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00:00Oh, my God.
00:05We're in Morimoto's house.
00:07Look at this.
00:08Let's go, baby.
00:09Dude, that tuna.
00:10Walking to this kitchen is amazing.
00:13Whoa, I'm here.
00:14This is real.
00:15It's happening.
00:16That is a big tuna.
00:17Oh, my God.
00:18Are you kidding me?
00:20I'm walking into this beautiful, amazing kitchen.
00:24It's so gorgeous.
00:25But also, there's a really big fish in the room,
00:29so I'm not sure what's going on.
00:31This is sweet.
00:33All right.
00:34It's official.
00:35We all have sushi powers.
00:37Feels right.
00:38Feels right.
00:39We're ready to roll.
00:45The freshest food competition in television is back.
00:50This season, there are even bigger fish...
00:53Come on, tuna.
00:55...and sharper knives.
00:57Eight of the best sushi chefs from across the country
01:00will compete.
01:08First, you bring out the razzle,
01:10and then here comes the dazzle.
01:11To see who has the skills, artistry, and creativity
01:16to impress a renowned sushi legend,
01:19Chef Masaharu Morimoto.
01:22I'm back!
01:27Let's make this happen.
01:28Whoo!
01:29Watch out, guys.
01:30Fire, fire!
01:32This is the most original sashimi dish I've ever had in my life.
01:35This is a successful dish.
01:37The chefs will have to survive six grueling battles.
01:41Perfect.
01:42You'll be making desserts.
01:44My goodness.
01:45You'll each be using paintings to inspire a sashimi dish.
01:50Whoo!
01:51No good, no good, no good, no good, no good.
01:53It's, uh, to me, nothing special.
01:57To beat out the competition...
01:59Whoo!
02:00Oh.
02:01Oh, no.
02:02...earn a large cash prize.
02:03Think of this as one bite that can save your life in this competition.
02:08...and win the honor of the title Morimoto's Sushi Master.
02:14Oh, my God!
02:16Whoo!
02:17Wow.
02:18I can't believe my eyes!
02:20Welcome, chefs, to Morimoto's Sushi Master.
02:24We are so excited to have you all here.
02:26Look around you.
02:27This is a small pool of huge talent.
02:31As chefs, you are all big fish in your own right.
02:35But that also means that making it through each round of this competition
02:38is gonna be tough.
02:40Please welcome the newest addition to the Sushi Master team.
02:43Chef and owner of Scratch Restaurants Group,
02:45which operates 17 restaurants,
02:47Chef Philip Franklin Lee.
02:50Whoo!
02:51Whoo!
02:52Welcome, chefs!
02:53Chef Philip is one of the judges.
02:54I'm in a state of shock and just awe.
02:56He's got two Michelin stars,
02:57so every word that comes out of his mouth
02:59is something that I can take into consideration
03:01and respect fully.
03:02Chefs, I'm really excited to get to know
03:04each and every one of you through your food
03:06throughout this season.
03:09And now the biggest fish of them all,
03:12sushi legend and our head judge,
03:15Chef Masaharu Morimoto.
03:18Whoo!
03:19Whoo!
03:20Whoo!
03:21Whoo!
03:22Whoo!
03:23Yeah!
03:24Okay!
03:25Hey!
03:26Hey!
03:27Hey!
03:28Hey!
03:29Hey!
03:30Hey!
03:31I'm fangirling.
03:32To win and have Morimoto say to my face,
03:35you are my sushi master,
03:37would be all of my dreams come true.
03:39I am back in the game!
03:41Yeah!
03:42That's right!
03:43Fortune resides in the heavens.
03:50Armor within the chest,
03:52and achievement lies in the feet.
03:54This means that while fate is determined by the heavens,
03:58one can protect oneself through preparation,
04:00and accomplishments depend on one's own efforts.
04:04Let's start Morimoto Sushi Master Season Two!
04:07You need two!
04:09Yes!
04:10Woo!
04:11Go!
04:12In a sushi master first,
04:14Chef Morimoto will break down this amazing fish for use
04:17in your very first challenge.
04:20Tuna is a kind of kingfish in the sushi
04:24and a Japanese cuisine.
04:25It's amazing.
04:26This here is a sustainably caught bluefin tuna
04:29from Baja, Mexico.
04:30It's so exciting to see bluefin tuna.
04:32I feel like, oh, we're actually making sushi
04:35instead of Americanized rolls.
04:37Fish butchery is not just a technical requirement,
04:40but it is an integral part of the artistry
04:43and craftsmanship that defines sushi making.
04:46Wow!
04:47For your Yukoze Challenge,
04:49we'll be testing your sushi technique and artistry.
04:52First, you'll create perfect saku blocks
04:54and then make technically flawless sashimi, nigiri,
04:57and maki rolls using this amazing fish you see before you.
05:01Each of you will be provided
05:03with some of Morimoto's rice that he made earlier
05:06for your maki and nigiri.
05:09You'll each be able to come up here
05:10and choose which portion of the tuna you would like,
05:13which you will then have to transform into saku blocks.
05:16What exactly is a saku block?
05:18When you go to a sushi restaurant,
05:19there are all these pre-portioned loins of fish.
05:22They slice to make their sushi.
05:24Gotcha.
05:25I'm thinking, oh, my God, I can't do this
05:26because I've never broken down a full fresh loin of tuna
05:29versus the frozen blocks that we get.
05:32After you portion these saku blocks,
05:33you're gonna be preparing three slices of sashimi,
05:35two pieces of nigiri, and one maki roll.
05:38Your names were drawn randomly
05:40to decide the order of picking.
05:42Lucas.
05:43I'm gonna take the top side center cut belly.
05:46Marissa.
05:47This one.
05:48This one?
05:49Joan.
05:50May I please have this one?
05:51Oh.
05:52Abe, come on up.
05:53Center cut.
05:54Center cut.
05:55There you are, chef.
05:56That center cut tuna is the easiest for me
05:57to get it evenly cut to win this challenge.
05:59Raphael.
06:00There you go.
06:01Jason.
06:02We'll do this one.
06:03Good luck.
06:05All right, Yoko.
06:06Last but not least.
06:07Whoa.
06:08You got this.
06:11That's what he said.
06:13It was the one piece I didn't want to pick up
06:16because it was the biggest piece,
06:18and it has more fat.
06:21This being the first challenge,
06:23we're really going to get to see
06:24what kind of skills each one of you chefs possess.
06:26There's nowhere to really hide.
06:28Chef prepared the rice.
06:29Chef broke down the tuna for you.
06:31On for that.
06:32Okay, chefs.
06:34You'll have 30 minutes.
06:36Your time starts now.
06:38Arbor!
06:40Tuna!
06:43It is time to show what we got.
06:45Ooh.
06:46Why'd you pick your cut?
06:47That's one of my preferred cuts.
06:49I don't know what I did to get so lucky
06:51and be the first to pick from the top loin.
06:53I pick the center cut with the belly.
06:55It's a beautiful, beautiful fish.
06:57Cannot deny that.
06:58It's absolutely amazing to be able to cook for Chef Morimoto.
07:01I'm here to be sushi master.
07:03What I do is different from what everyone else does,
07:05and I'm ready to bring home the title.
07:07How you doing, Marissa?
07:08You good over there?
07:09You know, I'm working it out.
07:11I am a black female sushi chef, Jewish, from Mississippi.
07:17I'm known around Memphis as the sushi lady.
07:20My sushi is very influenced by being from the south,
07:24but the other thing is, as a Jewish woman,
07:26I also incorporate a lot of kosher elements
07:30into the sushi that I do.
07:32I, um, don't usually get to break down so much fish this size.
07:36Generally, when you order a portion of tuna
07:39to cut down into blocks for a restaurant,
07:41you don't get a portion as big as the one that we got.
07:44I know that the judges are going to be looking
07:46for absolute perfection.
07:48Chefs, how should they be breaking down their fish?
07:52I want to see what's the leftover thing,
07:54so I don't want to see any wasting.
07:56This is the part I don't want for trash.
07:59Mm-mm.
08:00Throw this away.
08:02Chefs are going to really have to look out
08:03for the fat content of this fish.
08:06It's very easy to pierce the fish in a way
08:08where you can have the oil leach out of the fish.
08:11Oh, my gosh. My heart.
08:14Any slight misdirection of the knife
08:17can completely mess up your loin.
08:18Oh, jeez.
08:19Anybody else have shaky hands but me right now?
08:21Yes.
08:22If you don't have expert knowledge about this fish,
08:25it can go south very quickly.
08:27Yes.
08:28Oh, my God.
08:31It's not a good piece.
08:33Are you having problems?
08:34Yeah.
08:35I'm struggling here.
08:36The blocks are not even.
08:37We got 20 minutes, guys.
08:39I don't want to leave it like that.
08:41I know that it's not going to be good enough for Marimoto.
08:53We got 20 minutes, guys.
08:54Jeff Lively.
08:55Bird.
08:56Bird.
08:57I feel pretty confident of this one.
08:58You?
08:59Yep.
09:00Seeing Chef Yoko next to me feels very intimidating.
09:03She's Japanese, and she might have a little advantage
09:06with the style of food, so it's something
09:08that I have to look out for.
09:09Yoko, your fingers seem kind of small.
09:12What's your finger measurement?
09:13I don't know.
09:14I don't know.
09:15I need to win this challenge because this is fundamental skill.
09:20I should be able to do with no problem.
09:2515 minutes left, guys.
09:2615 minutes.
09:2715 minutes.
09:2815 minutes.
09:29Heard.
09:31This challenge is deceptively hard, right?
09:35Oh, right.
09:36What could be hard about this challenge
09:38is the fact that although every sushi chef needs to know this,
09:42most sushi restaurants don't bring in whole tuna.
09:45So some chefs aren't doing this on a daily basis.
09:48No pressure.
09:49No, no.
09:50You don't have to take the whole, you know, like, saku.
09:52Oh, no.
09:53Sorry.
09:54Chef, how we feeling?
09:55Very nervous.
09:56Is this something that you do a lot?
09:57Normally we get it frozen, so it's a little bit easier.
10:00So they're already coming in the saku blocks?
10:02Mm-hmm.
10:03Yeah, some restaurants will bring it in that way.
10:04Exactly.
10:05I was going to use for the sashimi the chiu-toro.
10:10Okay, chiu-toro.
10:11So this is not a saku.
10:13Oh, okay.
10:14You have to cut this more thinner.
10:16Okay.
10:17One piece.
10:18I've been in the restaurant industry over 26 years.
10:21My style for cooking is more like a jazz musician.
10:24I like to follow the music, but at the time that it's my solo,
10:29I'm going to play whatever brings the idea to fruition.
10:34Yoko.
10:35Hi.
10:36How are you?
10:37I'm a little nervous.
10:38My heart's pounding.
10:39What's making you so nervous?
10:40The time, and everybody's very intimidating.
10:46You're a rice puffer.
10:47So you got nice, that's right.
10:48Thank you, sir.
10:4910 minutes.
10:50All right.
10:51Hi.
10:52Hi.
10:53Hey, we.
10:54The rice doesn't have rice for me.
10:56Jason, what are you making?
10:57Chiu-toro nigiri, some sashimi kami, and a chiu-toro hosomaki.
11:00I'm more familiar with this.
11:02I'm going to make a lot of rice.
11:04I'm going to make a lot of rice.
11:05I'm going to make a lot of rice.
11:08I'm more familiar with, uh, leaner parts of the tuna.
11:11Yeah.
11:12I'm more familiar with leaner.
11:14Looking out and watching them work, is there anything that concerns you already?
11:19Someone doing, you know, 100% long way.
11:23100%?
11:24100% opposite.
11:25And then someone corrects, but we'll see.
11:28What we're going to be looking for with nigiri, is it falling apart?
11:30Is it too tight?
11:31With the maki, same thing.
11:33These are skills sushi chefs practice for years.
11:35Honestly, there is absolutely no excuse for anything but perfection today.
11:40Uh-oh.
11:41What does that mean?
11:42It's a very concern.
11:43Ah.
11:44How's your mental mise en place going?
11:45You good?
11:46It's getting there.
11:47It's getting there.
11:48All right.
11:49With the bluefin tuna, there's three distinct cuts.
11:51The akami is lean.
11:52I want to use that for my nigiri.
11:54The chiu-toro is mid fatty.
11:55I want to use that for my sashimi.
11:57And the otoro, I want to scrape the flesh off the skin and use that for my nigitoro roll.
12:02I am making a little chiu-toro nigiri.
12:04It's a joy to work with this kind of fish.
12:06Tell me about it.
12:07They have akami chiu-toro otoro.
12:09So sushi have to be in harmony with the vinegar rice and the fat content of what's in the top.
12:15Nigiri maki have to be different amount of wasabi in between.
12:19Oh, okay.
12:20They should know, but I don't think they know.
12:23Forgot to put wasabi on a few of my nigiri.
12:26Oh, my gosh.
12:27In Wisconsin, I'm so accustomed to making nigiri without wasabi, so I'm going to do it over.
12:34This wasabi is kind of scary looking.
12:36I'm being cautious to not be aggressive with my wasabi for the judges' sake.
12:41Nice.
12:43Woo!
12:44Just under six minutes!
12:46Heard, chef!
12:48Chicken and bacon, man.
12:55The challenge definitely feels like it's something I do pretty often at work, but anything could happen.
13:01You've got to be a little humble about it, too, you know?
13:03I am Abe Youssef, and I'm the executive chef and owner of He Music Restaurant.
13:07I am not a classically trained sushi chef.
13:10I was self-taught, and I actually learned making sushi from some of Morimoto's videos as well.
13:16Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
13:18What do you think, chef?
13:19Abe-san, nice.
13:20Abe-san, nice?
13:22Thank you very much.
13:23Is it Abe-san or Abe?
13:24Abe.
13:25He can call me anything he wants.
13:26You're making seaweed on the outside.
13:27Why?
13:28Maki.
13:29Maki, seaweed outside.
13:30Yes, seaweed outside.
13:31Yeah.
13:32Yes, yes, that's good.
13:33That's good.
13:34Okay.
13:35I like that.
13:36Okay, thank you.
13:37Yeah.
13:38I start making nigiri by cutting the saku into pieces.
13:44I grab a little rice, make a shape, and put on a sashimi piece and flip it.
13:51I really like the movement of making nigiri.
13:53It feels like a wrapping present every time.
13:57Yoko, you're doing good?
13:59Thank you so much.
14:00You got this, girl.
14:01I love movement.
14:03I grew up as a dancer, and then when I moved to LA to pursue dancing, I actually had to support myself,
14:08so I started to learn how to make sushi.
14:10And now I'm a plant-based sushi chef.
14:13There aren't a lot of female sushi chefs yet, and because of what I've experienced in restaurants,
14:20I always felt like I'm not enough as male chef.
14:23So winning this competition means validation to call myself a sushi chef.
14:29Looks great.
14:30Hey, Marissa, how you doing over there?
14:31I'm getting there, chef.
14:32I'm cutting my nigiri, and I realized this was not the piece of fish that I should have started off with.
14:42It's delicious, but it's so fatty.
14:44It's not staying in shape.
14:46I'm having to add a lot of rice in order to just make it look anything like a piece of sushi.
14:51Three minutes, everybody.
14:52Oh, my gosh.
14:53Start plating!
14:54Three minutes?
14:55Yeah.
14:56Yeah.
14:57Yeah.
14:58Yes.
14:59I'm picking up the pace now.
15:00I'm complete.
15:01I got everything plated in my sakus.
15:02Nice.
15:06Okay, it's, um...
15:10It's three sashimi.
15:11I have two sashimi only.
15:16Okay, one minute!
15:23Get it on the plate.
15:24Get it on the plate.
15:25Get it on the plate.
15:32All right, chefs.
15:33You have ten seconds left.
15:34That's ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
15:48Shoot!
15:49Time's up!
15:55Oh, my God.
15:56Was that the hardest 30 minutes of my life?
16:00And I'm thinking, oh, my gosh.
16:02This is just the beginning.
16:08Hi, Jason.
16:09Hi.
16:10I started off with the center cut of the back.
16:14I have Chutoro nigiri, Akami sashimi, and a Chutori kosomaki.
16:22I was a little concerned with the wasabi.
16:25It was so powerful.
16:26I was almost afraid to use too much.
16:27Yeah.
16:28I would have liked a lot more.
16:30Every single nigiri piece has to be wasabi in between.
16:33Mm-hmm.
16:34Rice and fish.
16:38The maki?
16:39To me, it looks like perhaps you have too much rice in there.
16:41Thank you, Chef.
16:43Hi.
16:44Hello.
16:45I got the last piece of back.
16:47When we're looking for saku blocks, we are looking for something that is ready to slice.
16:52Probably only these two are ready to be sliced.
16:55The rest need to be cleaned properly.
16:58Your sashimi's good.
16:59It's a little small.
17:00Did you use wasabi in between?
17:03There's wasabi on the chew.
17:06This is chew.
17:07I see no wasabi here.
17:09It's very light on it.
17:10The wasabi on that one.
17:11No wasabi either.
17:12Sushi has to be wasabi between rice and fish.
17:15We are controlling the wasabi amount.
17:17And then the main ingredient should be in the center of the roll.
17:20Okay.
17:21Thank you, Chef.
17:22I'm going to say.
17:23Lucky for me, I was able to get the center cut toro.
17:26It looks like a sushi restaurant set up.
17:28Mm-hmm.
17:29On your left, I gave a little bit of everything.
17:32The akami, the chutoro, and the otoro.
17:34The nigiri I decided to give the akami and the otoro.
17:38Heard.
17:39The maki looks quite nice, ratio-wise, and also the fact that you actually have the fish
17:49in the center of the rice.
17:50Thank you, Chef.
17:51Raphael.
17:52I started with the lower back.
17:55Okay.
17:56Saku should be all the edible.
17:57So maybe you should not leave any bloody parts.
18:00Yeah.
18:01The bloodline.
18:02I put it so you could grab the sashimi, and then nigiri, then the maki.
18:07Take a look at the thickness of Chef's piece here versus the thickness of the piece that I'm going to grab.
18:12They're very different.
18:13That said, cheers.
18:14It's the most we've had so far, but probably we need close to double that.
18:22Okay.
18:23I did the uramaki because the black plate, so it could have a little bit of contrast.
18:29It's probably the best part on the plate.
18:32Thank you, Chef.
18:33Thank you, Chef.
18:35I chose to feature the chutoro as sashimi.
18:40The nigiri is also chutoro, and then I use the akame for the tekamaki.
18:46Nigiri slice is bigger than sashimi slice.
18:52Usually nigiri 8 grams, sashimi 10 grams.
18:56So that's very basic.
18:58Yes, Chef.
18:59I will improve every day.
19:01The judges are critiquing the smallest details.
19:05They're upping the game.
19:06There's no room for error.
19:07Hello.
19:08Hi, Oga.
19:09Saku is not bad.
19:10Can I taste?
19:11Yes.
19:14Sashimi is a nice size.
19:15Is there wasabi in the nigiri?
19:17Yes.
19:18Is there wasabi in the maki as well?
19:19Yes.
19:20So you've got a little bit of a blowout here.
19:22Yeah.
19:27All right.
19:28How's it going, judges?
19:29I used the belly scrape for the negitoro.
19:33The chutoro I chose to use for the sashimi.
19:35And then the akame I used for nigiri.
19:41The nigiri is a little big, and it's quite a bit of rice.
19:43I agree that they are too big and too firm.
19:46So your nigiri stay in my mouth forever.
19:48Thank you, Chef.
19:49Thank you, Chef.
19:51Hello.
19:52Hi, Chef.
19:53I used the akame for the negitoro roll.
19:56And then the chutoro for the nigiri and sashimi.
20:00Sashimi, just looking at it, looks very nice.
20:02The nigiri, though, looks like a lot of rice.
20:06Thank you, Chef.
20:07Thank you, Chef.
20:11Judges, who do you think struggled with their big tuna?
20:17Mia Mia.
20:20Anybody else who you saw struggling with this challenge?
20:23Raphael.
20:26So now for the good part, who was the winner?
20:29Me.
20:30Chef, you win.
20:31Yes, thank you very much.
20:35You were great, obviously.
20:37But besides you, Chef, who was the winner of the Big Fish Challenge?
20:50Abe!
20:52Woo!
20:53Congratulations!
20:55You're our first Ecosi Challenge winner.
20:57Thank you so much.
20:59Chefs, you've demonstrated your mastery of fundamental butchery.
21:02We want to see how you approach another fundamental element
21:05of a great sushi chef.
21:07An amazing, mouth-watering sushi platter.
21:10The sushi platter is crucial to the identity of any great sushi chef.
21:14It shows your range of mastery, your balance of flavors and textures,
21:17and your own unique personal style.
21:20For your first Quesho Challenge,
21:22we want to see you use at least three different types of fish,
21:26including that beautiful tuna.
21:29Presentation, coloring, balance, amount.
21:32There may be beautiful decoration you can make it.
21:36This being the first elimination challenge,
21:38this is going to be where you have the opportunity to show us who you are
21:41through the flavors, the techniques, and your creativity.
21:45Chefs, as you can see here, we have an amazing array of seafood for you to choose from.
21:55Abe, as the winner of our first challenge, you get to come up first and choose your fish.
22:01Remember, you're picking two fish and then the tuna.
22:04I'm looking at this table full of all this amazing seafood.
22:09There's shrimp, there's shellfish, ikura,
22:13and I am ready to throw out some traditional techniques.
22:17I would go for...
22:22Kimidai.
22:23Nice choice.
22:24And I will do the oysters.
22:26What made you pick those?
22:28Kimidai is a very beautiful fish.
22:30It's very eye-catching, and if you want to extravagant,
22:33you got to have something really nice on the plate.
22:35I had my eye on the Kimidai,
22:37but I am comfortable with the majority of the other fish,
22:41and I feel confident my sushi platter is going to be next level.
22:46Everyone else will get their fish from the pantry when the time starts.
22:49You'll have 90 minutes to work on your sushi platters,
22:52and then you'll present them one at a time at the omakase table.
22:55In the end, one of you will be named the winner,
22:59and one of you will be leaving the competition.
23:13Okay, everybody.
23:14Your 90 minutes starts now.
23:20Kimidai!
23:23There are so many fish to choose from.
23:26Is that me already?
23:28Yeah.
23:29I'm feeling kind of like a kid in a candy store.
23:31Mmm.
23:32I'm gonna come over to your station and get some of that ikura.
23:36Yes, I will.
23:37Sure.
23:38The editor kicks in.
23:39Let me pick things that I love.
23:44Going into the second challenge, I'm feeling better
23:46because I'm gonna get the opportunity to present who I am.
23:49I'm gonna make a salmon roll with plantain furikake.
23:52I'm representing my roots.
23:54I'm coming from Canobanas, Puerto Rico.
23:57I've been doing a fusion of Puerto Rican and Japanese sushi
24:00for around 18 years already, implementing a lot of the Caribbean fusion inside the sushi.
24:06I like to use mango in Puerto Rico.
24:08It's something that gives it a fresh touch.
24:10I'm here to win Sushi Master because I would love for the sushi chefs in Puerto Rico
24:15to see that even though we're a small island, we could really make something big of ourselves.
24:20I'm cutting the salmon, trying to keep the most meat on the fish possible.
24:25This is gonna be a redemption challenge.
24:27I'm not going home.
24:28I'll make it look good, right?
24:30I'm pushing it.
24:32What are we looking for in this challenge?
24:34They've already shown us their skills with technically making sushi.
24:38Mm-hmm.
24:39So now we want to see their creativity, their flavors, their technical proficiency.
24:43Rice.
24:44Of course, rice.
24:45In the first challenge, they use chef's rice.
24:47Mm-hmm.
24:48Here, they'll be using their own rice.
24:53Ah, I'm gonna spill it.
24:54My recipe for sushi rice vinegar.
24:57I'm using kombu and salt.
25:00For my sushi platter, I'm going to be making spicy tuna tadaki, oysters with coconut and lime,
25:06as well as butter-poached blue crab minkah.
25:10Oh!
25:11I'm torching negi, green onions, for a little smoky flavor for the furamaki roll.
25:16My name's Mio Than.
25:17I'm from Miami, Florida.
25:18I was born in Burma.
25:19I'm about to torch the tuna tadaki.
25:21I'm gonna make it into sashimi with an apple wasabi dressing.
25:25I've been around my family's business since I was four years old.
25:28I was kind of born into the sushi world, so I know that my knife skills and my flavor profiles are gonna help me win.
25:34My platter's gonna represent me as a chef, so it'll be, like, spicy, but also, like, fresh and fruity at the same time.
25:40We only have an hour and ten minutes left.
25:42No pressure.
25:43Heard minutes, heard.
25:44No pressure.
25:45What you got going on over there?
25:46Uh, I got my cherry blossom rice, and I got a little brown butter going.
25:49Nice.
25:50Um, I'm doing a little sexy scallions right now.
25:52Ooh!
25:53What's a sexy scallion?
25:54Oh, you'll see.
25:55I grabbed the king crab legs, kompachi, and then I got my tuna loin.
26:02Tutorial flour.
26:03We got a little blooded orange barrel.
26:06We got some crab legs, braided sushi.
26:08For the braided sushi, I utilize kompachi belly.
26:11I just love the arts, man.
26:12It's just something that I've always had a passion for.
26:14And then food was a gateway to express these artistic aspects.
26:19Right now, I'm working on a few garnishes to make this plate pretty.
26:23Cucumber, I'm gonna make little towers.
26:25I'm executive chef at Fat Fish and consultant for Bar Japanese.
26:27I was a contractor until about 22, and then went back to school,
26:30and it just followed my heart, followed my passion to the kitchen,
26:32and it turned out I had to knack for it.
26:34Not only a knack for it, but I'm really good at it.
26:36First you bring out the razzle, and then here comes the dazzle.
26:39They never see it coming.
26:40They never see it coming.
26:41I decided to pick yellowtail, salmon roe, and shrimp.
26:46I am working on getting my sashimi together,
26:50topping up this chutoro, make some tartar.
26:53Still gotta work on my yellowtail sashimi.
26:55Yellowtail has a decent amount of fat on it,
26:58and I want to make sure that I'm adding the spice
27:01to kinda cut through that.
27:03Instead of using wasabi, I wanna show myself a little,
27:06and I'm gonna add some shkug for just that right kick of citrus
27:11and a little bit of Japanese flavor.
27:13We'll see how that works out.
27:16I got my shrimp skewered so that they won't curl
27:22when they get cooked off.
27:25Put a little bit of salt, a little bit of lemon in it.
27:27I cook them for a few minutes, and then I shock them in ice water.
27:31I'm gonna scrape this chutoro for the roll that I'll be making.
27:36It does have a lot of sinew in here,
27:38so try not to get any in the mix.
27:41Easy peasy.
27:43I've been making sushi for over 20 years now.
27:47Me being a self-taught home cook first,
27:50I feel like it's been very difficult for me,
27:52and if I become Morimoto's sushi master,
27:56it would validate these feelings that I've always had
27:58but never believe in myself.
28:00I'm taking off this spiny portion of the aji.
28:03Being a Morimoto, I feel like I have to prove myself
28:08simply because of that last name.
28:10And I'm gonna do it by showing that all it takes
28:14is to have a passion for what it is that you do.
28:17We do this every day.
28:25I am very big on presentation.
28:27People always eat with their eyes first,
28:29along with kinmidai and the oysters.
28:32I grab the bloodline of the tuna to make a tempura roll.
28:35I wanted to prove to the judges
28:37that I could use every part of the tuna.
28:41I grab the pot, put the bloodline in there,
28:43soy sauce, mirin, a little bit of kombu,
28:46and get working on my other ingredients.
28:49Hey, Yoko, how are you doing?
28:50I think I'm doing okay.
28:52I got black snapper and kanpachi.
28:54I want to cure with this cherry blossom leaf.
28:57It's almost cherry blossom season,
28:59and Japanese cuisine is about showing what you have in season.
29:05I'm gonna show myself by adding kanpei sushi.
29:08I think that's my personality and strength.
29:11So what are you working on?
29:12I'm making okura hosomaki,
29:14and then I wanna do mushroom sushi.
29:16Oh, mushroom. Nice.
29:18That's right. You do vegan sushi, right?
29:20Yes.
29:21I'm so used to doing vegan sushi.
29:23I don't work with the fish all the time,
29:25and so I'm a little bit nervous
29:27to compete with all the other chefs.
29:30Chef, I'm gonna let you get back to it. Good luck.
29:32Thank you so much.
29:34The chefs here really need to make sure
29:36that they give us a nice variety,
29:38and I'm gonna be looking for the ratio of rice to fish.
29:41How thick is the fish cut?
29:43We're gonna be getting quite technical this season.
29:45Chefs, you have 45 minutes left on the time.
29:50How are we feeling, chef?
29:52I am feeling great.
29:53Yeah?
29:54I made my own sushi zoo with rice vinegar, kombu,
29:57a little salt, and sugar.
29:59Very nice.
30:00After coming out of the first round on the bottom,
30:01you think you're gonna recover?
30:03A lot better for sure.
30:04Perfect.
30:05I'll let you get to it.
30:07Hello, chef.
30:08Hey, hey.
30:09So everything okay?
30:10Yes.
30:11Under control?
30:12I'm going to make California rolls with real crab
30:14because that was the very first sushi experience I ever had
30:18when I was 14 years old.
30:20Okay.
30:21This is how much for sushi or sashimi?
30:23This is gonna be for sashimi.
30:24I'm gonna use the chutsu or pari.
30:25Yeah?
30:26Okay, this here.
30:27Yes.
30:28So this radish is soaked in water?
30:30It will be soaked in water.
30:31Oh, yeah. Okay.
30:32Yes. Thank you so much.
30:33I want them to see that I understand Japanese design and presentation.
30:40Hello, chef.
30:41So what fish do you pick up?
30:43Shimaji.
30:44How do you rice bowl?
30:45So I did a little sachet of the cherry blossoms
30:48and then put it in with the rice,
30:49added a little extra water to, you know, balance that.
30:51Oh, and then?
30:52This is the brown butter soy.
30:54Okay.
30:55Oh, I love that sound.
30:57Okay.
30:58Good job, guys.
31:00Are you okay?
31:01Yeah, yeah.
31:02I should do this.
31:03Yeah, next time.
31:04Next time, Morimoto.
31:06A little pop action. Be careful.
31:09Luckily, everyone's okay.
31:10And, uh, I didn't have to pay for Morimoto's dry cleaning
31:14because that kimono, who knows how much that's gonna cost me.
31:1730 minutes left, chefs.
31:1830 minutes.
31:1930 minutes.
31:2030 minutes.
31:21Okay.
31:22Got a good plating.
31:24How are you?
31:26Good, good, good.
31:27A little...
31:28Yes.
31:29I'm gonna serve it with a honey truffle cucumber sauce.
31:32And then for the akami, I braised the bloodline,
31:36put it into a tempura roll,
31:38top with chop toro.
31:39Okay.
31:40And then how's your rice food?
31:42Uh, rice is about four minutes away.
31:45Good luck, huh?
31:47I turn around and I see my bloodline still cooking.
31:50I tried it.
31:51It was very tough.
31:52All right.
31:54I'm gonna adjust and see what I can make.
32:08What am I doing?
32:09My bloodline isn't going right.
32:10I tasted it.
32:11It's tough, so I have to change my game plan.
32:13Okay.
32:14Lost my mind there for a second.
32:16I have a piece of akami here and a little bit of the scraps of the chutoro.
32:21I grabbed the akami, put it into a maki roll, made some tempura batter, dropped it in the fryer.
32:28I have so much components going on right now.
32:31I'm worried.
32:32I hope I can get everything on time.
32:34Fifteen minutes ago.
32:35All right.
32:36Only fifteen minutes heard.
32:39Being here on Sushi Master is a big deal.
32:43And going home on this first challenge would be a huge disappointment.
32:50Thank you, chef.
32:51What would Morimoto do?
32:53He wouldn't be cut on the first challenge.
32:56We are making it happen.
33:00You gonna make it?
33:01I hope so.
33:05I'm putting wasabi.
33:06I don't wanna make that same mistake.
33:11Wow, look at that uni, huh?
33:13Three minutes, everyone.
33:14Three minutes.
33:15Woo!
33:16Three minutes.
33:17Three minutes.
33:18So what we have here is a bunch of razzle-dazzle.
33:20I'm feeling very confident.
33:21I love to make platters and showcase my little garnishes and plating.
33:25And of course, I grab a little dry ice.
33:27So it kind of drifts down and gives it that nice little waterfall smoke appearance.
33:31Chefs, one minute left.
33:33Just one minute.
33:34One minute, one minute, one minute.
33:35One minute left.
33:36One minute heard.
33:37Yeah.
33:42Ten.
33:43Nine.
33:44Eight.
33:45Seven.
33:46Six.
33:47Five.
33:48Four.
33:49Three.
33:50Two.
33:51One.
33:52Five.
33:53Five.
33:54Four.
33:55Three.
33:56Two.
33:57One.
33:58Chef.
33:59Hands up.
34:00Hands up, please.
34:02Woo!
34:03I'm happy this time.
34:04Oh, my gosh.
34:05All right.
34:06Let's start with Abe.
34:08What we have here is a whole fish presentation.
34:18Need more vinegar.
34:20And salt.
34:21Got it.
34:22The maki had a very nice crunch on it.
34:24Still under seasoning.
34:25The maki?
34:26Mm.
34:27Everything.
34:28Got it, chef.
34:30Yoko.
34:31I wanted to stay simple and clean and show my personality.
34:36This is very Japanese style.
34:37All right.
34:38More, more salt than the sugar.
34:39Mm-hmm.
34:40Very good matching with a lot of fish on the top.
34:43It's good.
34:44I like that.
34:46It was quite courageous to serve us vegetables when everybody else has opportunity at fish.
34:50That was fantastic.
34:51Thank you so much.
34:52All right.
34:53Raphael.
34:54I wanted to bring Caribbean flavors.
34:58Fresh mango and plantain.
35:00So it's sweet and salty.
35:02Also, the nigiri.
35:03I made sure I put some wasabi in it.
35:06The nigiri is a lot of rice.
35:08I love the, you know, crunchy frikake.
35:11But the inside, the salmon is nothing, you know, special.
35:15Oh.
35:16Next up is Joan.
35:18Mm.
35:19These are all my favorites.
35:21Very nice.
35:22We have similar tastes.
35:24I see a lot of uni.
35:25Mm.
35:26Lot of ikra.
35:27Eureka is fantastic.
35:32Wow.
35:33She said, but.
35:35More seasoning.
35:36Flavoring to be stronger.
35:37Stronger.
35:38Stronger, yes.
35:40I really appreciate the feedback.
35:41Okay.
35:42Mio Mio.
35:44I'm from Miami, Florida, so we were very fruitful right there.
35:48And a lot of heat as well.
35:49I will say that the roll, the actual inside.
35:52Very nice ratio.
35:54This might be my favorite maki so far.
35:55I appreciate that.
35:56This is a very simple presentation.
35:59You need more garnishes.
36:01Hey.
36:02Is this a black garlic sauce that you add in your oyster,
36:06or is this mud?
36:08Ah.
36:09Dirt.
36:10Oh, I think that's...
36:11I didn't wash the outside.
36:12Unfortunately, I got a...
36:13Yeah, that's...
36:14Mouthful of mud.
36:15Ah.
36:16I apologize.
36:17Jason.
36:21Today, I did a little redemption on a couple of things that I felt like I slipped up on.
36:26Some of the toppings may not be necessarily traditional, but I would say this is the Milwaukee coming out.
36:32Yeah.
36:33Yeah.
36:34Your rice is very nice.
36:36The maki is the right size, right texture, right flavor.
36:40This is very good as well.
36:42I agree.
36:48I do it inside out because if I were to torch it with the product on the other side, it would come off the rice.
36:54Mmm.
36:55It's delicious.
37:00Thank you, Chef.
37:01Okay.
37:02Marissa.
37:04This platter.
37:05I hope that it shows I can definitely deliver, but at the same time to expect something a little unexpected.
37:17Thank you, Chef.
37:18I agree with Chef.
37:19I will say, eating a spoonful of super fatty tartare is tough.
37:22Yes, Chef.
37:23So, maybe a little something as a vehicle.
37:25Last but not least, Lucas.
37:30How's it going, judges?
37:31Chef.
37:32Good.
37:34If I ordered a sushi platter and this came out, I'd be very, very happy.
37:40But I do think it is overflowing.
37:42Charlie, it needs to be a little too sweet.
37:45More salt and a little more salt.
37:47And then, so, little too compact.
37:49Too much.
37:50Little too compact.
37:51Crab with the butter sauce, great.
37:52Lots of cool stuff, but too much.
37:55Thank you, Chef.
37:56Understandable.
37:57Thank you, Lucas.
37:58We'll be back with you shortly for the results.
37:59Thank you very much.
38:00Thank you very much.
38:01Your first Keshock challenge.
38:02All right, Chef.
38:12Chefs, we asked you to work on the fundamentals of sushi today.
38:17Some of you showed your true colors and some of you showed your nerves.
38:21Chefs.
38:22Chefs, thank you very much for hard work.
38:24Long day.
38:25You did a great job and a great presentation, so I'm pretty happy.
38:30Yes, Chef.
38:33I had some really good sushi today.
38:34The entire first season, this might have been the hardest challenge.
38:37In the second season, we're really going to elevate what we're looking for in Sushi Master,
38:42and so it's only going to get harder.
38:44Heard.
38:45Yes, Chef.
38:46Well, judges, who had your favorite dishes?
38:49I like Jason.
38:53Thank you so much, Chef.
38:56Was there another favorite?
38:57Yeah, so another favorite was Yoko.
39:00Thank you so much.
39:04Okay, so for the good part, who was the winner of the first Kesho challenge?
39:10Okay, so the winner is...
39:19Jason.
39:20Oh, my God.
39:21Woo!
39:22Thank you very much.
39:23It feels amazing to be here and to be serving you guys.
39:26It's unreal.
39:27It's the best feeling.
39:28This is real.
39:29It is very real.
39:30I feel overcome with joy and so validated.
39:31I started making sushi right out of high school.
39:32I followed Chef Morimoto.
39:58He was a great inspiration.
40:00So to hear those words from their mouth means so much to me.
40:04I'm feeling very confident.
40:06You should be really proud.
40:08So for the not-so-fun part...
40:11The first chef that will be up for elimination...
40:16Meow, meow.
40:18Even though you had one of the better makis today,
40:21that oyster, you, unfortunately,
40:23didn't quite finish cleaning it properly,
40:25and then the fact that my hands were covered in mud
40:27after eating it is something that was so disastrous
40:30that you couldn't quite overcome.
40:32My job?
40:33Yes, any thoughts?
40:35Sorry, Rafael.
40:36Your presentation is very flat.
40:38I respect how much love your local river,
40:42but your thought is not in the sushi presentations.
40:46And then the fish is not cutting even,
40:49and then you use no seasoning.
40:51That's the reason. Sorry.
40:53It's okay.
40:55Literally shaking.
40:56I hate this part the most.
40:58Not an easy decision to make.
41:05Myomyo, you will not be Morimoto's sushi master.
41:08If you can come up here,
41:10Morimoto has words of wisdom for you.
41:16Oh, thank you.
41:17To climb high, one must start from low.
41:28Thank you. I appreciate it.
41:30I love everyone.
41:30Thank you so much.
41:32Thank you so much.
41:34I'm completely shocked because I thought I did pretty well
41:37on the second round with my maki roll being perfect,
41:40and I thought I redeemed myself.
41:42And I feel disappointed, but also grateful for the experience
41:46that they've given me.
41:49Joan, you okay?
41:51We've gotten really close.
41:53And I think chefs and people that work in the restaurant business
41:58are the best, and it proves it by the friendships we've built already
42:03in just a short time.
42:04The camaraderie.
42:05Yeah.
42:06But that means that seven big fish get to swim another day.
42:12Seeing Miyu walk out, it's happening.
42:14It's getting real.
42:15We have to be up on our toes for the next challenges.
42:17Don't get too comfortable, though, because as the competition gets harder,
42:22the strongest of chefs can crack...
42:30...under pressure.
42:31I don't know if you know this, but that was a clue for your next challenge.
42:40Uh, I think you guys better head back to your battle stations now.
42:45I'll see you tomorrow.
42:46Go!
42:47That was another clue.
43:01I'll see you tomorrow.
43:02I'll see you tomorrow.
43:31I'll see you tomorrow.
44:01Bye!
44:03Bye!
44:12Bye!
44:18Bye!
44:22Bye!
44:25Bye!
44:26Bye!
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