I still remember the first time I sat down with a group of executive chefs after a long charity event in Chicago. The restaurant was packed, the menu looked incredible, and every one of them ordered the simplest things on the list: grilled fish, a medium-rare steak, maybe a side of vegetables. I was confused until the wine started flowing and the stories poured out. These people, who spend twelve to sixteen hours a day creating elaborate dishes for strangers, suddenly become the pickiest customers on earth when someone else is cooking. That night I learned that the fancier something sounds, the more suspicious they get. It wasn’t snobbery; it was survival instinct built from years of watching exactly how restaurants cut corners, stretch inventory, and hide mistakes behind pretty plating.
Over the past decade I’ve made it a habit to corner chefs, line cooks, and restaurant owners after service and ask the same question: “What do you absolutely refuse to order when you eat out?” The answers are always the same fourteen items, told with the same eye-rolls and quiet laughter. These aren’t just pet peeves, they’re hard-earned lessons from people who know the real cost of every ingredient, the actual time everything takes, and exactly where quality goes to die when profit is on the line. They’ve seen the walk-in at closing time, tasted the “special” that’s been renamed three days in a row, and watched perfectly good food get ruined just to hit a price point. Their blacklist isn’t about being difficult; it’s about refusing to pay good money for something they know is mediocre at best and dangerous at worst.
So here is the complete, no-holds-barred list of the fourteen dishes professional chefs will move heaven and earth to avoid when they finally get a night off. If you’ve ever wondered why that table of tattooed, quiet people in black T-shirts always orders so plainly while everyone else is Instagramming towers of seafood and truffle everything, now you’ll know. Consider this your cheat sheet to dining like someone who’s spent years on the other side of the pass.
1. Avocado Toast
Avocado toast exploded because it’s ridiculously easy to make look gorgeous, but every chef knows the kitchen is laughing all the way to the bank. Restaurants buy avocados by the case when they’re rock-hard, let them ripen in a corner, then mash huge batches first thing in the morning. By the time your $19 plate arrives, that vibrant green has been sitting under plastic wrap for hours, slowly oxidizing while yesterday’s bread gets a quick re-toast to pretend it’s fresh.
Here’s what makes every single chef cringe and order something else:
- Costs the restaurant under $1.80 yet routinely sells for $16–$24
- Avocados are mashed in bulk at 7 a.m. and turn gray under lemon juice
- Bread is almost always day-old sourdough “repurposed” from dinner
- Poached eggs and feta are slapped on for an extra $6 with zero effort
- Any home cook with a fork can make it fresher and ten times cheaper
- The entire dish exists for Instagram, not for flavor or skill
The bottom line is brutal: chefs respect ingredients and labor, and avocado toast has neither in any meaningful amount. Paying boutique-café prices for something a hungover college student can execute perfectly is the fastest way to make a professional cook question the entire restaurant’s integrity. They’d rather save that money for a dish the kitchen actually has to fire fresh when the ticket prints.
2. Basic Pasta Preparations
A simple spaghetti aglio e olio, marinara, or cacio e pepe feels comforting until a chef glances at the $26 price tag and does the math in their head. They’ve made these dishes by the hundreds, sometimes thousands of portions and know the real cost is under a dollar for pasta and maybe another dollar for everything else. Yet restaurants charge like it’s a labor of love instead of the easiest station on the line.
Reasons every pro immediately flips the page:
- Dry pasta costs roughly 70–90 cents a pound wholesale
- Sauce is cooked in 20-gallon batches days in advance
- “Freshly made pasta” claim usually just means boiled that morning
- Parmesan comes from giant pre-grated food-service tubs
- Portions are deliberately oversized to hide lack of flavor
- True Roman technique for cacio e pepe is almost never followed
Chefs worship pasta done right, which is exactly why they refuse to reward laziness or greed. They’ll happily drop money on house-made tagliatelle with fresh truffle or squid-ink bigoli with real lagoon clams, but paying steak prices for reheated dried spaghetti is where they draw the hardest line in the sand. It feels like paying for air when they know the real thing is cheaper and better at home.
3. Shrimp Cocktail
Shrimp cocktail looks classy in its chilled martini glass, but it’s the ultimate lazy cash grab. Chefs know the shrimp were delivered frozen, pre-cooked, and pre-peeled in five-pound blocks, thawed overnight in the walk-in, then arranged with a squirt from a commercial gallon jug of cocktail sauce. Zero fire, zero skill, zero freshness, just pure theater.
The cold hard facts professionals can’t unsee:
- Shrimp are the cheapest “jumbo” size the supplier sells in bulk
- Cocktail sauce is industrial ketchup doctored with horseradish
- Lemons are cut at the start of shift and left to shrivel all day
- Crushed ice is there to buy time and hide lack of actual prep
- Restaurants charge $22–$32 for something that costs them $4–$6
- Exact same (or better) frozen shrimp are in every supermarket
When a chef wants cold shrimp, they boil them fresh at home or order something the kitchen actually has to cook that day. Handing over twenty-five bucks for thawed factory shrimp arranged in a circle is the definition of getting played. They’d rather spend that money on a real appetizer that requires timing, temperature, and respect.
Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
Equipment
- 1 Sheet Pan
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Measuring Spoons
- 1 Cutting Board for prepping shrimp
Ingredients
Main
- 2 pounds 12 to 15-count shrimp
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chili sauce recommended: Heinz
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce recommended: Tabasco
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.
- For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.
Notes
4. Monday Fish Specials
Nothing triggers a chef faster than an enthusiastic server pushing the “fresh catch special” on a Monday night. Seafood deliveries almost never happen on Mondays trucks roll Tuesday through Saturday in 95 % of restaurants. That glowing special is almost certainly leftover fish from the weekend that didn’t sell, now rebranded and sauced-up to move before it’s trash.
Every red flag the pros spot instantly:
- Most fish arrives Tuesday–Saturday; Monday is dead zone
- “Special” on Monday screams “clear the walk-in before it spoils”
- Suddenly every sauce is heavy cream or Cajun blackening
- Portions mysteriously get thinner to stretch inventory
- Servers dodge direct questions about delivery date
- Any hint of “fishy” smell is buried under garlic and butter
Chefs treat Monday fish like playing roulette with a loaded chamber. They’ll happily eat pasta, steak, or chicken rather than risk their night and the next morning on weekend leftovers dressed up as today’s feature. The gamble simply isn’t worth it when there are safer, fresher choices on the same menu.
5. Anything Swimming in Hollandaise Sauce
Eggs Benedict, asparagus with hollandaise, or salmon draped in yellow sauce might read like pure luxury, but the moment a chef sees hollandaise they picture the giant cambro sitting on the lowboy since 6 a.m. This emulsion is fragile, temperature-sensitive, and a bacterial paradise if it dips below 135 °F for too long yet brunch places keep gallons lukewarm for hours.
Why every professional orders something anything else:
- Sauce is made in massive batches before doors even open
- Temperature drifts into danger zone during busy service
- Broken sauce gets whisked back together instead of dumped
- Many spots use powdered bases or margarine, not real butter
- Raw or lightly pasteurized egg yolks are standard shortcuts
- One contaminated ladle can take out the entire dining room
Chefs have watched too many line cooks gamble with public health. They’d rather eat dry toast than risk their day off on sauce that’s been coasting on the edge of food-safety disaster since breakfast service began. Freshly made emulsions are rare, and they’re not willing to bet their stomach on the exception.
Asparagus With Hollandaise Sauce, The King Of Vegetables
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan (medium) For boiling asparagus and as the base for a double boiler.
- 1 Heatproof Bowl To sit over the saucepan for the double boiler, essential for Hollandaise.
- 1 Whisk Crucial for emulsifying the Hollandaise sauce.
- 1 Vegetable Peeler For properly preparing the asparagus spears.
- 1 Small Saucepan For melting butter and reducing vinegar.
Ingredients
Main
- 12 green or white asparagus remove the outer skin with a peeler
- Salt & sugar
- Hollandaise Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons ice cold water
- 1 stick of butter
- 2 egg yolks
- Juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Peel the outer skin of the asparagus spears with a vegetable peeler, starting a couple of inches below the tip, and trim the woody ends.
- In a small saucepan, combine black peppercorns and white wine vinegar. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Strain out the peppercorns and set the vinegar reduction aside.
- Melt the stick of butter in a separate small saucepan over low heat, keeping it warm.
- Prepare a double boiler: Fill a medium saucepan with about an inch of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Place a heatproof bowl over it, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
- In the heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cooled vinegar reduction and ice-cold water until light and frothy.
- Place the bowl over the simmering water and continue whisking vigorously until the mixture thickens to a ribbon consistency; be careful not to scramble the eggs.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and slowly drizzle in the warm melted butter in a steady stream, continuously whisking until a thick, smooth emulsion forms.
- Stir in the fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley. Season the Hollandaise sauce with salt to taste. Keep warm over very low heat or a warm water bath.
- In a large pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and a small pinch of sugar. Add the peeled asparagus and blanch for 2-5 minutes, depending on thickness, until crisp-tender.
- Drain the asparagus immediately and arrange on serving plates. Spoon the warm Hollandaise sauce generously over the asparagus and serve without delay.
Notes
6. Seafood Pasta Specials
A “seafood medley” pasta loaded with clams, shrimp, mussels, and scallops sounds generous until chefs translate it: “clean-out-the-seafood-drawer frenzy.” Strong garlic, chili flakes, and white wine are the perfect mask for anything slightly past prime, and mixing five proteins means you’ll never pinpoint which one was off.
The classic tricks no pro ever falls for:
- Multiple seafood types hide exactly which one is old
- “Special” status almost always means “use it or lose it”
- Heavy seasoning and acid cover subtle spoilage notes
- Frozen mixed-seafood packs are cheaper than fresh
- Pasta soaks up and conceals any questionable flavor
- Single-seafood dishes would expose lack of freshness instantly
Chefs order one type of seafood prepared simply grilled octopus, seared scallops, or clams in broth so quality has nowhere to hide. They refuse to pay premium prices for yesterday’s catch hidden in a garlic bath. Their palates are too trained to fall for the camouflage game.
7. Chicken Caesar Salad
It looks like the safe, healthy choice, but chefs know the grim reality under the romaine. That grilled chicken was cooked in bulk yesterday or this morning, sliced, and left in a warming drawer until it’s dry and flavorless, then reheated to order. The dressing is usually bottled, and traditional recipes still call for raw egg handled who-knows-how.
What makes pros skip the “light” option entirely:
- Chicken is pre-cooked in huge batches and turns cardboard-dry
- Dressing almost always comes from commercial bottles
- Lettuce sits in ice water for hours and loses all crunch
- Croutons are made from yesterday’s bread ends
- Anchovies are the cheapest oil-packed variety
- Raw egg component carries unnecessary risk
Chefs order salad without chicken or pick places that grill protein fresh when the ticket prints. They know real flavor comes from ingredients handled with care, not assembled from holding trays like airplane food. A true Caesar should sing with freshness, not whisper “made yesterday.”
Easy and Fast Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad
Equipment
- 1 Large Skillet Deep enough for bacon and chicken.
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Chef’s knife
- 1 Large salad bowl
- 1 Tongs or Spatula
Ingredients
Main
- ¼ pound bacon
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves – cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
- 1 head romaine lettuce- rinsed dried and chopped
- ½ cup Caesar salad dressing
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown; crumble and set aside.
- In a preheated skillet, add chicken, seasoning mix, and oil. Cook until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a salad bowl, combine Romaine, enough salad dressing to coat, Parmesan cheese, and crumbled bacon; toss and place on individual salad plates. Top with chicken and serve.
Notes
2. When cooking the chicken, ensure the skillet is hot and avoid overcrowding the pan. Cook in batches if necessary to achieve a proper sear and “blackened” effect, which contributes significantly to the Cajun flavor profile. Uniformly cut chicken strips will ensure even cooking.
3. Always dry your romaine lettuce thoroughly after rinsing. Excess water will dilute the dressing and prevent it from adhering properly, leading to a less flavorful salad.
4. Dress the salad just before serving to maintain the crispness of the lettuce. Consider adding homemade or high-quality store-bought croutons for added texture and crunch.
8. Over-the-Top Signature Burgers
The skyscraper burger dripping with five sauces, onion rings, pulled pork, bacon, and a fried egg looks insane on the menu photo, but chefs instantly recognize the distraction tactic. Kitchens pile toppings to hide cheap frozen patties or meat that’s been languishing under heat lamps too long. It’s not creativity, it’s a cover-up for low-quality beef that couldn’t stand on its own.
The chaos professionals see right through:
- Base patty is usually the lowest-grade commodity beef
- Toppings mask dried-out or previously frozen meat
- Impossible to eat without half the burger hitting your shirt
- Bun collapses into soggy mush within three bites
- You’re charged $28–$38 for maybe $7 worth of ingredients
- Actual beef flavor gets completely lost in the noise
Give a chef a freshly ground patty cooked to temperature on a proper bun with two or three thoughtful toppings and they’re ecstatic. They refuse to reward circus acts that scream “we don’t trust our beef.” A great burger is about perfect meat and balance, not structural engineering and sauce overload that leaves you needing a shower and a new shirt.
Almost-Famous Animal-Style Burgers
Equipment
- 1 Large Skillet For caramelizing onions and cooking patties
- 1 Medium Bowl For mixing the special sauce
- 1 Griddle or Flat-Top Ideal for cooking multiple patties and toasting buns simultaneously
- 1 Spatula For flipping patties and scraping griddle
- 1 Chef’s Knife and Cutting Board For prepping vegetables
Ingredients
Main
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more for brushing
- 2 large onions finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 pounds ground beef chuck preferably 60% lean
- 4 hamburger buns split
- 1/4 cup sliced dill pickles
- 3/4 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- 4 to 8 thin slices tomato
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 8 slices American cheese
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and 3/4 teaspoon salt, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and soft, about 30 minutes. (If the onions brown too quickly, reduce the heat to low.) Uncover, increase the heat to medium high and continue to cook, stirring often, until caramelized, about 8 more minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer, stirring, until the water evaporates, about 2 more minutes; transfer to a bowl and set aside. (The onions can be made up to 3 days ahead; cover and refrigerate, then reheat before using.)
- Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish and vinegar in a bowl; set aside. Shape the beef into 8 patties, about 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat; lightly brush with vegetable oil. Toast the buns on the griddle, split-side down. Spread each toasted bun bottom with about 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture, then top with a few pickles, some lettuce, 1 or 2 slices tomato and another dollop of the mayonnaise mixture; set aside. (Keep the griddle hot.)
- Season both sides of the patties with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, put the patties on the griddle and cook 3 minutes. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard on the uncooked side of each patty, then flip and top each with 1 slice cheese; continue cooking about 2 more minutes for medium doneness. Top 4 of the patties with caramelized onions, then cover with the remaining patties, cheese-side up. Sandwich the double patties on the buns.
Notes
9. Well-Done Steak
The collective kitchen wince when someone orders steak well-done is real. Chefs immediately reach for the thinnest, toughest, or oldest cut in the drawer because overcooking hides everything dry aging gone wrong, connective tissue, even slight age. Medium-rare would expose every flaw instantly, so the worst steaks are saved for this request.
Well-Done Steak with Blue Cheese Compound Butter
Equipment
- 1 Mixing Bowl For preparing the compound butter.
- 1 Plastic Wrap To form and chill the compound butter.
- 1 Large Cast Iron Skillet Or other heavy-bottomed pan for searing steaks.
- 1 Tongs For safely handling and flipping steaks.
- 1 Meat Thermometer Essential for accurately checking steak doneness.
Ingredients
Main
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus 2 tablespoons
- 6 ounces blue cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 New York strip steaks 14 to 16 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine room temperature butter with crumbled blue cheese, a pinch of kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Transfer the butter mixture onto plastic wrap, form it into a log, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- Remove steaks from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking; pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels.
- Season both sides of the steaks generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it shimmers and just begins to smoke.
- Carefully place steaks in the hot skillet (do not overcrowd). Sear for 4-5 minutes per side to develop a deep, dark crust.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, flipping occasionally, until an internal temperature of 160-165°F (71-74°C) is reached for well-done.
- Remove steaks from the skillet and transfer them to a cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Slice the chilled blue cheese compound butter into medallions.
- Serve the rested steaks immediately, topped with a generous slice of the compound butter.
Notes
2. Although ‘well-done’ is specified, avoid drying out the steak. Aim for an internal temperature of 160-165°F (71-74°C) as it will continue to cook slightly while resting.
3. A screaming hot skillet is crucial for achieving a beautiful, flavorful crust. Don’t overcrowd the pan, which can lower the temperature and steam the meat instead of searing.
4. Always rest the steaks for 5-10 minutes after cooking. This redistributes the juices, ensuring a more tender and moist result.
The sad truth from behind the pass:
- Worst cuts in the cooler are reserved for well-done orders
- Older steaks nearing expiration get used without worry
- Extended cooking kills bacteria but murders flavor and texture
- No respectable steakhouse serves prime beef well-done
- Medium-well achieves safety without destroying the meat
- Braised or slow-cooked dishes actually benefit from long heat
Chefs either order medium-rare or choose cuts designed for long cooking like short rib or brisket. They refuse to let their best product be turned into flavorless leather just to mask inventory problems. If you truly need it fully cooked, they’ll gently suggest something braised where long cooking is a feature, not a desperate cover-up.
10. All-You-Can-Eat Sushi Buffets
Unlimited sushi for $29.99 sounds too good to be true because it literally is. Quality fish is expensive, real otoro or wild king salmon would bankrupt the place at those prices. Chefs instantly suspect lower-grade fish, massive rice portions, excessive soy sauce, and dangerous temperature abuse on the buffet line.
What professionals know is being hidden:
- Fish is “sushi-grade” in marketing only, not reality
- Rice ratios are dramatically increased to fill you up cheap
- Leftover pieces sometimes get re-plated for the next round
- Items sit at room temperature far longer than safe limits
- Real premium fish would cost triple the buffet price
- True sushi requires religious temperature control and turnover
Chefs would rather eat five perfect pieces at a real counter than fifty mediocre ones that might send them to the bathroom for two days. They value their health and their palate too much to gamble on quantity over quality. Sometimes less really is more especially when raw fish is involved.
11. Fancy Truffle Mac and Cheese
Truffle-oil mac with lobster, gold leaf, or “four-cheese blend” sounds decadent, but most restaurant truffle oil is 100 % synthetic zero actual truffle, just chemical aroma compounds in a bottle. The base is cheap pasta and basic cheese sauce made hours earlier, reheated, and drizzled with ten cents worth of fake luxury.
The illusion no chef falls for:
- Truffle oil contains no real truffle, just laboratory flavor
- Pasta is pre-cooked and turns gummy when reheated
- Cheese sauce separates and gets grainy under heat lamps
- “Lobster” is usually imitation or tiny frozen scraps
- Base dish costs under $3 before the fake upgrades
- Real truffles would add hundreds to the plate price
Chefs make perfect mac at home with real aged cheddar or order dishes where honest ingredients shine without chemical tricks. Paying twenty-five dollars for artificial aroma and reheated pasta feels like the ultimate con. They’d rather have a simple bowl of quality cheese sauce that actually tastes like cheese, not a chemistry experiment.
12. Random Exotic Game Meats
Ostrich sliders, alligator bites, or wild boar ragù on a regular neighborhood menu scream trouble unless the restaurant specializes in game. These proteins arrive rock-frozen from distributors, sit for months in the freezer, then get cooked by line cooks who have never handled them before and treat them like beef out of fear.
Why pros stick to beef, pork, and chicken:
- Game is almost always frozen and very old by service
- Cooks overcompensate with heat out of safety fears
- Results in tough, dry, leathery disappointment
- Proper game prep requires specific expertise most kitchens lack
- Items are “conversation pieces,” not serious menu features
- Restaurants rarely move enough volume to keep fresh
Chefs save adventurous eating for places that actually know how to cook kangaroo or venison instead of treating it like a gimmick. They refuse to pay premium prices for disappointment wrapped in novelty. Real exotic meat should be a revelation, not a cautionary tale you tell friends later.
13. Complicated Eggs Benedict Variations
Lobster Benedict, pulled-pork Benedict, or crab-cake Benedict sound inventive, but they’re absolute nightmares during slammed brunch service. Multiple components have to land perfectly at once, so kitchens pre-poach eggs by the dozen, reheat them in hot water, and use yesterday’s proteins under new names while praying the hollandaise holds.
The chaos professionals avoid at all costs:
- Eggs are poached hours earlier and held in warm water
- Yolks turn rubbery and overcooked from reheating
- Fancy toppings are almost always repurposed leftovers
- Hollandaise issues get multiplied by extra complexity
- Simple preparations guarantee better execution
- Freshness is everything with eggs prep kills it
Chefs stick to classic eggs made completely to order or a perfect omelet where nothing can hide behind gimmicks. They know that the more complicated the Benedict, the more corners were cut to make it possible during rush. True brunch mastery is in perfect execution of the basics, not piling on yesterday’s specials.
14. Pre-Assembled Seafood Towers
The towering iceberg of oysters, king crab legs, shrimp, and lobster looks spectacular being carried through the dining room, but it was built hours ago during afternoon prep and has been sitting in the walk-in ever since. Different shellfish need different temperatures and humidity impossible to maintain when everything is stacked together on melting ice for visual drama.
The reality behind the Instagram moment:
- Towers are fully assembled long before first ticket
- Oysters dry out while shrimp get waterlogged from ice
- Crab legs lose sweetness sitting in melting water
- Different ideal storage temps can’t be respected
- Items lose peak freshness minute by minute
- Individual à-la-minute service keeps everything pristine
Chefs order oysters shucked when they sit down, crab cracked to order, and shrimp cooked fresh. They want seafood at its absolute best, not sacrificed for theater that started hours before they walked in. A real seafood experience is about pristine ingredients served the moment they’re ready, not a pre-built monument that compromises everything for the photo.
Mini Seafood Tower
Equipment
- 1 Pot For boiling potatoes
- 1 Saute Pan For cooking zucchini, shrimp, and cod
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Chef’s knife
- 4 Stacking Rings or Food Molds Essential for forming the ‘towers’
Ingredients
Main
- 400 grams waxy Potatoes
- Salt
- 1 Zucchini
- Olive oil
- freshly ground Pepper
- 2 stems Dill
- 12 Shrimp ready to cook peeled and deveined
- 4 leaves Leek
- 120 grams fish fillet cod
- Algae for garnish
Instructions
- Wash and dice waxy potatoes into small, uniform cubes. Boil them in generously salted water until tender, then drain thoroughly.
- Wash and thinly slice the zucchini. Sauté lightly in a small amount of olive oil until tender-crisp, then season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the peeled and deveined shrimp and cook quickly until pink and opaque, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, gently cook the cod fillet until it flakes easily and is opaque throughout, approximately 2-3 minutes per side depending on thickness. Flake into bite-sized pieces.
- Blanch the leek leaves briefly in boiling water until pliable (about 30 seconds), then immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Pat dry thoroughly.
- Finely chop the fresh dill.
- In a mixing bowl, gently combine the cooked potatoes, sautéed zucchini, cooked shrimp, and flaked cod. Mix in most of the chopped dill, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and freshly ground pepper.
- Line each stacking ring with a blanched leek leaf if desired for presentation, then carefully fill the rings with the seafood and vegetable mixture, pressing gently to form a compact tower.
- Carefully remove the stacking rings, leaving the formed towers on serving plates.
- Garnish each mini seafood tower with additional fresh dill and a small piece of algae for an elegant finish. Serve immediately.
