Seafood: from Maine lobster rolls to Rhode Island oysters and more | The Dish Full Episode

[Music] I'm Michelle Miller from CBS Saturday morning and welcome to the dish grab your fishing gear today we're diving in for all things Seafood from crab to squid and from coast to coast we head to Texas where a chef combines his Vietnamese fruits with Cajun fare and to Maine for one of the most delectable lobster rolls in the nation but first Jeff floor meets a farmer turned restaurateur who now runs one of the most iconic oyster bars in Rhode Island you ready he's ready Mogwai has to approve all oyster that's right he's the head of operations over here on a sun-soaked New England day Perry Russo took us to Potter Pond just off but sheltered from the heaviest waves of the Atlantic the ideal spot to harvest a food that is changing everything here oysters right off the back of the boat that's an extra gives it an extra flavor that's probably not the cleanest thing in the world right not bad add that to the list Rosso started fishing as a boy and digging little neck clams when he was 12. he graduated from the University of Rhode Island after studying aquaculture then started a small oyster Farm in 2002. so we got a leading space to grow nice you got little shrimps jumping around in there Rosso operates Seven Acres of water farming with more than 16 million oysters plus bay scallops really interesting animals they have eyes they have 32 sets of eyes on the top and 32 sets on the bottom and you can see them they're like little blue specks Russo has also built a huge nearby vegetable farm so we have beets salad greens couple varieties of kale over here we got our peppers and our Tomatoes started and salad greens over here as well as the asparagus all of which Supply his restaurants which has become a Smash Hit for diners across the East Coast matunak Oyster Bar you're not a chef no you've never been a foodie I I've become a foodie how is the Raw Bar Feast over here by now though Rosso has taken his broader message Global delivering TED talks about the importance and sustainability of aquaculture to feed a crowded and hungrier Planet shellfish farming is the epitome of sustainable agriculture aquaculture sounds like agriculture aquaculture is agriculture we're sitting here you can sit here and look at and look at where your food comes from line of sights right it's important I mean we have uh you know the vegetable farm and the oyster farms all within a mile of here to be able to see you know where your food is coming from see the farmers coming in with the oysters putting them right in the fridge and serving them right here you know it's a unique thing and I think you know oyster Farm geek thought is you know this incoming tide is delivering food to my babies out there you know one of the great things about oyster Farm is going to have to feed the oysters they eat naturally occurring phytoplankton in the water so this is delivering food to the animals it's lunch for them right now it's lunch for them and it's cleaning the water so it's uh beneficial there are a lot of people who come in who just don't won't eat oysters right do you make it your mission to try to convert them well I I do try to get them into oysters in our oysters and the tunic oysters are uh they're a petite oyster so they're not big so they're a little bit more palatable for someone who might be a little wary of eating oysters it's almost like it's like a like a Gateway oyster the Gateway oyster is what I like to call it this right Rosso has built his menu slow and steady the breath of which we were able to sample starting of course with oysters so these are the tunics right here are those are the ones we Farm raise out in Potter Pond I'm digging in yeah try one of those great thank you good sweet and the crisp is Sweet It Is crisp yep to accompany Russo's best seller we also had him a tunic special passion fruit oysters with salmon eggs and cucumbers soaked in sake if you prefer your oysters cooked there were the bourbon oysters also an asparagus and tomato salad with vegetables from his farm and a local seafood salad calamari oyster stew with a rosemary cream broth and this quinoa crab dish that blew our minds look at this sucker so you've got quinoa avocado crab drizzle over the top is we have a lemon zest aioli there oh that's fantastic nice so good not to be overlooked the tuna with Creole mustard and mashed potatoes and a ridiculous Lobster Pizza he recently debuted it's a pizza we put on the menu during covet I was researching what's the most popular takeout food pizza and so I said I wanted to make the best seafood Pizza in the world and I think we might have come close to it we got some proscute some truffle some arugula on there it's really delicious it should be illegal this is crazy how good it really is that pizza is absurd for desserts there was a blueberry crumble animatoonic signature key lime pops the full scale of Rosso's creation here is amazing even though he still feels like a little kid scrapping for Clans just to make a few bucks you talk about this a lot about your fear of failure of not succeeding do you still feel that way yeah yeah absolutely you're never satisfied uh I I don't you know like to think of myself as someone who's never satisfied but the reality uh might be that yeah and in the end people get a healthier ocean because of it and and good food yeah there's definitely so we should enjoy your pain crawfish in Cajun Country [Music] Chef trongwin gave up a career in the casino industry to follow his passion for food and has paid off he was nominated for a James Beard award for best chef Texas in 2020 and his restaurant crawfish and noodles has turned into a destination for locals and tourists alike Janet shamlian got a taste a walk through the busy kitchen of Chef trong win is to find him wildly outnumbered by Crustaceans of the Gulf hundreds of fresh crawfish and crab filled the kitchen but it's never enough they always sell out at Houston's crawfish and noodles a modest strip mall restaurant that has more accolades than some of the country's finest dining spots including the most coveted of all a James Beard nomination for best chef Texas in 2020 quite a payoff for a guy who spent 30 years in the casino industry talk about a bat with no formal training and a love for food he wagered his life savings on opening a restaurant you left a really good job to do this very much yes is something in me telling me that you know win or lose is a gambler of life was it a gamble of passion yes also Chef Wynn is credited as one of the creators of what's become known as Viet Cajun cuisine this is back in the refugee camp wow influenced by his family's cooking as a child in Vietnam before he immigrated to the U.S it's a mix of Southeast Asia and the good old American South the Cajun part is whole boiled crawfish the Vietnamese influence a soupy soak of butter and garlic these are like mini lobsters you know that's that's all we do handpick that's everything like this this side this isn't your traditional Crawfish Boil for one the secret blend of spices aren't added in until after the Mud Bugs are out of the water okay now we put the flavored sauce in okay that's butter and garlic and garlic the imported butter important butter let me get a little bit more seasoning in there the first one is to lightly mix it now now it's free seasoning yes [Music] actually yeah you got your hips going in there this is how it's supposed to be done how is it different from a crawfish boil in my backyard when you open it up yeah you will see a big chunk of meat still crunchy very very crunchy never yet never overcooked so that is the big difference it may be his signature dish but it's only one of his create how do you create it do you just there's is there a family recipe is it trial and error like what is it for you it's just food come in my mind naturally so when I thought of something that I like to eat I normally think of how to put them together Chef Wynn says he likes to experiment putting his own stamp on dishes like stir-fry noodles chicken wings spiced crab claws and a Viet Cajun Lobster his favorite dish is always his most recent creation currently a Viet Cajun salt and pepper Dungeness crab meat right there and then you suck the sauce from the outside get a little bit of everything this is a little something sweet yes it's like a blend it's a blend of spices as any crawfish Enthusiast knows there is a proper way to eat a Mudbug I've had a fair share of the Southern Delicacies but my technique needed Improvement so you hold a coffee like this so that's how you suck the head we'll see all juicy and seasoning kicking in yeah a little spicy a little and a little messy don't wear white uh Corey vins um Vin is in the front of the house Corey the back of the house to help me out my wife Pierre take care all the paperwork and also helped to prep to uh when we're busy so kind of a family business Chef Winn working alongside his son in the kitchen even his mom helps when we work in a kitchen we like the machine I mean the Fun Run Like Crazy the back is like rolling business sank during the pandemic like restaurants everywhere but customers are back the loyal Houston area crowd and a never-ending flow of tourists some come right from the airport customer is like our friend and family they very supportive it's now been more than made that way Jordan Lee gambling regrets from leaving the casino industry no sometime I look back and say wow back there I only went suit Thai the pretty walk away you know walk around talk to people shake hands sit in the night restaurant dining with all the VIP but now I carry every single disc out of the table to show it to the customer but I'm very proud of it because that's what we make that's what I made so I'm very proud thank you summer is finally upon us which means is peak season to indulge in a lobster roll whether the crustacean is drenched in butter or Thai curry paste there's a delicious version for everyone Maracas on a roll every summer Route 1 in Wiscasset Maine becomes what locals call gridlock with view three lobster rolls please as pilgrims descend to Feast on Red's classic lobster roll and from Mount Vernon Illinois and I come to Wisconsin every year just eat at Reds hello hello George and Allison Stallard came all the way from Austin Texas we're at Lobster Camp right now which means going and getting Lobster All Around Maine for a week of course the onion rings ketchup I also have an in-house blue cheese sauce oh yes yes Debbie gagnon's father Al red Gagnon bought the shack 40 years ago Red secret recipe there's no secret give people the freshest food in Pilot High I'm just going to grab a little more for this one no they don't hold back at Reds here it is right here each roll is stuffed with the meat of a whole lobster so buttery and delicious oh my gosh Lobster a once reviled Seafood fed to prisoners long ago clawed its way up from bottom feeder status on the menu the first person to serve lobster in a sandwich may have been Harry Perry of Milford Connecticut who grilled one up in 1929. it became the Hallmark of our restaurant Wendy Weir is Harry Perry's granddaughter we were known as the home of the famous lobster roll lobster rolls across Connecticut have been served hot ever since the best today the crustacean sensation is sweeping the nation then we create a Thai curry paste way over on the west coast Chef Brandon kita's lobster roll takes on flavors from the Far East so it has Ginger lemongrass kafir lime garlic at LA's hanoki and the bird we don't have a real history of lobster rolls so it's nice to be able to have freedom with creativity and smack dab in the middle of the country at Josh Thomas Smack Shack in Minneapolis lobster rolls served cold are hot don't you know we go through about 2 000 pounds of lobster a week in in the summertime when we're busy ton of lobster a week literally a ton of lobster are we the bread's local this is probably about a four pound the lobsters flown in from Maine people say how far is the ocean from here where the ocean is you know an hour and a half away by like the Concorde wow by you know but the space shuttle that's like two hours okay all right all right but a really ambitious Lobster could make it here if it went through the Atlantic through the St Lawrence Seaway over millions of years get here when Toma first sold his role out of a food truck seven years ago minnesotans were confused I think oftentimes people would come up to the truck and think they were getting sushi but soon enough they took to it so no pressure but let's watch you take care first bite ever like a lobster to melted butter wait wait deliver your verdict when you're ready saver saver what do you think very good another lobster roll lover thank you for not saying it tastes like chicken after the break a restaurant committed to using indigenous ingredients this is the dish foreign ly from Cleveland Ohio Chef Steve Phelps moved to Florida 20 years ago and he opened his popular restaurant indigenous since then he's been a James Beard semi-finalist for best chef in America twice for his inventive seafood dishes Jeff glor was lucky enough to get a reservation so this is the Pompano nigiri ready for this one Jeff oh my goodness so we've got sweet soy we've got a Szechuan chili oil and then there's a Yuzu gastrique which is a Japanese Citrus that's really really bright and you got the sea purslane on top with some fear of cocky with sesame seeds and Nori so just get it all in your mouth it's a work of arts right here wow the impeccable balance that Steve Phelps brings to his food is something he's been cultivating since he was a teenager but really took off about 20 years ago when he and his wife left their home outside Cleveland for what they thought was going to be a short trip to Florida I think we spent an afternoon that day at the beach and saw a dolphin jump up in front of us and we're enlightened said wow this is pretty nice fast forward almost 20 years later and I'm sitting with you outside my restaurant now indigenous was opened in 2011 in a residential neighborhood in Sarasota which has long had a thriving Arts Community Phelps set out to create a seafood Oasis the word indigenous when people think Florida they think Citrus and citrus is not indigenous to Florida correct indigenous ingredients here you know for Florida really were the rice and the corn and things like that and it's tough because there's a lot of confusion with that and I have to say it as a chef because I get a lot of calls and they go do you make Native American dishes all day there but indigenous to us means that it is from the era or native to the area and that's what we do with all the food that we can how do you describe your food philosophy my food is food that's recognizable and I think responsible is a name that we like to use one example his support of local farm-raised fish which haven't always had the best reputation that is changing fast as conditions inside aquaculture Farms improve dramatically and it's the global demand for seafood has doubled in the last 60 years I'm so fascinated by the technology that they do these recirculating tanks that they use these fish never stay in the same water the feeds have come so far advanced in technology with what they're utilizing in those too we've got so many different species and I rely on them as a restaurant owner because my menus have to continuously have an item on there do you think fish farming is the future it is I'm afraid of what's happening out on our Waters the pollution in the water the quote is for the fishermen they're all starting to get pollution's getting higher quotas getting smaller and we're going to need that protein from a relatively small kitchen Phelps turns out an incredible variety from all that Seafood to these ridiculously good Beignets there you go Jeff try one of those bad boys oh my Lord whoa and there's more we'll let him do the honors on the larger spread he prepared we've got some Cobia hot dogs with a little local sauerkraut and some Cleveland bertman's mustard we spice it with some pastrami spices a little baked shrimp and scallops with Everglades butter this is Barrel fish over a bacon potato Latka with a little Yuzu hollandaise and jerk relish our house pickles this is redfish over Congaree and Pen Midlands with a little Nashville hot butter and a little hot drizzle those are our Beignets we discussed this is a green curry fish dip that we do here and a little bit of Sesame Nori crackers our tribute to Strawberry Shortcake is that panna cotta with some Florida strawberries and some sweetened biscuit crumble we have that nagiri with the Pompano earlier a little Thai crispy pork belly with fish sauce and Thai fish sauce caramel and a baked egg and then that's our wild mushroom bisque which is a big staple here we've made that for years a couple cold Brews from Colusa our local Brewery and then of course I have to have Buckeyes on my menu being a Ohio State boy and so we've got a little raspberry jam and some banana Cashew Crunch underneath those now I work with a Michigan fan I'm I'm a little worried about how that's going to go over but it looks delicious well we've had quite a few Michigan people in here say that they really enjoyed it if Phelps can convince his arch enemies to eat and love his food there may be no limits on what he can shoot for Buckeyes and beer that's a thing right it is today shall we toast to the beer and eat a buckeye cheers though for him it's always going to be bigger than just what's on the plate say that that's education is just as important as the actual food that you're serving here what's the most important message that you want to get across making your your dining experience and your choices good for the planet I think that's one thing that we've always put emphasis on here people ask a lot of questions in our restaurant and I'm lucky enough to have a staff that wants to educate a guest as well as I do and our wild fish tonight red snapper from Madeira Beach caught off a boat called the fish Busters and if you know that a chef is educated and a staff is educating can teach you about where things come from why we utilize it and it's good for your body and the planet that means we just did our job today for more stories like these and live coverage of breaking news 24 7 stream us right here on CBS News I'm Michelle Miller we'll see you next time for another helping of the dish

Channel: CBS Mornings

Views: 12,278

Keywords: The Dish, full episode, CBS News, video, live news, streaming, CBS Mornings, CBS Saturday Morning, cooking, food, chef, cuisine, seafood, environment, oceans, sustainability

Id: eHJCBr2ydTs

Length: 22min 30sec (1350 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 15 2023