Hot glazed grouper with carrots and coconut, James Beard American Restaurant, Milan

James Beard American Restaurant at Seven Stars Galleria, Milan, dinner

ByQin Xie 28/05/201521/03/2016

Menu from a dinner at the James Beard American Restaurant at Seven Stars Galleria in Milan, Italy, with food by Paul Sanguinetti with ingredients from the beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel:

Canapés

Snapper popcorn with pineapple jam

Burnt scallop with lard and trout floss

Tartare of Florida shrimp

Crab cakes

Main

Ceviche of redfish with yam and tropical slaw

Raviolo of Florida shrimp in ‘sea water’

Hot glazed grouper with carrots and coconut

Dessert

Salad of fruit with sorbetto of coconut water and almond milk

Raviolo of Florida shrimp in 'sea water', James Beard American Restaurant, Milan

Salad of fruit with sorbetto of coconut water and almond milk, James Beard American Restaurant, Milan

Salad of fruit, James Beard American Restaurant, Milan

Ceviche of redfish with yam and tropical slaw, James Beard American Restaurant, Milan

During the Milan Expo, the James Beard Foundation brought a restaurant to the city – the James Beard American Restaurant.

The restaurant was all about featuring American ingredients, in this case seafood from Fort Myers and Sanibel, with the help of resident and guest chefs. It was a hugely successful popup that ran for six months.

I really enjoyed the menu of the night, which took its influences from Creole food. There was little intervention on the ingredients, which meant that the freshness of the seafood really came through. My favourite? It was perhaps the fruity and creamy grouper with its coconut notes.

Qin Xie

Qin Xie is a London based food, wine and travel journalist and trained chef.

When not infiltrating Michelin restaurants as a kitchen tourist, she writes about food, drink and travel. Her work has appeared on Yahoo, FT, The Times and CNN.

Her first cookbook, co-authored with YS Peng at Hunan Restaurant, is out March 2014.

According to friends, her watch is always set to UTC -- ready for the next big adventure. In reality, she is happiest at the dinner table or by the sea.