Belgium's classic summer starter: a large beefsteak tomato hollowed out and stuffed with tiny North Sea grey shrimp bound in a light mayonnaise, served chilled on butter lettuce with a wedge of lemon and fresh parsley.

Tomate aux crevettes emerged in Belgian brasseries in the early 20th century as a simple way to showcase the country's two best summer ingredients: ripe tomatoes brought in by the Brussels-Antwerp trade routes, and the tiny North Sea grey shrimp (Crangon crangon) hand-peeled by fishermen's families along the Belgian coast in De Panne, Oostduinkerke and Zeebrugge. The shrimp are hand-peeled and significantly smaller than American or Mediterranean shrimp; the texture is irreplaceable. The dish became codified as a Belgian summer classic and appears on every Antwerp brasserie menu from June through September.

4 editor picks for Tomaat-Garnaal (Tomate aux Crevettes Grises) in Antwerp, ranked by editorial score. All Antwerp signature dishes · Tomaat-Garnaal (Tomate aux Crevettes Grises) across every city.

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