Transcript: Plantain, Salmon, Avocado

Stump the Chef
Episode “Plantain Avocado Salmon”

Male Announcer: One seasoned chef, three random ingredients and three tough judges. Its time for Stump the Chef. Today award winning chef Matt Weaver will set his creative culinary skills against his toughest opponent yet. Let’s see today’s random ingredients.
Female Announcer: Salmon, Avocado, and Plantain?
Male Announcer: Now let’s play, Stump the Chef!
Matt Weaver: Ooh, I know what I am going to do. I’m going to throw a twist in there but, yeah this ones going to be really good. There all going to like it.
Male Announcer: And he’s off.
Male Announcer 1: Not wasting any time Matt’s already got a bunch of ingredients going on in that blender.
Male Announcer 2: Looks like he’s making a brain milkshake, I like!
Male Announcer 1: I’m guessing he’s going for some sort of guacamole, you can see he’s cut up the avocado, that’s the first thing he put in.
Male Announcer 2: Aww, cool check out the pit.
Male Announcer 1: Although the second ingredient was the cucumber. He peeled that and seeded it and threw that in. Not exactly your standard guacamole ingredient.
Male Announcer 2: Huh, or a milkshake ingredient either.
Male Announcer 1: I am guessing it’s not a milkshake. You put some cilantro on after that and followed that up with a squeeze of lime.
Male Announcer 2: Lime in milkshakes I don’t know.
Male Announcer 1: It’s not a milkshake, but I am guessing it’s not guacamole either at this point. I don’t know where he is going with this.
Male Announcer 2: Uhh, where did he get the Banana?
Male Announcer 1: Actually that’s the plantain. A lot of people confuse it with the banana, but not exactly the same. Cousin of the banana, but they have a lot less sugar. There generally used in cooking, because they are so much tougher. Usually used when they are unripe.
Male Announcer 2: Oh, ok. So I guess monkeys don’t eat plantains?
Male Announcer 1: They definitely don’t eat plantains.
Male Announcer 2: But you know, they do use sign language and tools!
Male Announcer 1: That is true.
Male Announcer 1: It looks like Matt is going to be frying those plantains now.
Male Announcer 2: Yeah, frying is fun. Oh watch out matt.
Male Announcer 1: You’ve got to be careful in the kitchen, especially when working with hot oils.
Male Announcer 2: I know all about that. I was fired from three restaurants for starting oil fires.
Male Announcer 1: I am curious to see what he’s going to be doing with the salmon. I mean we haven’t even seen anything from that yet. And keep in mind he has to use all three ingredients. The avocado, the plantain, and the salmon.
Male Announcer 2: Yeah, you now. I have to say, I think I might have to say that Matt might be stumped already. First of all he’s frying fruit. He has some kind of weird avocado milkshake in the fridge, there is no way he can cook the fish to make me like what it is he’s trying to do right now, stumped.
Male Announcer 1: It looks like he is smashing those plantains now.
Male Announcer 2: I believe the people of central and South America actually call them “Tostones”.
Male Announcer 1: You know he seems to be spending an inordinate amount of time on these plantains, considering he blended up that avocado at the start. We haven’t even seen anything from that, and we have yet to even see the salmon.
Male Announcer 2: Yeah, I don’t know what inordinate means. But this really reminds me of that game whack a mole.
Male Announcer 1: I have no idea how these three ingredients are going to come together today, but I do know one thing. Our judges are in for a very interesting treat.
Male Announcer: Sorry to interrupt guys, buts its time for Matt’s tangent!
Matt Weaver: Avocados are a great and easy snack. Filled with mono unsaturated fat. That’s the good stuff. Try putting your avocados on a soup or a salad. But you know my favorite way to eat them is to slice them, sprinkle some season salt on them. And then…They are so great.
A ripe avocado should give under moderate pressure, but not be too soft. An unripe avocado is hard. But here’s a really good tip how to remedy that. Put the avocado in the microwave for a minute or two. Be careful it’s hot. Chill it down for a little while, but it really should help it.
Alright Enjoy!
Male Announcer: Meanwhile back in the kitchen.
Male Announcer 1: There’s that salmon that we have been waiting for! Chopping it up, cubing it.
Male Announcer 2: Oh and there’s the plantains, he’s frying them again.
Male Announcer 1: It looks like that’s the case. He fried them, smashed them, and then fried them again to make basically a plantain chip out of them.
Male Announcer 2: Anything that is twice fried is ok in my book my friend.
Male Announcer 1: And into the sauté pan with the salmon.
Male Announcer 2: Uhh, you dont fry that too long right?
Male Announcer 1: No, that’s actually sautéing, not frying. Just a couple minute should do it.
Male Announcer 2: Because I always have a problem leaving things on the burner too long. In fact, to the point where the smoke detector usually tells me when I am done with the dish.
Male Announcer 1: You know at this point I wouldn’t mind talking to someone else. Matt you almost got it done. How’s it going?
Matt Weaver: Aww, its going very, very well. I am really excited about this. I got some great ingredients and I am going to pull a twist with the avocado and make a gazpacho that’s avocado based instead of tomato. So I am feeling really good.
Male Announcer 1: Interesting so he’s going with a gazpacho instead of a guacomole.
Male Announcer 2: Right gazpacho is Spanish for milkshake.
Male Announcer 1: I can’t wait to see how he puts this dish together.
Male Announcer: Its plating time.
Male Announcer 1: Well now that we know what it is that avocado gazpacho is looking good!
Male Announcer 2: I have to say I think I might try this fried fruit, milkshake, fish mix.
Male Announcer 1: It’s an interesting choice to put the salmon directly on top of the gazpacho. I am wondering… and there you go the plantain chips right on the side. Beautiful!
Male Announcer: Looks good to me, but let’s see what our judges have to say about that.

Matt Weaver: Well with these ingredients I decided to steer away from the guacamole, which you might have thought was, you know people associate with avocados. I made one of my favorite dishes. A guacamole and cucumber gazpacho. A little spicy. And I also have some fried plantains. And I just quickly sautéed the salmon, as sort of a protein component. And a little bit of extra flavor, so enjoy.
Robert: This is definitely not what I imagined for these ingredients. But I have to say, that the avocado base is a real mellow flavor, and then the salmon isn’t overdone with any kind of spices or extra flavor. The plantain gives it sweetness. All the flavors together actually really go well, I like this a lot.
Matt Weaver: All right thank you.
Scott: Well matt, I think you faced an uphill battle with these three ingredients. I think the gazpacho is excellent on its own. I think the salmon was very well cooked, well seasoned. The plantains I would have liked a little more well done, a little more crispy. But overall I just don’t think the ingredients melt well together. At least as far as this approach is concerned. I think you have been stumped.
Matt Weaver: Ok, well I tried.
Monica: I like the combination of flavors. I love salmon, I love avocado. Plantains are new to me, I have not been a big fan of plantains but I think it goes together well. Good job.
Matt Weaver: Well thank you.
Male Announcer: Lets tally the votes.
Well, Mash my taters Matt you passed.
Matt: Well I am glad I passed, and you know what. This is something I was really proud of; this is something I would serve at a restaurant. I guess not everybody liked it, but you know what? I had fun and I hope you did too. Don’t be afraid of the kitchen, thanks for joining us, see you next time.
Male Announcer: That’s it for this episode of Stump the Chef!