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[title]This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Time Out and JFOODO, without involvement from the Time Out editorial staff.
Savory yellowtail (hamachi) is delightful year-round. But in winter, when the fish build up fatty protection against the cold, they aren’t just delicious, they’re auspicious. Called buri in Japan, these larger, plumper yellowtails have been popular gifts for bringing luck and success in the New Year since at least the 16th century.
While wild-caught buri haven’t always been accessible in the U.S., recent advances in sustainable aqua farming technology at fisheries in Kagoshima Bay, Bungo Channel and elsewhere off the Japanese coast have made them more widely available than ever. That’s good news for more than just our taste buds. Cold water fish like buri are loaded with protein, brain-stimulating DHA, heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins E and B.
This winter, try these amazing buri specials at some of our favorite restaurants in New York City and Los Angeles to get a taste of Japan’s deep-water delicacy.
Jua
At Jua in New York’s Flatiron District, the Japanese buri comes kissed by flame. Over a blazing wood fire, chef Hoyoung Kim smokes, grills and slow-roasts pristine cuts of fish and meat and combines them with traditional Korean dishes like jook (rice porridge) and jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce). It’s a rustic technique that is perfectly at home in Jua’s cozy dining room, a space lined in exposed brick and reclaimed wood, and touched with vintage, cabin-like details. Michelin’s critics thought so, too. In 2021, the restaurant earned its first star for its exceptional eats and natural-leaning wine program. You don’t need to commit to their seven-course extravaganza to get a taste, though. At the seven-seat bar, the buri, galbi (ribs), and steamed buns come a la carte.
Buri special — The buri is paired with a smoked oil before being simmered slowly in a water bath. To serve, it's placed on top of a creamy smoked bone sauce mixed with leek oil and leeks.
Contra
At effortlessly cool Lower East Side restaurant Contra, each dish is a study in creativity and invention. Beautiful ingredients plucked from sea and land are fermented, jellied, moussed, creamed and prepared in other unexpected ways. But Contra’s food is more than just an edible science experiment: It is cuisine that has been carefully planned, relentlessly tested and expertly executed. That approach, which in the past has begotten dishes like scallops with radish gelee, chicken wings stuffed with pork farce and stilton cheese and potato ice cream with huckleberry jam, has earned the restaurant a Michelin star every year since 2017. With a shift from tasting menu-only to dinners that include an a la carte option, Contra is now more accessible than ever—if you can snag a seat in its slim, dusky dining room.
Buri special — The oil-poached buri on the seasonal menu at Contra is served with radish broth and charred scallions. The scallions are charred overnight to infuse an even smokier flavor.
The Musket Room
The Musket Room may have a Michelin pedigree but chef Mary Attea’s Nolita restaurant is just as friendly and low-key as it was when it opened back in 2013. With its clean, classic interior and broad garden patio, dining at the neighborhood joint is like sitting down at the family table. But the Musket Room’s laid back atmosphere stops at the kitchen. There, Attea and her team turn out boundary-defying, globally-influenced dishes that are vivid, inventive and mouthwatering. Thoughtful plates come a la carte or as a tasting menu in both omnivorous and vegan form (think beets with cashew, cacao nib and black lime, or salmon with smoked roe, daikon and dashi butter). Just don’t fill up too soon. Desserts like pavlova with papaya, finger lime and Szechuan, are a must.
Buri special — The lightly torched hamachi and lemon that make up this dish are prepared with a winter citrus vinaigrette, pistachio purée and pink variegated lemon. The smoky contrast and the brightness of the citrus pair well with the rich fish.
Essex Pearl
Don’t be fooled by the laid-back, fish-market vibe: the best seafood in the world finds its way to the kitchens of the Essex Pearl. There, chef Daniel Le approaches fish like Japanese buri through the regional cuisines of Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Every dish bursts with a riot of flavor and heat. He dots his plates with red chili nuoc cham, douses them in tamarind fish sauce and rubs them in the spicy shrimp paste sambal belacan; he glazes them in black pepper garlic, tosses them with bagoong (fermented fish paste) and serves them with a side of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). But even when your meal is over, the fresh-as-can-be fish and shellfish doesn’t have to end. Essex Pearl’s seafood counter has a curated selection to bring home with you.
Buri special — Aromatics are infused into this take on buri by first searing the fish and finishing its cook by simmering it in a coconut fish sauce. It's then topped with fermented mustard green relish and crispy garlic.
Scarpetta
Scarpetta has been racking up the country’s most coveted awards since its opening in 2008. Now with nine locations, the bold Italian kitchen is leaving its mark everywhere from Tokyo to Doha. Its soon-to-open Rome restaurant is primed to give even Italy a masterclass in Italian cuisine. But the signature seasonal simplicity of the original Flatiron location, with its vaulted ceiling and sophisticated style, remains at the top of its game: Scarpetta’s freshly made pastas, complex fish and meat dishes, and delicate desserts are always memorable.
Buri special — Prime your palate with this special blackened buri confit, prepared with chickpea, caramelized alkekengi, parsley tuile and tonnato sauce.
Oceans
The appropriately named Oceans teems with a bounty of deep sea riches. Channeling mid-century Manhattan hospitality with its intimate booths and marble bar, the elegant Gramercy Park restaurant shines a spotlight on the freshest catch from around the world. Pulled from Japanese waters, its decadent, fat-marbled Japanese buri is prepared simply as nigiri or sashimi (for a real treat, try it as whole fish sashimi drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and lemon), and in fiery rolls spiked with pickled jalapenos. Searing the buri for the ponzu-steeped tsunami cranks the umami up to eleven, making it a deliciously savory starter for a light meal of fresh shellfish or a feast of New York strip and braised short ribs.
Buri special — Straying away from the menus showcases of raw buri, this special starter comes grilled in a Peking duck broth with matsutake mushrooms and shaved black truffle.
Veranda
Laid out across a sprawling SoHo deck, encased in a retractable glass greenhouse, Veranda thrives indoors and out. From dining room to bar, the luxe garden-inspired space blooms with a bouquet of flavors from around the world. Renowned chef and cookbook author George Mendes can take a single ingredient like Japanese buri and send you on a culinary voyage from the Asian Pacific (as crudo paired with candew melon, avocado squash and pickled cucumber) to Spain (grilled with broccolini, romesco sauce and charred lemon), stopping for Italian-inspired agnolotti, Mexican-inspired bluefin tuna tostadas and Brazilian-inspired pepper marinated grilled chicken along the way. Paired with cocktails like hibiscus hot toddies and charred shishito margaritas, Veranda’s globe-trotting is a delightful escape from the everyday.
Buri special — Thick slices of yellowtail are cooked slowly until tender. The buri is then garnished with seasonal black truffle purée, fresh truffles and hon shimeji mushrooms.
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