Spicy Octopus Crispy Rice

Spicy Octopus Crispy Rice

Spicy Octopus Crispy Rice

The invention of spicy tuna on crispy rice is attributed to Katsuya Uechi, a renowned chef from Japan who later became well-known in Los Angeles. Chef Katsuya is credited with conceiving this dish for a diner who wasn’t particularly fond of sushi, at his eponymous restaurant, which first opened in 1997 in Los Angeles.

Spicy Octopus Crispy Rice

Nobu Matsuhisa is recognized with popularizing spicy tuna on crispy rice. While Katsuya Uechi is credited with the original concept, Chef Nobu played a significant role in bringing this dish to the global stage. Crispy rice with spicy tuna became one of the signature dishes at his restaurants worldwide.

Nobu Paris Las Vegas

Nobu Paris Las VegasNobu Paris Las Vegas

Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna
Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna

Spicy Octopus Crispy Rice Recipe

Spicy Octopus Crispy RiceHere, inspired by Nobu’s “Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna,” I make crispy rice cakes using an onigiri mold and top the crispy rice with slices of avocado, spicy octopus, and jalapeño for colorful appetizer. The combination of the crispy rice base and the spicy, creamy octopus creates a textural and flavorful contrast that makes it such a delightful bite.

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Sable Bagel

Sable Bagel

🐟 🥯 Sable Bagel 🥯 🐟

Often overshadowed by the ever-popular smoked salmon, smoked sablefish is an under-the-radar gem, prized for its silky buttery texture and savory smoky depth of flavor. A Sable Bagel is a great way to showcase the sable. It offers an indulgent combination of flavors and textures that make it a standout among smoked fish bagels.

This toasted sable bagel features a layer of cream cheese topped with red onions, tomatoes, sliced new pickle, and capers, creating a refreshing and contrasting open-faced sandwich. A touch of horseradish and jalapeño rings add a spicy kick.

Sable Bagel

We brought home a couple great bagels, take-out smoked sablefish, and new pickles from our favorite deli here in Vegas,  The Bagel Cafe. All their hand-sliced smoked fish are flown in weekly from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sable Bagel Recipe

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Tomato Carpaccio with Peter Luger Steak Sauce

Tomato Carpaccio with Peter Luger Steak Sauce

Tomato Carpaccio with Peter Luger Steak Sauce

Legendary Peter Luger Steak House is now open at Caesars Palace Las Vegas marking their first U.S. location outside of New York. Operating for over 135 years, it is often regarded as the pioneer of the American steakhouse experience.

The menu at Peter Luger Steak House is famously simple and focused, highlighting its signature dry-aged steaks. The menu also features classic steakhouse sides, such as creamed spinach, German fried potatoes, thick-cut bacon, as well as sliced tomatoes and onions.

Peter Luger Steak House Las Vegas

The tomato and onion side dish at Peter Luger Steak House is a simple yet iconic offering. It features thick slices of ripe tomatoes and large, sweet onions, arranged on a plate and served with their signature steak sauce.

Peter Luger Steak

The combination of the fresh, juicy tomatoes and mild onions provides a refreshing contrast to the rich and hearty steaks. It’s one of the restaurant’s most well-known accompaniments, celebrated for its straightforward but bold flavors.

Here, my Tomato Carpaccio was inspired by that side dish. Red ripe heirloom tomatoes and sweet Vidalia onion are lightly covered with the steak sauce where capers, olives, and anchovies add extra flavor, texture, and interest.

Tomato Carpaccio with Peter Luger Steak SauceAccording to Linda Eckhardt’s Guide to America’s Best Foods: “This is the best. Their own steak sauce is not only great on steak, but also served on slabs of red ripe tomatoes. You can’t do without this. They only began selling their sauce after customers begged. We love this sauce on hamburgers. We love it on chicken. The taste is somewhere between cocktail sauce (it’s spicy with horseradish) and traditional steak sauce (being a rich brown color).”

Peter Luger Cheeseburgers

Tomato Carpaccio Recipe

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Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo Soup

Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo Soup

Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo Soup

This recipe is similar to the one I posted last month. For Jimmy Buffett Day, I shared my version of his sister Lucy Buffett’s Summer Seafood Gumbo. Here, the gumbo is finished with smoky, creole-spiced Andouille Pork Sausage instead of crab, and more shrimp stock for soupier style.

“Gumbo Soup” is a term sometimes used to describe a thinner version of gumbo. It has the same ingredients and flavors as traditional gumbo but with a more broth-like consistency, closer to a soup than a stew. Both ways are excellent, just a little different.

Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo Soup Recipe

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Jimmy Buffett Day and His Favorite Gumbo!

Jimmy Buffett Day and His Favorite Gumbo!

Jimmy Buffett Day and His Favorite Gumbo!

The Florida House of Representatives created an official day to honor the icon earlier this year, passing legislation to declare August 30th as “Jimmy Buffett Day.”

The resolution seeks to celebrate the life and music of Jimmy Buffett, whose “free-spirited life and significant contributions to national and state culture are commended and celebrated.”

“Jimmy Buffett honed his art as a singer-songwriter in the bars of Key West,” the resolution states. “And the laid-back island lifestyle of the Florida Keys was the foundation on which he built his signature tropical rock sound.”

Jimmy Buffett Day and His Favorite Gumbo!

🦐🦀Lucy’s Signature Summer Seafood Gumbo🦐🦀

“Honest to God, when Jimmy comes to my restaurant, he orders gumbo. He loves gumbo. He can get anything else anywhere else. But he can’t get a good gumbo just anywhere,” said his sister, Lucy Buffett.

My grandmother’s old-fashioned gumbo is a crab and shrimp gumbo with tomatoes and okra—what some people call a summer gumbo,” Lucy Buffett said. “It’s still the one I make most often.”

Summer Seafood Gumbo Recipe

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