Chefs and Restaurants

Got Salt? Love Koji? Here’s How Jeremy Umansky Pushes Technique with Both

April 4, 2025

When we want to get really nerdy, get really tech-y, and tap into a technique we’ve never seen before, we ask 2018 Chef to Watch Jeremy Umansky what he’s working on (past projects have included foraging for wild truffles in Ohio, repurposing frying dredge, and finding new uses for leftover mirepoix). For our Salty issue, we asked him about his latest discoveries with what he considers the universal ingredient (next to koji, of course). “Protein synthesis! Embalming!” were just a couple enthusiastic responses we got, and the final result was an essay that included instructions for using amakaze to instantly brine lox. We sent Peter Larson in to capture the technique. “No more waiting two-plus weeks for salt to travel from the outside of a cut to its center,” says Umansky of the quick-brined fish he makes at Cleveland’s Larder. Want to learn how it’s done, find out the job where he learned the embalming method, and see the delicious results? Read (or listen) to the essay here.

 
Liz Grossman
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If you register for Plate you can tap into all kinds of techniques to keep your menus fresh and interesting (in fact we did a whole issue on it!). Think pressure cookers, dry-aging fish, Chinese-style butchery, and more. It’s all free for registered members so start here.

What else are we into this week?

Our spring cookbook list is here, and we’ve got so many great ones for you to dive into. Learn the art of miniature mixology with Tyler Zielinski, take a coastal Cali road trip with Betsy Andrews and Scott Clark, learn to cook the food of Nigeria with Ozoz Sokoh, prep for summer grilling season with pitmaster Hugh Mangum of Mighty Quinn’s, get taco tips from Enrique Olvera, and more. Want to have a few from the list sent to you for free? Enter our contest.

With warmer temps on the way, now is the time to up your happy hour game as your guests cut out from work early to score all the best food and drink deals. Join me at our next PlateTalks on April 14th on Building a Better Happy Hour, with Ben Berg of Houston’s Berg Hospitality, Amy Racine of Jonathan Fraser Restaurants, and Zach Rivera of Chicago’s Golden Years. Register for free here.

Speaking of grilling season and delicious things to do with fish, our bite of the week features Atlanta chef Gary Caldwell’s fish ribs, made with South American pacu. The meaty, berbere-and-brown-sugar-spiced beauties are just as glazed, sticky, and decadent as pork ribs and have become a signature item at Marcus Bar & Grille. Get the story and recipe here.

The James Beard 2025 finalist list is out! Congrats to all the nominees, including past Plate Chefs to Watch Ryan Roadhouse, Loryn Nalic, Diane Moua, Thomas Bille, Carlos Delgado, Noah Sandoval, Thai Dang, Erling Wu-Bower, and Nando Chang, and our Experience Issue centerfold Eiji Ichimura, each nominated for Best Chefs in their region. Click here to see everyone who made the cut and watch for our live coverage of the 35th annual James Beard awards in Chicago on Monday, June 16!

 

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