Third Coast Cuisine

July 12, 2009 By Heather McPherson Kitchen excels from start to finish
Emeril’s Tchoup Chop at Universal is not new to the Central Florida dining scene, but there is new talent in the kitchen. Greg Richie has garnered a following since 2000, when he opened Roy Yamaguchi’s Roy’s on Sand Lake Road.
Roy’s menu is Hawaiian fusion, a concept partially-embraced by Tchoup Chop, which has a broader Polynesian-Asian scope. Under Richie, the kitchen excels — from start to finish — as never before.
We started with the pork and Asian vegetable dumplings ($8). The plump pockets were a great match with the mellow sake-soy sauce. The crunchy shrimp ($10) were partially wrapped in what appeared to be thin strands of pasta. It’s an appealing presentation with a kicky hot and sour sauce. It was almost game over with the “wow” factor from the “kicked up” crab cake ($13) and the wasabi-cured salmon Napoleon ($8.50). The cake lounged in a mango-habanero butter sauce and included a wonderful caramelized pineapple compote. The Napoleon was stacked in a cone-shaped glass with lovely layers of diced salmon, avocado, tomatoes, nutty crème fraîche. The large, rumpled wonton chips on the side were perfect for scooping. Read the full Orlando Sentinel article.

Photo Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel

Going Coastal is a series of recipes familiar throughout the country but with a uniquely Third Coast spin to them.

I saw an episode of Emeril Live years ago, one of those on-location specials from Florida and Chef Legasse was making Cowboy Ribeyes, 22 ounces of bone-in beefy goodness. As a "garnish" Emeril fried up a dozen oysters and topped the steaks with them. At the time I thought it a wonderful display of showmanship but little more. That is until I was dining at Felix's Fish Camp on the Causeway in Mobile, AL and there on the menu was a 10 ounces fillet topped with fried oysters. I had to.

That first bite of grilled bovine and fried bivalve was a life changing experience, very few things compliment each other so well. To this day it is the only steak sauce I will tolerate. So I got to thinking if oysters and beef go so well together why not try it as a burger. After all burgers are good and Po'Boys are good, why not combine the flavors? They do have unifying components like bread, mayo, ketchup and pickles. It should work, right?

The Beach Burger
1 pound 85/15 Certified Black Angus ground chuck
1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning
3 standard hamburger buns or Keyser rolls
Salt & pepper to taste
1 dozen Gulf oysters
1 cup butter milk
1 egg
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup masa harina
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
Cooking oil
Beach Burger Rémoulade (recipe follows)

In a large bowl combine the chuck with the Old Bay and mix thoroughly. Divide into three equal sized balls and form into patties adding salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while your grill comes to temperature. When grill is ready cook burgers as normal.

While the burgers are cooking combine in a paper bag the cornmeal, masa & Cajun seasoning. Set aside. Whisk the egg with the buttermilk in a bowl to make an egg wash adding salt and pepper to taste. Drain the liquid from the oysters and drop them into the egg wash. Bring cooking oil to 375 degrees in a pot or deep fryer. Once you have removed the burgers to rest toast the buns and move oysters from the wash to the dredge (shaking off excess of both) and into the hot oil. Fry for roughly 2 minutes, turning as necessary.

To assemble place a patty on the bottom of a toasted bun, then three oysters, a drizzle of Beach Burger Rémoulade and finally slather a healthy dollop of Beach Burger Rémoulade on the top bun. Serve with favorite burger condiments. The burger in the picture is served with a cheese grits timbale, salt & pepper fries and a lemon wedge garnish.

Beach Burger Rémoulade
2/3 cup tarter sauce
1/3 cup cocktail sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 dash Worcestershire sauce

All this week we have seen several variations of this versatile and easy to make sauce. We have also looked at a number of uses for its creamy texture and luxurious bite. Now I would like to address one of the masters of Third Coast Cuisine and his use of rémoulades. I speak of course of Emeril Legasse, the man has a plethora of rémoulades rolling around inside his noodle. Here's a short list with links to recipes:

Rémoulade from Louisiana Real & Rustic
Fried Rock Shrimp with Two Remoulade Sauces from Emeril Live Episode: Great Beginnings
Emeril's Shrimp and Avocado Salad with New Orleans-Style Remoulade Sauce & Baby Greens courtesy of MarthaStewart.com
Artichoke and Crab Beignets with Remoulade courtesy of emeril.com
Shrimp Remoulade from Emeril's Delmonico



Thanks for joining this week it has been fun.