Move over ‘girl dinner’: This food trend is our new go-to lazy meal
Savoury savants rejoice! Our collective love of ‘picky bits’ is once again at the forefront of food trends, and the latest craze is tastier than ever: the savoury snack plate.
A slightly more substantial offshoot of the core ‘girl dinner’ ethos, foodies are now piling their plates with various deli foods in pursuit of the “perfect bite.” And while the overall effect may appear extravagant, the assembly is far more achievable than you’d think.
The savoury snack plate is having its moment, thanks to TikTok creator Stephanie Jakubek. TikTok/@simplystephjaye
The first viral video of the savoury snack plate in question, posted by TikTok creator Stephanie Jakubek, racked up over 10 million views late last year.
The trend has since gained major traction on social media as foodies try their hand at building their own variation.
Where girl dinner was functionally lazy by nature – made with a hodgepodge assortment of whatever you had in the fridge at the time – the anatomy of the savoury snack plate is somewhat more intentional.
Gone are the days of eating half a jar of pickles in front of an open fridge, or slapping grapes, cheese, crackers and chocolate into a bowl and calling it a day – girl dinner has officially undergone a metamorphosis.
But for those of us intimidated by the snack plate’s lavishness, where is the best starting point when building our own?
Is there any logic to it, or is it purely down to personal taste?
How to build a savoury snack plate
According to the word of celebrity chef Brendan Pang, the biggest mistake you can make with your plate is overcomplicating the assembly process.
“You don’t need 20 different ingredients or everything to be expensive. A few really good things that work together are much better than a plate that’s overloaded,” he advised.
Building a snack plate is far easier than it might look. iStock
While personal taste can influence the finer details of the plate, there are some essential building blocks to that are best to begin with.
“I’d start with something rich or creamy, something salty, something acidic or pickled, something fresh and something crunchy,” Pang revealed.
“From there, you can add whatever you love – cured meats, cheese, dips, fresh vegetables, pickles, crackers or chips.”
According to Pang, flavour balance is a key consideration when constructing your plate.
If it’s heavy on the rich cheese, fatty cured meat and creamy dip front, something acidic like pickles, kimchi – or even a squeeze of lemon – effectively cuts through that richness.
Pang, who is part of the lineup of the upcoming Good Food and Wine Show in Brisbane, also implored plate-builders not to overlook the impact of texture.
“If everything is soft and creamy, it can become a bit one-dimensional, so adding something crunchy like a cracker, potato chip, fresh cucumber or crispy shallots makes a huge difference.”
Bases also play a huge part when scooping up the perfect bite. Across the many videos posted by creators, tomatoes, sliced red onion, toasted bread and hash browns emerged as the most common vessels on which to load other ingredients.
Brendan Pang’s perfect plate
If you’re the indecisive type, or simply overwhelmed by infinite snack plate possibilities, Pang has you covered with personal recommendations for each key category.
Brendan Pang has shared his go-to suggestions for building a savoury snack plate. Supplied
Fresh vegetables:
- Cucumber
- Radishes
- Carrots
Pickles and ferments:
- Kimchi
- Pickled cucumber
- Chillies
- Daikon (Japanese radish)
Deli meats:
- Prosciutto
- Salami
- Mortadella
Pang recommends including cheeses like brie, cheddar and blue cheese. iStock
Cheeses:
- Creamy brie
- Blue cheese
- Sharp cheddar
- Cream cheese
Dips:
- Hummus
- Labneh
Finishing touches:
- Chilli crisp
- Sesame seeds
- Crispy shallots,
- Fresh herbs,
- Spring onion
- A drizzle of good olive oil.
Pang’s perfect bite:
“I’d take a really crunchy potato chip or cracker, add something creamy like brie or labneh, a little salty cured meat, something sharp and acidic like a pickle, and then finish it with chilli crisp,” Pang said.
“You get crunch, creaminess, richness, salt, acidity and heat all at once. That contrast is what makes you want another one.”
At the end of the day, the popularity of the plate is largely down to its highly customisable nature. Its construction is an utterly lawless process. There are no rules, the sky’s the limit – so go nuts.
