Get Ready for a Spicy New Year

smseafoodIndustry News

Every year (for the last 15) the Culinary Experts at McCormick put together a list identifying top trends, insights and ingredients driving the future of flavor. Here are some of their insightful predictions for what we’ll be seeing on menus come 2015.

Sour Salt, anyone? According to McCormicks, “combining coarse salt with surprising sours like pickled ginger, sour cherry, dried mango and lemon zest results in a lively finishing flavor that lends brightness and texture to dishes.” Oh, we can see this going hand-in-hand with seafood alright!

Here’s a few more flavor trends they are predicting:

Japanese 7 Spice (Shichimi Togarashi) which blends chilies, sesame, orange zest, nori and more and Shawarma Spice Blend, which combines cumin and cinnamon with black pepper and other spices.  We’re imagining all kinds of delicious spicy seafood combinations!

Also on their list, Smoked Spices.  We can see a smoky spiced wild salmon on your menu now…

Possibly inspired by what seems like the emergence of a cold-pressed juice stand on every corner, The McComick’s team also sees juices working their way into your dishes. Perhaps even spiked with a variety of spices. Santa Barbara Spot Prawns paired Blood Orange juice infused with Chipotle? What about a steaming dish of mussels in fresh young coconut juice blended with some of those smoked spices you just made?

McCormick’s predicts we’ll see intentional flavors reflected in dining styles (like Middle Eastern Mezze) taking over menus in the coming year, along with slow and low cooking techniques that highlight all kinds of aromatic spices. Time to add a crockpot to your kitchen line up?