Here’s the Dish with Chef Melissa McGrath of The Diving Horse
2109 Dune Drive, Avalon • 609-368-5000 • thedivinghorseavalon.com
Traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast and back again, Chef Melissa McGrath of The Diving Horse developed an affinity for the culinary profession while living in California. Her love of family led her back to her roots in Philadelphia, and she brought her passion for cooking back with her.
“I moved to San Francisco when I was 18 and attended college out there. While I was out there, I started cooking to support myself and I just completely fell in love with it,” McGrath says. “I loved the California cuisine and California produce and seasonality out there and I just couldn’t stop. But I really missed my family, so I decided to come home.”
McGrath worked at various restaurants in California, including six years at Nopa, where she was able to learn and hone her skills among the talented chefs there. She especially loved learning how to cook wood-fired, rustic and organic cuisine. She was hired at High Street on Market when she returned home to Philadelphia and later was hired at the Pub & Kitchen, The Diving Horse’s sister restaurant. Last summer, McGrath became the chef de cuisine at The Diving Horse and she has loved every minute of it.
“I have a really great kitchen staff right now,” McGrath says. “Beau Neidhart is from Toms River, Conner Dore is from Durham, N.C., and John Boswell is from New York City. Everyone is super talented and we all have different backgrounds cooking, so when it all comes together it’s very collaborative.”
Menus at The Diving Horse change about once per month based on fresh and seasonal items. Some of McGrath’s favorite menu items to cook are the halibut with carrot yogurt, the smoked pork chops and tomato salad when Jersey tomatoes are available. The restaurant works with a seafood company in Asbury Park that delivers fresh, all line-caught seafood daily.
In addition to her passion for cooking, McGrath loves to eat and travel, which is where she gains some inspiration for her dishes. The next two travel destinations she has in mind are Vietnam and Italy.
Q&A
What are three ingredients that are must-haves in your kitchen?
Salt, fresh lemons and butter.When you go out to dinner, what kind of cuisine do you enjoy most?
Mexican cuisine – I really liked Nopalito in San Francisco.Do you prefer white or red wine?
It depends what I am eating.Who would you love to cook for?
Bruce Springsteen.What is your favorite meal?
My mom’s fried eggplant.
A recipe from The Diving Horse: Seared Halibut with Carrot Yogurt and Cucumber
Carrot Yogurt:
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion sweated down
8 carrots sweated down
3 cups Greek yogurt
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoon harissa
Puree butter, onion and carrots. Add orange juice and fold into Greek yogurt. Add harissa and set aside.
Ingredients:
1 piece fresh halibut, no skin
2 cup wild brown rice
½ cucumber, shaved
Extra virgin olive oil
Grapeseed oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook wild brown rice in a quart of water. Sear halibut over medium-high heat in a pan with grapeseed oil and brown. Finish in the oven about 2 minutes and don’t flip. Add carrot yogurt, and rice to dish and top with seared halibut. Serve with cucumber and enjoy.
