distinctive flavours together in to an awesome appetizer. 8220;Food has now gone through a subtle socio-cultural change. It8217;s now fashionable to talk about food at parties and social gatherings, to be somewhat of a connoisseur. That encourages people to experiment more and slowly acquire a taste for things,8221; he says. Tiwari and his business partner Viraf Patel are planning a similar seafood revamp for their Mumbai eatery, Saltwater Grill.

It8217;s probably this taste for adventure that helped Mukherjee8217;s decision to include sea urchins and sea cucumbers in the Chinese menu of his hotel. 8220;Kolkata is a place known for its fish. We were a little sceptical about people taking to these exotic varieties with the same gusto as they did with the familiar hilsa or the pabda, but we were pleasantly surprised,8221; he says, explaining how even at Rs 2,000 a plate, the sea cucumbers in brine were a huge hit with the conservative Kolkatans.nbsp;

There are other five star hotels on the bandwagon. The newly-appointed executive chef at Shangri-La in Delhi, Walter Lan Franchi, has a few surprises planned for the months ahead. Besides a mean Iranian caviar and an Aka gal or Arc Shell item that he is all set to introduce, he can also dish up a delicious Ayu, a rather sweet fish found in western Japan, Taiwan and parts of the Korean peninsula, if you order a couple of days in advance.
Of course, the popularity of these exotic varieties vary from city to city. 8220;Mumbai is far more adventurous than Delhi. Food is often an acquired taste. In Delhi only about 10 per cent of customers will go for something beyond the ordinary,8221; says Henry Wang of China Garden in Delhi, who serves abalones, a variety of molluscs at his restaurant.

You also have to shell out a hefty amount if you want to sample these exoticas. At Nanking, Delhi and Ling8217;s Pavilion, Mumbai, fresh crabs come for Rs 1,000 and you have to pay Rs 2,800 for sea cucumbers. You have to order a day in advance Appetizers like the octopus carpaccio begin at Rs 550 plus taxes at Smoke House Grill.nbsp;At Manre, Ramola Bachchan8217;s posh restaurant at Delhi8217;s MGF Mall in Saket, the focus is onnbsp;imports from London, Chile and Norway. The price of a regular plate of yellowfin tuna here is pegged at Rs 1,450 plus taxes.nbsp;8220;People are more health-conscious now. Fish is perceived to be a healthier option because of its omega content. So even if it is slightly expensive, it8217;s hardly a deterrent,8221; says executive chef Uttam Kumar Karmokar.nbsp;

Go on, dig in. The sea is your oyster now.