BYLINES BY SCOTT
IRON CHEF MASAHARU MORIMOTO SHARES HIS CULINARY SECRETS
Famed Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, whose namesake restaurant is now offering catering to Hamptonites, shares his secret to what he loves most about the East End.
When you think fresh seafood, the East End of Long Island comes to mind—and so does chef Masaharu Morimoto. With an empire of restaurants across the country and abroad, this Food Network Iron Chef is packing the secret ingredient and heading here, offering the ultimate recipe for summer entertaining: this one for ceviche.
Favorite time of year: I prefer the Hamptons in May and June—it’s not too hot or cold, but a perfect temperature.
In your spare time: I play golf.
Most-used summer ingredient: I would say suzuki, a Japanese sea bass. It is very good in summer, and I serve it as sashimi.
This summer’s cocktail: Shochu with freshly squeezed citrus fruit, such as grapefruit or lemon.
Who’s at the table? My golf buddies after playing somewhere on Long Island.
What’s on the table? Long Island wine and some fresh seafood dishes, not necessarily Japanese, but more like Mediterranean cuisine.
What’s on your menu this summer? Fresh uni [the edible part of a sea urchin] from Japan, which is going to be in season.
Go-to kitchen tool? A small rice cooker I have at home, which is easily carried anywhere. Nowadays there are many high-tech rice cookers on the market. However, my wife uses one of the oldest, but simplest, rice cookers, which may not be even available anymore. It has only one button to turn on and off, but it cooks rice for two people perfectly. I don’t need any other buttons or excessive features.
Best-kept secret? One day I was asked to prepare dinner for VIP guests at their house in Tokyo. So I f lew there and cooked for them. Then while there, I was told that it was meant to be a test dinner for the Iron Chef show (the original Japan version) to see if I would be qualified to be an Iron Chef. The guests turned out to be judges and decided to pick me as the next Iron Chef.
Read the Article at Hamptons-Magazine.com HERE.
