FISH FOOD: Above is a seafood burger made from fresh shrimp, scallops, conch, red and green pepper, red onion, celery and lots of hot sauce & lime! This tropical delight was served with a mango chili chutney on top of crisp romaine lettuce, red onion and tomato. Oh, and some sweet potato fries on the side. Yum! I would be lying to you if I told you cooking this was easy. In fact, it involved haggling with a fishy man, a trip to the hospital and a lot of hot oil. Okay, so maybe it was a bit of a disaster but, one hell of a tasty one!
I write this still in my apron, a little hot (like a my burger) and a little sweaty (not like my burger) from a 2 hour cooking experience. Fortunately, I victoriously survived and conquered the 5napkins burger challenge burn, cut and scrape free... unlike my mother... but I'll get to that in a second.
Today I entered the 5napkins challenge and crafted my very own interpretation of a Miami burger. I knew I wanted to make something original to WOW the judges but still remain true to the flavors and spices that makes Miami...well Miami. After consulting various special individuals including my mom, dad, best friend (Ali) and her mom, I decided to stray away from the typical Latin route and go with a fresh seafood approach. "A conch burger!" I initially decided, but a conversation with Ali's mom made me realize that conch was going to be a difficult (and expensive $$$) item to buy.
With two grocery stores down, I finally struck gold (...well, actually fish) and found some fresh white conch at the Publix closest to my house. The old fish man behind the counter with an indistinguishable accent was quite helpful but tough like the pesky rubbery conch I purchased from him. He wanted to sell me that darn fish for $13 a pound! After buttering him up a bit, we made a little arrangement. I ended up buying 1/3 lb of fresh shrimp, 1/3 lb of fresh scallop and 1/3 lb of fresh conch. This small alteration in my recipe saved me a good $6! Win? I think so.
I was so excited to get out of the parking lot and home when it finally hit me.
No, I don't mean a car. I mean multiple cars. That's right, I was stuck in Miami's 5 o'clock traffic on US1. So both my fish and I broiled in my old black jeep. Did I mention the air conditioning doesn't work?
I immediately put my fish in the fridge once I arrived home. Mom greeted me and offered to make some delicious sweet potato fries for a side dish. I agreed to it and got down to work with her. She worked diligently and quickly on the sweet potatoes with a cutting board contraption while I searched for Old Bay seasoning. I warned her to be careful as the instrument she was using to slice the potatoes looked like a guillotine for fingers.
Twins, right?:
A minute after I uttered the famous last words, I heard an "OW!". She had sliced her finger. I won't get into the details since some of you can only stomach food but, let's just leave it at "it was bad". I raced her to the urgent care center and a doctor treated her battle wound. Later, we returned home cleaned, sterilized and began cooking in the kitchen once more- this time more carefully.
At home, I simmered my fish burgers and mango chutney in hot popping veggie oil ( in separate pans, of course). I knew it was only a matter of time that I would get burned. Thankfully, that did not occur. Instead, all my struggles were finally rewarded with delicious tasting food that made even my wounded MVP mom smile with joy.
I'll post up my recipe tomorrow morning. But until then, you should definitely tell all your friends and family to "like" my "Beach burger" on www.5napkinburger.com/miamicontest because as you can tell, it was quite the beach to make.
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