Haute Cuisine: Ants on Shrimp

(Photo: Robbie Swinnerton)

The famous Danish chef René Redzepi has brought the entire staff of Noma, his restaurant in Copenhagen, to Tokyo. At his new location, he's offering his unique take on Japanese cuisine. He launched the endeavor with a grand 16-course feast that began this dish. It's jumbo shrimp served with black ants. The Japan Times describes the taste:

But it is the seasoning — “flavors of the Nagano forest” the menu calls it — that defines this dish. A dozen tiny wild black ants are carefully arranged on the shrimp, their little pinpricks of sharp acidity acting as a perfect accent for the sweet, pink flesh.

-via Spoon & Tamago