Best Recipes In Dave The Diver

2023 was an impressive year in gaming for indie titles, with multiple releases already gaining global attraction and well-deserved attention. Developers MintRocket added to the incredible roster of indie games with their release Dave The Diver, which combined an underwater adventure with a restaurant simulator. The game’s title character is a diver by day who catches the very product that is used in the restaurant he helps run by night.

One of the most impressive components of Dave The Diver is its surprising depth in both culinary and aquatic inclusions. There are over 100 fish species that can be caught and used in the game, which equates to even more recipes that can be plated up to impress. Combining fish, home-grown vegetables, and chef Bancho’s culinary skills, these are the top recipes in Dave The Diver that can be recreated regularly in the restaurant.

Updated on February 2, 2025 by Stephen LaGioia: Dave the Diver quickly became renowned over the last few years, with its inventive blend of roguelike exploration, fun action, and satisfying sim gameplay by building the best sushi restaurant possible. Since the restaurant portion of the game is such a deep, integral part of Dave the Diver’s gameplay and progression (and given the teasing of new DLC that’s sure to add more satisfying content), it seemed fitting to take a revisit and take a deeper dive into this list. It includes a few more of the best, most beneficial recipes (mostly mid-late game) that can be served at Bancho Sushi or its branch location. Sale price will be the main factor here, but also the relative ease and resourcefulness in procuring the ingredients.

24

Mianbao Xia

Base Sale Price: 375 Gold

Ingredients:

• 5 Black Tiger Shrimp
• 5 Whiteleg Shrimp
• 2 Wheat
• 1 Olive Oil

While it may seem to have a laundry list of ingredients, this shrimp-laden comfort dish is usually worth the investment. Hunting all these shrimp may indeed take a bit of time in the middle and late portion of the game, though gathering them with one’s net isn’t particularly tough, at least. Plus, players can milk a hefty seven dishes from one set of ingredients.

Busting out this dish can churn out some nice profits by default, but using them for a Shrimp Party event can really have the gold rolling in — along with several happy customers. Players will need to complete the Chinese Cuisine Contest to gain access to this feel-good meal.

23

Deep-Fried Eggplant Shrimp Meatballs

Base Sale Price: 400

Ingredients:

• 3 Black Tiger Shrimp
• 3 Whiteleg Shrimp
• 3 Eggplant
• 1 Olive Oil

This complex dish is quite a mouthful in more ways than one, as it requires several items to cobble together. But between the small, weakling shrimp that pose no fight, and the fact that players can grow eggplant at their farm, assembling this meal is simpler than it looks. Just be sure to train Yusuke to level 15.

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Taste-wise, these unique meatballs are more middle-of-the-road, but they do yield great rewards of 400 gold (baseline), and an impressive 1,480 when max-upgraded to level 10.

22

Crimson Fish Roll

Base Sale Price: 400 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Clown Frogfish
• 3 Red Bream
• 3 Rhinochimaeridae

These tender, delectable fish rolls are somewhat easy to prepare in bulk, as players can simply hunt throughout the Blue Hole (Medium) Depth to gather all three fish needed in the recipe. It also helps that these fish don’t exactly put up much of a fight, aside perhaps for the pointed-nose Rhinochimaeridae.

The end product is a tasty dish that customers will be content enough with — given its 400 gold haul per dish (six can be made for one set of ingredients as a base).

21

Dried Stingray

Base Sale Price: 400 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Starry Skate
• 3 Stingray Meat
• 3 Marbled Electric Ray Meat
• 1 Salt

Stingrays can certainly be a pain in Dave the Diver, but taking the time to fish for them can really pay off in the end — especially with this dried dish. Just be sure to spend some time preparing for the Blue Hole Shallows and Glacier Zone to procure these exclusive fish.

Players will also need to ensure they’ve trained their employee Carolina to level 15. Taste-wise, there are slightly better options, though the ability to churn out eight dishes for one set of ingredients proves resourceful. Prepare several of these dishes and watch the big bucks roll in.

20

Seadragon Onigiri

Base Sale Price: 105 Gold

Ingredients:

Seadragon onigiri is a simple, one-ingredient dish that can bring in a decent amount of money. Since seadragons are easy to catch with the right loadout, the time and effort it takes to bring this dish to the menu is less than many other options as well.

Since seadragons can be used in seahorse races in the Sea People Village, players need to make sure that they aren’t accidentally serving up their favorite racers. With a maximum price of 388 gold, this dish is not the highest return on investment in the game, but it is not bad as a low-effort meal that players can lean on when they have been busier exploring than catching new fish.

19

Hyalonema tuna sashimi

Base Sale Price: 765 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Bluefin Tuna Ootoro
• 3 Yellowfin Tuna Ootoro
• 1 Hyalonema

Hyalonema tuna sashimi is a great dish made from two kinds of tuna and a rare seaweed called hyalonema, which is the slowest-growing plant in the game. Players can grow it in the Sea People Village over four days or find it growing inside the Glacial Seaweed Cave. Given the difficulty of obtaining this key ingredient, it makes sense that players can make a lot of gold from it.

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Taking the time to find the tuna and grow or forage hyalonema can make players a good amount of money since it sells for between 765 Gold and 1,683 Gold.

18

Truffle Shark Sandwich

Base Sale Price: 775 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Frilled Shark Meat
• 3 Megamouth Shark Meat
• 1 Truffle

The Truffle Shark Sandwich is a combination of two different sharks and a truffle. While these ingredients can be difficult to find, particularly the truffle, the work pays off very well. With a base sale price of 775 Gold and a maximum price of 1,705 Gold, players can make a good amount of money from just a few sharks and truffles.

Given the rarity and value of truffles, players may find themselves forgoing this sandwich to save them up for even more expensive dishes. That being said, this dish can definitely boost funds if those other recipes aren’t available.

17

Porbeagle Shark Sushi

Base Sale Price: 165 Gold

Ingredients:

While 165 gold may not seem like a lot to players who’ve progressed far in the game, Porbeagle Shark Sushi brings in good money for a single-ingredient dish. Porbeagle Sharks can be found in the Glacial Area and are the easiest sharks in that area to defeat. For players to venture to that zone a lot, Porbeagle is an easy catch to bring home.

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Porbeagle Shark Sushi caps out at 610 gold, which is still a great price for a dish with one ingredient. Plus, Porbeagle Sharks are common enough that leveling the recipe up is very easy. There is also a Sea People notice board quest that asks the player to get rid of several Porbeagle Sharks in the Glacial Area, which will help them gather a good chunk of meat.

16

Greenland Shark Sushi

Base Sale Price: 186 Gold

Ingredients:

Another great single-ingredient dish is the Greenland Shark Sushi. Greenland Sharks are the biggest sharks found in the Glacial Area and are usually located near the bottom of the map, just above the control room entrance. Greenland Sharks drop a lot of meat, especially when the drone is used, and it isn’t particularly fast or difficult to defeat.

The fully upgraded Greenland Shark Sushi sells for 688 gold, but selling any shark dishes during the Shark Storm Party will make players an absolute fortune. Greenland Sharks are one of the most reliable sources of meat in the Glacial Area and bring in a good price for little effort.

15

Yellowfin Tuna Steak

Base Sale Price: 305 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Bluefin Tuna Chutara
• 3 Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 Olive Oil

Going for an alarming 305 per plate at level one, the Yellowfin Tuna Steak is a prime example of why Tuna is one of the best fish to keep high in stock in Dave The Diver. Combining Yellowfin Tuna, Cherry Tomatoes, and Olive Oil, this dish is relatively easy to acquire and will not require Dave diving any more than 100 meters.

The biggest challenge in putting this dish together is catching the tuna, primarily as they travel in schools of five and are incredibly agile. However, for the patient diver with plenty of storage space, coming across a school of tuna can be a very valuable endeavor. Just be sure to use the Steel Sensor Trap, as it makes this endeavor far easier.

14

Skewered Cucumber

Base Sale Price: 320 Gold

Ingredients:

When Dave unlocks the farm and the ability to grow cucumbers, the Skewered Cucumber dish is a great, simple way to make a good bit of money without ever taking a dive. While diving is central to the game, those who prefer the restaurant management side of Dave the Diver will likely take full advantage of recipes that don’t have any fish in them.

Another great reason for having Skewered Cucumber on Bancho’s menu is that it literally has one ingredient: cucumbers. For the low cost of 3 cucumbers, players can earn a maximum of 1,184 gold when the dish is fully upgraded.

13

Great Spider Crab & Cucumber Sushi

Base Sale Price: 324 Gold

Ingredients:

Marketing itself as one of the fresher sounding recipes in Dave The Diver, the Great Spider Crab and Cucumber Sushi is a reasonably simple dish to acquire ingredients for, provided players know how to kill the crabs. Combining Spider Crabs and Cucumber, this is a simple but profitable dish that players should try and have on their menu as much as possible.

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To kill a crab, players will need to shoulder their harpoons and resort to old-fashioned techniques and simply drop a rock on the crab. Between this and growing cucumbers on the farm, this dish may not warrant the 324 price tag, but there are no complaints from Dave or Bancho.

12

Bluefin Tuna Rice Bowl

Base Sale Price: 360 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Bluefin Tuna Akami
• 3 Rice
• 1 Egg
• 1 Sesame Seed

Another dish that showcases the range in Dave The Diver, the Bluefin Tuna Rice Bowl combines elements found both in the ocean and on the farm. Using ingredients that Dave can grow and harvest himself, this dish is about as handmade as they come.

The dish requires Bluefin Tuna, Rice, Egg, and Sesame Seed, the latter of which can be acquired by sending a staff member out or finding it in loot boxes underwater. The only challenge to this dish is acquiring the tuna, however, Dave won’t have to go far to find one, and the 360 fee for a plate is worth it.

11

Tropical Sushi Fish Set

Base Sale Price: 375 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Titan Triggerfish
• 3 Harlequin Hind
• 3 Coral Trout
• 3 Rice

One of the prettiest looking dishes in Dave The Diver, the Tropical Sushi Fish Set combines a multitude of bright and vibrant colors and flavors that reflect the tropical marine life that inspired it. It will require some work to obtain the three different fish involved, but fortunately, they are not deep-sea dwellers.

The Tropical Sushi Fish Set combines Titan Triggerfish, Harlequin Hind, and Coral Trout with rice to create a spectacular and huge portion of delicious sushi. It is worth the effort of catching all the required fish, as customers are happy to pay 375 before any enhancements are made.

10

Tomato Egg Soup

Base Sale Price: 380 Gold

Ingredients:

• 2 Grade A Egg
• 2 Cherry Tomato
• 1 Black Pepper

While players may speculate if paying 380 for a soup is worth it, the happy faces of full-bellied customers will encourage them to keep plating it up in Bancho’s restaurant. The Tomato Egg Soup is one of the best recipes to have on hand in Dave The Diver as the ingredients practically grow themselves and require very minimal effort to acquire.

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The dish calls for a Grade A Egg, Cherry Tomato, and Black Pepper. The first of these two can be grown on the farm, meaning they only need to be harvested when ready, and Black Pepper can be picked up by a staff member. This dish is one of the most minimal-effort ones in the game, yet will yield a significant profit.

9

Marlin & Soybean Paste Roast

Base Sale Price: 380 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Marlin Meat
• 2 Garlic
• 1 Miso

Marlin is one of the best fish to catch in Dave The Diver due to its ease of accessibility as a shallow-water fish, as well as the high value of its meat. This is on show in the Marlin and Soybean Paste Roast dish.

This dish has only 3 ingredients, Marlin, Garlic, and Miso, which are all fairly simple to acquire. To make it even easier, Garlic is one of the first vegetables that can be grown once the farm opens, and Miso can be acquired by either sending a staff member to fetch it or by finding it in a loot box underwater.

8

Deep Fish Tempura

Base Sale Price: 395 Gold

Ingredients:

• 1 Cookiecutter Shark
• 1 Vampire Squid
• 1 Barreleye
• 3 Kelp

One of the winning dishes that Bancho uses to claim his superiority in the cooking competition, players get to see first-hand what goes into creating the Deep Fish Tempura. In fact, players see all aspects of this dish’s creation, given Dave had to catch the ingredients for the meal.

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This dish requires some effort to put together on account of needing one deep-diving fish and two from the Glacial Area, but its 395 charge makes up for it. The dish combines Cookiecutter Shark, Vampire Squid, and Barreleye with Kelp to create a deep-fried delight.

7

Antarctic Octopus Carpaccio

Base Sale Price: 405 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Antarctic Octopus
• 2 Onion
• 1 Olive Oil

For those who’ve unlocked access to the Antarctic area, this dish will quickly become a go-to thanks to its relatively simple ingredients and incredibly high sale price. The Antarctic Octopus Carpaccio recipe is acquired after completing the side-quest ‘Let Us Begin the Contest’, in which Bancho goes up against some award-winning chefs in a TV cooking competition. This gives him a chance to show off his creative skills.

This Italian-inspired octopus dish starts at a decent base price of 405g, but increases exponentially as it’s leveled up, reaching a whopping 1,498 when maxed out. There are three main ingredients in this dish: 3 Antarctic Octopus, 2 Onions, and 1 Olive Oil. Although Antarctic Octopuses aren’t easy to catch — since they’ll spray poison at Dave if he gets too close — they’re worth the hassle when they can be featured in this classy dish.

6

Humboldt Ink Pasta

Base Sale Price: 420 Gold

Ingredients:

• 1 Humboldt Squid Meat
• 3 White Shrimp
• 3 Wheat
• 3 Garlic

Players will first come across Humboldt Ink Pasta during the ‘Let Us Begin the Contest’ task, in which Bancho goes up against various chefs on a TV cooking show. The final task of their challenge has Bancho think of a pasta dish, and completing this section will unlock the Humboldt Ink Pasta recipe.

Most of the best dishes in the game require a variety of ingredients, and this one is no different. Although it requires Humboldt Squid meat, White Shrimp, wheat, and garlic, the dish starts at a base price of 420 gold and maxes out at a staggering 1,554 gold — making it worth the hassle of acquiring the many ingredients. Players who filter their menu by price will likely see this dish stay close to the top throughout the game, as few will make Dave so much money.

5

Boiled Sailfish & Seaweed

Base Sale Price: 425 Gold

Ingredients:

• 3 Sailfish Meat
• 2 Southern Bull Kelp
• 2 Kajime
• 1 Soy Sauce

The Sailfish is perhaps one of the more overlooked high-value creatures in Dave The Diver, but that is mainly because it can only be found underneath the shipwreck. This means that, unless fans actively go looking for it, players won’t find it while wandering the various levels of the ocean on their travels. Those who venture back to the shipwreck for the Sailfish are handsomely rewarded with a very high-value dish.

The Boiled Sailfish and Seaweed dish is self-explanatory and uses the fish as the hero of the plate with a few aquatic seasonings. To put this one together, players will require Sailfish meat, Southern Bull Kelp, Kajime, and Soy Sauce. At its base level, customers will pay 425 for a plate, so it is a worthwhile investment.