History
The Tower Bridge Dinner started in September 2013, one year after Mayor Kevin Johnson declared Sacramento America's Farm to Fork Capital. The format is one long table running the length of the Sacramento Tower Bridge over the Sacramento River, with the bridge closed to traffic for the night. Chefs from Sacramento's farm-to-fork rooms each contribute one course, drawn from Capay Valley, Sacramento River Delta, Yolo County and Sierra foothills producers in season. Tickets are drawn from a public lottery and sell out within hours; the event is the city's most-photographed food night of the year and fundraises for Sacramento food-system non-profits.
Common allergens: Varies by course
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 6 fresh California halibut fillets, 150g each, skin on
- 500g Sacramento Delta asparagus, trimmed
- 200g Yolo County morels, halved if large
- 300g new potatoes, halved
- 100g unsalted butter
- 60g Capay Valley olive oil
- 200ml dry white wine
- 200ml fish or vegetable stock
- Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
- Sea salt, black pepper
- Handful of chervil and chives, chopped
Method
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, halve, set aside.
- Blanch the asparagus 90 seconds in salted boiling water. Drain into iced water and pat dry.
- Heat 30g butter in a wide pan. Sweat the morels with salt until they release liquid and the pan goes dry, about 6 minutes. Remove.
- Wipe the pan. Add the olive oil to medium-high. Pat the halibut dry and season. Skin-side down 3 minutes until crisp. Turn 90 seconds. Rest on warm plates.
- In the same pan, add wine and stock and reduce by half. Whisk in the remaining 70g butter cold, off the heat, to emulsify. Add lemon and herbs.
- Plate potatoes, asparagus and morels. Lay the halibut on top. Spoon the lemon-butter sauce over and finish with sea salt.
Tip from the editors. Halibut overcooks in seconds. Pull the pan from the heat the moment the flesh just lifts at the centre with a knife tip.
Where to eat tower bridge dinner heritage course
Tower Bridge Dinner Heritage Course in Sacramento
Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Sacramento. See the Sacramento signature dishes guide for the canonical version.
More cities are in research. Want tower bridge dinner heritage course covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.