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.
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.
In the early 70s, my high school cafeteria lunch was almost always a sloppy joe sandwich with a bag of Cheetos and a cold bottle of Coke. Diet Coke hadn’t been invented yet. And there was only one type of Cheetos, Crunchy. Baked Cheetos and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos would come later.
I also remember my mother making tasty sloppy joes for dinner with three ingredients: ground beef, ketchup, and mustard. No measuring, she just added ketchup and mustard to the browned beef. Served it on hamburger buns or white bread (it was Wonder, which helped build strong bodies 12 ways). 💪
It has been decades since I’ve had (or even wanted) a sloppy joe sandwich. But after coming across several intriguing sloppy joe recipes on the internet that included gochujang, I had to try my own version.
Now these Gochujang Sloppy Joes are much spicier and more complex than old-school style. Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste with sweet heat and a fermented umami richness. It has a balanced fruitiness, slight smokiness and depth of flavor from the sun-dried Korean red peppers. Gochugaru, also made from sun-dried red peppers, is a coarse-ground chili powder. Together, they give this messy sandwich its distinctive Korean spiciness.
Little did we know on December 14, 2023 at the Dolby Live theater at Park MGM in Las Vegas, that we were witnessing the final show of his lifetime.
Our beloved country music icon, unapologetic patriot and huge supporter of our troops, kind-hearted philanthropist, and authentic troubadour Toby Keith, passed away less than two months later.
Here I honor his memory with a recipe and stories about his favorite sandwich.
Set List
Dolby Live at Park MGM, December 14, 2023
“Big Dog Daddy”
“Made In America”
“God Love Her”
“I Wanna Talk About Me”
“Whiskey Girl”
“Who’s That Man”
“Wish I Didn’t Know Now”
“Beer For My Horses”
“Somewhere Else”
“I Won’t Let You Down”
“You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This”
“Don’t Let The Old Man In”
“Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes”
“Who’s Your Daddy?!”
“Dream Walkin’”
“Red Solo Cup”
“As Good As I Once Was”
“I Love This Bar”
“Should’ve Been A Cowboy”
“How Do You Like Me Now”
“A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action”
Encore
“American Soldier”
“Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (Angry American)”
Toby Keith, Las Vegas, December 14, 2023
It was a special moment when Toby played his last big hit “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”
In 2017, during Clint Eastwood’s golf tournament in California, he shared with Toby Keith that he was about to leave for a three-month shoot for “The Mule.”
Toby, impressed by Eastwood’s ability to handle such a busy schedule at an older age, asked, “How do you do it, man?” Eastwood replied, “I just don’t let the old man in.” This sparked Toby’s creative process and inspired him to write the song.
💔 💔 💔
Toby then followed that song with a tribute to his late friend, Jimmy Buffett with “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.”
Here are a couple snippets from his last performance on December 14, 2023:
And my tribute to Jimmy Buffett with a recipe for a “Cheeseburger in Paradise” here. 🍔❤️🍔
I Love This Bar & Grill opened at Harrah’s Las Vegas in 2005. It had a long run but never reopened again after closing due to the pandemic in 2020.
In this video, the singer tells the story of the executive chef at Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (Harrah’s parent company) who was thoroughly displeased upon discovering a fried bologna sandwich featured on the new restaurant’s menu.
Despite the chef’s initial decision to remove it, Toby stood firm on keeping it. Eventually, the chef acknowledged that the sandwich was responsible for the restaurant’s remarkable success, boasting an opening volume three times greater than their other establishments.
I also read that Toby had a horse named Fried Bologna. I hope that’s true. 🐎
How to Make
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Toby Keith’s Favorite Sandwich 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
🧀 Smoked Salmon Grilled Cheese Sandwich 🧀
Inspired By Eric Ripert
The Chef is a genius at pairing seafood with minimal ingredients to create a dish where the diner is astonished that those simple components could be combined in such a way to result in something so spectacular.
Here a plain old grilled cheese sandwich is perfect in its four-star simplicity with just four items: smoked salmon, Swiss cheese, bread, and butter. After I came across this Instagram post by Eric Ripert, and being a lover of salmon in all its preparations, Smoked Salmon Grilled Cheese just had to be on my menu.
At Le Bernardin Chef Ripert is world-renowned for his exquisite, clean, seafood-centered cuisine. With this sandwich he proves that every dish does not have to be fancy to be sublime.
Old Bay takes the place of ordinary salt & pepper in these juicy, flavorful shrimp cakes. It is a classic seafood seasoning made of celery salt (salt, celery seed), spices (including red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves), and paprika. Originally created in Baltimore, Maryland over 75 years ago it is a classic for a good reason…it truly enhances the flavor of most shellfish, in this instance – shrimp cakes. Fans of Old Bay can read the interesting history here.
A toasty slider bun from the bakery is smeared with creamy mayonnaise then layered with a succulent shrimp cake, crunchy cucumber, tangy pickled red onion, sub-style oil & vinegar slaw, and just a sprinkle more of Old Bay.
We loved this sandwich for its petite size, the balance of textures and flavors and colors, and especially the absolutely delicious shrimp cake recipe. Thinking of using this shrimp cake in an Eggs Benedict dish soon….
