Welcome to a new featured series on Mangia McCann: Top Chef Tuesdays! I’m a huge fan of the show and every Tuesday I’m going to come up with a challenge based upon the prior week’s episode. I will try and keep spoiler alerts to a minimum. Be sure to check out my Instagram TV page for associated video content.
Week 7’s Elimination Challenge brought in the big jamón, Chef José Andrés. I don’t think anyone can say anything bad about José. He has a larger-than-life personality, a generous spirit, a beautiful voice, and the man can cook, too! If you live in the DC metro area, it is highly unlikely you do not know who he is or that you haven’t eaten in one of his establishments; restaurants that have shot out some really amazing competitors on Top Chef, by the way.
While checking-in, remotely, Chef Andrés highlighted the work of World Central Kitchen and its vital role in taking on worldwide emergencies, while feeding those in desperate need of help, or keeping the first responders and frontline workers well nourished in order for them to help. As the World Central Kitchen information page aptly states: “we have shown that there is no place too far or disaster too great for our chefs to be there with a hot plate of food when it’s needed most.”
As he was speaking, Chef Kwame Onwuachi rolled in a cart of personal protective equipment and the challenge became clear: feed the frontline workers who have been putting their lives on the line, for the past year, helping to combat the devastating impacts of Covid-19. Each cheftestant had to prepare 65 meals which must be packaged and hold well. They must contain a protein, vegetable, and grain or rice, and most importantly be delicious.
One of my family’s favorite meals is Salmon Thai Rice Salad. I’ve been making this for years and it’s a go-to on hot summer Sunday nights where I need to have a delicious, nutritious, yet light, meal before I go play hockey - and it comes together in less than 30 minutes! But, I didn’t have 65 mouths to feed. Instead, I decided to donate $65 to World Central Kitchen to allow them to help others directly. You can make a donation too, at the Donation Page on their site.
Salmon Thai Rice Salad
This salad is amazing and great with the salmon right from the oven and can also hold well at room temperature or even be eaten cold, right out of the fridge. It makes for a great summer gathering option.
4 portions of salmon
1.5 cups basmati rice
Lime
Rice Vinegar
Fish sauce (or a mix of Worcestershire and soy sauce)
Sugar
Sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
Cayenne pepper
English cucumber
2-3 carrots
3 or 4 green onions
Cilantro
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and drop in the rice, stirring for the first minute. Boil the rice for 8-10 minutes and check for doneness towards the end. Once ready, drain the rice and douse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and reserve.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 500 degrees with the rack in the top-third. Line a baking sheet with foil, sprayed with cooking spray. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Reserve.
In a large bowl, whisk the juice of a lime, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, ~2 tsps of fish sauce, a tsp of sugar, 1 tbsp of sesame oil and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Give the sauce a taste - it should be very robust with a slight funk from the fish sauce. Finish with a dash of salt and pepper and set aside.
After stirring the rice for the first minute, turn the broiler on in your oven and place the fish on the upper-third rack. Broil the fish for about 8-10 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and the fish should still give a little, to the touch, in the middle.
While the fish and rice cook, dice half of the cucumber, shred your carrots, thinly slice the green onion and chop a fistful of cilantro leaves. Add the cooked, drained rice to the large bowl with the dressing, followed by the prepared vegetables and cilantro. Mix thoroughly until combined and the sauce has fully been absorbed by the rice.
To serve, place a couple of spoonfuls of the rice salad and top with the salmon. Serve with a slice of lime. ______________________________
Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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