Upcoming Event
Every dish has a DNA.
Seared tautog
Christmas lima bean purée · late-season corn mousseline · pickled chilli relish · bay laurel oil
Discover the ingredients, ideas and people behind your plate. Inspired by Spotify’s SongDNA, this experience invites you to follow the connections that make a dish more than the sum of its parts.
01 TAUTOG
At the centre
On your plate:
Seared tautog, seasoned with Espelette pepper and salt, and cooked with browned ghee.
The background:
Also known as blackfish, tautog favour structured coastal habitats such as reefs and wrecks.
A little discovery:
Their strong teeth help them crush hard-shelled prey — a fish equipped for a very different kind of seafood dinner.
Source:
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, “Learn about: Tautog” Explore the source
Recipe ingredients:
Tautog, salt, Espelette pepper, browned ghee.
02 CHRISTMAS LIMA BEAN
The foundation
On your plate:
A smooth bean purée forms the base of the dish, with lemon and a touch of cayenne.
The background:
Christmas limas are a distinctive variety of lima bean, valued for their rich character and chestnut-like texture.
A little discovery:
You may also find them called Chestnut Limas or Calico beans — different names for the same distinctive bean.
Source:
Rancho Gordo, “Christmas Lima Bean”
Explore the source
Editorial note:
This is a reference source, not confirmation that Rancho Gordo supplies this dinner.
Recipe ingredients:
Shelled lima beans, extra virgin olive oil, beet powder, citric acid, lemon, Ultra-Tex 3, cayenne, salt.
03 LATE-SEASON CORN
Sweetness and richness
On your plate:
Roasted corn becomes a rich mousseline with cream, egg yolk, herbs and spices.
The background:
Sweet corn is harvested while its kernels are tender and juicy, at what growers call the milk stage.
A little discovery:
Each kernel has its own strand of silk. Those fine threads emerging from the cob connect to individual potential kernels.
Source:
Purdue Extension, FoodLink “Sweet corn” and “Sweet Corn Production”
Explore the source
Explore the source
Recipe ingredients:
Roasted corn, heavy cream, bay laurel, thyme, Espelette pepper, shallot, cardamom, mace, egg yolk, white wine, light ghee, lemon, Tabasco.
04 PICKLED CHILLI RELISH
Contrast and lift
On your plate:
Finger chillies and Jimmy Nardello peppers meet white vinegar, shallot, lovage and chives, adding acidity and aromatic contrast.
The background:
Jimmy Nardello is a sweet pepper with an Italian-American family story. Here it sits alongside finger chillies in the relish.
A little discovery:
Jimmy Nardello’s mother brought the family’s pepper seeds from Italy to the United States in 1887. Jimmy later shared the variety with Seed Savers Exchange.
Source:
Seed Savers Exchange catalogue and plant list
Explore the source
Explore the source
Recipe ingredients:
Finger chillies, Jimmy Nardello peppers, shallot, white vinegar, lovage, chives.
Editorial note:
“Finger chilli” does not specify a verified cultivar; do not add a precise origin or heat rating.
05 BAY LAUREL OIL
The aromatic finish
On your plate:
Bay laurel, olive oil and lemon provide the finishing aromatic note.
The background:
Bay laurel is a Mediterranean evergreen shrub or small tree, grown for its aromatic culinary leaves.
A little discovery:
Bay leaves can be harvested throughout the year. Its familiar kitchen ingredient comes from an evergreen plant, rather than a short-lived seasonal herb.
Source:
Royal Horticultural Society, “How to grow Bay”
Explore the source
Recipe ingredients:
Bay laurel, olive oil, lemon.
What if every dish came with credits?
A song connects performers, writers, producers and musical influences. A dish connects ingredients, growers, fishers, traditions and chefs.
Dish DNA explores what could happen when those connections become part of dining. Alongside flavour and history, a future version could reveal where ingredients were grown or caught, how they reached the kitchen, and the evidence behind sustainability claims.
Knowing the story can spark curiosity. Knowing the source can help us ask better questions.
Dish concept
Jozef Youssef
Dish execution
Lightbox culinary team, led by Chef Daniel Clarke
Spotify × Kitchen Theory
Lightbox NYC · 14 October 2026
