Dry-aged beef is a staple in Las Vegas, where steakhouses are judged by intense, robust flavors. But what about seafood? 138° follows an ambitious path in Henderson, dry-aging not only prime cuts of beef, but fish, too.
“It’s a weird concept for most people,” chef and founder Matt Meyer admits. But sometimes weird is good.
Beef is typically dry-aged for around 30 days or longer, breaking down collagen to tenderize the meat and bring out flavors described as funky, nutty or even similar to blue cheese.
Thai snapper, swordfish and striped sea bass inside a dry-aging cabinet at 138°
Dry-aging fish is a completely different animal, literally and otherwise. Meyer gives his fish a shorter aging window (5-10 days) after a thorough cleaning that removes the gills, guts and organs. Instead of bold, aggressive flavors, the process allows the natural oils to emerge while giving heft to the body and texture. “It doesn’t smell like saltwater; it doesn’t smell like the ocean,” the chef says.
After aging, Meyer marinates his swordfish in a blend of olive oil, garlic and herbs for up to three days, and deboned, butterflied branzino in a chimichurri base for up to two days, with the fish eventually grilled over orangewood. 138° doesn’t marinate salmon, a choice that keeps the skin as crispy as possible. “We cook it very low and slow on that skin side,” Meyer says. “And that salmon skin just turns paper thin, like a cracker.”
The chef took the experiment further recently, dry-aging a whole tuna for 45 days, allowing guests to taste it as an off-menu special along the way. “The flavors just got more and more complex and rich,” he remembers.
Meyer was inspired by Davin Waite, who runs Wrench & Rodent near San Diego and touts the benefits of dry-aged fish on social media. The two met in person, with Waite offering valuable guidance and advice.
This could be just the beginning. 138° also dry-ages duck and pork, expanding the limits of what’s possible for a steakhouse in Henderson. The only question left: What’s next?
138° 1450 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, 702-272-0839, 138restaurant.com, Tuesday-Sunday, 4:30-9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
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