Tsunami restaurant celebrates 25 years, with fish from around the world of course

Jennifer Chandler, Memphis Commercial Appeal

Updated July 7, 2023 at 6:01 AM·3 min read

Chef and restaurateur Ben Smith can be credited with changing the Memphis restaurant landscape when it comes to seafood.

Smith was the first in Memphis is open a restaurant featuring fish from across the globe. Before him, most Memphians had never heard of fish like Opah or Uku, let alone eaten them.

His restaurant, Tsunami, remains known today for its fish-forward menu featuring an ever-changing selection of seafood shipped in fresh daily from across the world.

As Smith states in the introduction of his restaurant’s cookbook, “opening a Pacific Rim-inspired restaurant in the heart of the ‘barbecue belt’ has not been without its challenges.”

Tsunami chef and owner, Ben Smith, celebrates their 25 years of business. Tsunami is located at 928 Cooper Street in Memphis, Tenn. Ben is holding a giant Halibut fish that he is going to prepare on June 29, 2023.

Despite the odds, the chef and owner of Tsunami Restaurant overcame those challenges to reach a milestone in July, celebrating the 25th anniversary of this beloved Cooper-Young eatery.

Swimming against the stream

When he opened Tsunami on July 14, 1998, there were seafood restaurants in Memphis - Anderton’s, Captain Bilbo’s and The Pier to name a few. But these eateries focused more on dishes made with regional fish like Gulf shrimp, catfish and oysters. Most preparations involved frying, blackening or serving the fish with a heavy butter sauce.

At the time, fish like sea bass, kajiki and opakapaka were not on menus like they are today.

Nor was fish prepared the way that Smith cooked, letting the fish take center stage.

Tsunami chef and owner, Ben Smith, celebrates their 25 years of business. Tsunami is located at 928 Cooper Street in Memphis, Tenn.

“I was longing for the seafood culture I had experienced for so long working in Hawaii and in San Francisco,” said Smith of his reason for opening Tsunami.

When friends looked at his opening menu, the first reaction was “There is only fish on the menu?! This isn’t going to work here in Memphis.”

Smith stuck to his guns and proved them wrong, creating a fish restaurant that is just as popular today as it was when it opened a quarter century ago.

How times have changed

“The demand for a diversity of seafood has grown,” said Smith, adding that it is now easier to source fresh fish.

Smith explained that in 1998, local fish purveyors were selling to the market, with the only options being fish like salmon, tuna and catfish.

When he went to source the fish he was accustomed to cooking in Hawaii and California, he soon discovered he needed to have fish flown in – many times straight from the fisherman.

Over the years, he has used purveyors from Honolulu, Atlanta and Birmingham.

Smith was also one of the first chefs in town to introduce the concept of small plates. Many of the fish varieties Smith was having flown in were expensive. “I thought, 'What if we offered smaller portions that cost less?',” he said. “I had seen this new menu concept in other larger cities and thought it would be a more practical way to get folks to try new fish.”

The small plates menu changes daily based on what new fish Smith has received. On any given day, you can expect to find several small-plate fish options.

One last bite

Smith knows he can never take the roasted sea bass off his menu. It’s been the most popular item since it appeared on the very first menu.

“Our sea bass dish encompasses my philosophy of simplicity in flavor and presentation,” Smith said.

Roasted sea bass with black Thai rice with soy beurre blanc has been one of the most popular items at Tsunami since it was first put on the menu.

A perfectly roasted slice of sea bass with a golden and slightly crispy crust was served on top of a mound of chewy, nutty black Thai rice and surrounded by a pool of soy beurre blanc. It has only three key ingredients, yet this dish is sublime.

It’s a dish that exemplifies why Tsunami has flourished more than two decades.

For Tsunami’s 25^th anniversary, Smith is hosting several guest chef dinners. Each dinner will be three courses and will be completely curated by that week’s guest chef. Upcoming dinners are July 17 and 24. The cost is $125.00 per person plus tax and gratuity. Call the restaurant at (901)274-2556 for reservations.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining Reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.

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