Armchair Chopped - Second Chance Appetizers

My creativity calisthenics continued recently as 4 chefs were challenged to compose an appetizer in 20 minutes using: catfish, tomatillos, marshmallows, and rutabaga. The episode aired 02/01/11, but I received my assignment remotely and came up with a dish with little thought or consideration - pure spontaneity. I finally drew up the sketch yesterday.

Catfish: A firm-fleshed, fresh-water fish that is mild in flavor and takes well to a variety of cooking preparations.

Catfish fillets

Tomatillo: A variety of tomato that can have a green or purple flesh that is firm and has a tart flavor.

Tomatillos

Marshmallows: A light, fluffy confection comprised of sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin.

Marshmallows

Rutabaga: A root vegetable similar to a turnip.

Rutabaga

In my lengthy career in food service, I have had catfish several times. Naturally, it made sense to slice the fillets into "fingers," bread them and broil them to a crispy crunch. The tomatillos, often used for salsa verde, would be chopped and mixed with finely sliced scallions and lime to make a topping for the fish. These components required a platform or vessel, so a potato-like base might work well. The rutabaga has a starchiness/firmness similar to a potato -in my opinion- and could form a potato cake when grated and mixed with some onion, egg, and flour. The mixture would be pan-fried until golden and cooked through. Finally, the marshmallows would be melted and used as the sweet component of a sweet-sour sauce to dress the plate and accompany this appetizer.

Rutabaga Latkas with Crispy Catfish, Tomatillo Salsa and Marshmallow Sweet-Sour Sauce



This type of challenge does require creativity, but it also requires experience. The more we cook and eat different types of cuisine, the better foundation we have to take on challenges like this. An incoherent mixture of ingredients can be tamed by adapting them to similar traditional dishes or coming up with something completely off the wall. But it takes more than knowing how to pop a frozen pizza in the oven or open a can of beans to be successful. Try something new, for it could be the next winning dish!