This Seafood Tower Is Actually Interesting

"It is now a 38-seat restaurant in Long Island City. The new space meant new dishes, and owner Richard Jang currently sells social media's favorite seafood tower: It's built around the soy-marinated crabs that made Rice Thief famous, followed by a tier containing two types of raw shrimp (one large, one giant) as well as abalone on the half-shell, then a final layer with slices of salmon and scallop sashimi."

"When the stainless-steel tower of cold, glistening seafood arrived, I first went to pluck one of the six sesame-sprinkled shrimp hanging off of the middle level with my plastic-gloved hand before our server relayed some instructions. "Mix the rice inside the body of the crab," he said, pointing to large filled shells at the base, "then with the marinated pieces, squeeze the crab on the nori and add some of the banchan for more flavor.""

Rice Thief has become a 38-seat restaurant in Long Island City that centers on soy-marinated crabs and a signature seafood tower. The $179 tower layers soy-marinated crab, two types of raw shrimp, abalone on the half-shell, and slices of salmon and scallop sashimi, accompanied by soybean soup, steamed egg, and abalone congee. The soy marinade uses 50 ingredients and was developed by the owner's mother, who runs the kitchen. The chef sources Gunsan crabs from Korea and supplies abalone from Jeju, while salmon, scallops, and XL tiger prawns come from Canada, Hokkaido, and Ecuador. Service includes soju, banchan, branded bibs, and hands-on assembly instructions for rice, nori, and banchan.

Read at Grub Street