Masterchef (2010) s10e12 Episode Script
King of the Crabs
1 Gordon: Previously on "masterchef" Let's go, people! Let's go! - I'm freaking out.
- Stop the clock! Your main course isn't enough.
We want to see a dessert! Is this a joke? Dorian, you bring home cooking to another level.
- Thank you.
- Sarah, it's fireworks.
- Perfection.
- Thank you so much.
Wuta, this does not look appealing.
A little disappointing, I have to say.
For the first time, I feel embarrassed.
Keturah, it reminds me of season one of "masterchef junior.
" the person leaving "masterchef" is keturah.
- Bye! - Bye, keturah.
Tonight, the home cooks take on an immunity challenge fit for a king.
Gordon: Humongous alaskan king crab.
And the pressure is on to impress a legendary guest.
- Gordon: Chef morimoto! - Oh, my gosh.
It's definitely intimidating a little bit, cooking for morimoto.
- Here we go.
- Joe: Where's the rest of the pasta? - I threw it away.
I was pissed.
- Only the top cooks will claw their way to the balcony One of your best dishes ever.
And be safe from elimination.
We are handing out immunity to not one, but three of you.
The home cook who made this winning dish will receive a special surprise.
Fred: Oh, lord.
( music playing ) whoo! Please make your way down.
Wuta: I'm still here.
As a struggling reader, I was told that I wouldn't be good at anything.
But I used that as fuel.
Each day I come in this kitchen to learn.
- Here we go, top 13.
- There's nothing in front of us Top 13, and I'm feeling good.
Another chance to fight for immunity, and I want it.
Immunity is the first step to getting me to top ten.
Welcome.
We are halfway to the finale.
- All: Yes, chef.
- You should feel lucky to have made it this far because this has been the most exciting, the most unpredictable, and the most epic season ever.
Sarah, top 13, where do you see yourself going? Next step is top 10 and all the way to the finale.
Mm-hmm.
Fred, because you've gained immunity across the last few weeks, it's almost like we haven't seen you cook enough.
- Yes, chef.
- You ready to get your hands dirty? I'm absolutely ready.
I'm excited for whatever today holds.
I can't wait to show you guys more of my story and who I am on a plate.
Everybody ready to find out what's in store tonight? All: Yes, chef.
This next challenge is a true monster.
I'm scared.
Tonight is all about immunity.
Win this upcoming challenge, and you'll be safe from tomorrow's elimination.
Gordon: Let's get this going.
Tonight, we have a huge guest.
This guy's a multi michelin star restaurateur, an expert in japanese cuisine - ( gasps ) - whoa.
And one of the most exciting chefs to grace any kitchen on the planet.
Oh, my god.
Please welcome chef morimoto.
- ( music playing ) - ( screaming, cheering ) oh, my god! - Wow! - Oh, my gosh.
- Yes! - Oh, my god! Oh, my gosh! Morimoto, the iron chef, one of the titans in the culinary world.
I'm completely starstruck.
I'm a huge fan of morimoto-sama.
I can't even believe he's standing in front of me right now.
It's-- it's insane.
- Amazing.
Good job.
- Oh, my god.
Chef, welcome to the masterchef kitchen.
It's taken us ten years to get you here, but thankfully, - you're here now.
Ten years.
- Ten years? - Congratulations on all the success.
- Thank you, thank you.
Guess what.
Chef morimoto has brought in these beautiful, humongous-- king crab.
Alaskan king crab.
Now, these crabs have been plucked out of that pristine water across alaska and flown here.
And tonight all of you are gonna have to turn this alaskan king crab into something truly magical and break them down yourselves.
Oh, lord, if I mess this up in front of chef morimoto, that's embarrassing.
Now, the good news is chef morimoto and I are gonna show you how.
- Oh, wow.
- Unreal.
Thank you.
Wow.
Why am I crying? Being blessed to be in the presence of somebody you look up to like that is overwhelming.
It's unbelievable.
It's unreal.
Gordon: Right.
First things first, alaskan king crab, it is the rolls-royce of the sea.
But the most important thing is to make sure we get a maximum yield on all the crab coming out.
How old do you think this is? 15 years old, guys, okay? Pull off the legs first.
One, two, and you pull and twist as well.
- Yeah.
- Three, and one big claw.
Good.
And twist.
Beautiful.
Wow.
Twist and pull.
- Bri: Wow.
- And be careful, so you do not tug it too hard.
Just twist and pull.
And then from there, you just slide that off.
This filament there, we do not want to see that.
- All right? - You see, this is easy.
I think you can use anything.
Don't hesitate there.
Gordon: Take the scissors as well, both sides.
Take this.
It's easier.
A crab like this, we're looking at around $500 cost.
- Wow.
- Whoa.
So think of the yield, okay? - I'm gonna use a knife, first move, like this.
- Gotcha.
This is easy.
- And then take, open it.
- Nice.
Then, easy.
- Anyone dive for crabs? - I catch them every day, but not like this.
And we use them for bait, which you wouldn't do for this either.
I'm making sure that I can do everything exactly like he does it and exactly like he does it.
I'm stoked to be watching, but at the same time, I gotta focus on what they're doing.
Never smash the shell.
What happens when you smash the shell? - Get the shell in meat.
- You get bits of shell throughout the crab.
Open up, thumb underneath again, and lift.
- Look at that.
- Wow.
Okay? Now, let's be honest, it's the kind of crab that's almost like caviar.
It's for finishing dishes.
You don't put this in a crab cake.
- Understood? Never.
- All: Yes, chef.
So understand what you're dealing with here.
And then you slice the claw.
- On, twist, and snap.
- Wow.
- It pops off.
- All: Wow.
- Finger comes in underneath.
- ( whistles ) - wow.
- Come in, then you come down.
Now for the exciting part, putting the most amazing jigsaw together.
It's like pablo picasso painting.
There's so much mess, yet there's so much beauty, and you start to see this picture being formed.
And at the end, you have this perfectly broke down, beautiful king crab.
- ( applause ) - that is how two master chefs break down an alaskan king crab.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Amazing.
Amazing.
Outstanding.
Thank y'all so much.
This protein that I know so little about-- because being deathly allergic, I stay away from it like the bubonic plague.
All right, everyone, please come and grab a crab and head to your stations.
Come on.
- Ooh, they're heavy.
- Be careful.
Be careful.
They'll poke you.
I'm highly allergic to crustaceans.
All of them.
It's especially dangerous to work with king crab because they have so many prickly bits.
I could puncture my hand and I'll start to break out in hives, I'll swell up.
I just need to stay calm, because if I get nervous, if I get scared, I'll fall to pieces, and I can't do that.
Now, tonight, you'll have 60 minutes to take your crab and turn it into a stunning dish.
We wanna see you honor that king crab.
We want to honor morimoto.
Immunity from elimination is on the line.
Right, your 60 minutes start - Now! - Aarón: Yeah.
( muttering ) what should I do? There's no real way you can mess up king crab except for trying to do too much to it.
So, I decide on making some king crab and butternut squash stuffed raviolis.
Flour, flour, flour.
I've actually never made raviolis before.
I tried one time at home.
Failed miserably.
I don't want them to think I'm just a fish guy.
I want them to see me making something that they haven't seen me make yet.
Ha-ha! They got squid ink, baby! I really wanna show the judges that even though I can't eat crustaceans, I can create a restaurant level dish that they would love to serve in their own restaurants.
Extract that crab, everyone.
Unbelievable.
I know it's crazy with chef morimoto here, but I might try to pull off a king crab sushi burger.
It's kind of like a craze right now in the us, and if chef morimoto likes it, then I think it's probably a done deal.
I'm making a king crab saffron risotto.
It's definitely intimidating a little bit, cooking for morimoto.
They're taking it up a few notches this season.
I've never seen these contestants so excited.
There's no better crab in the world.
You don't see it in restaurants very much because you have to charge so much for it.
We don't wanna see crab cakes.
- Deep-fried.
- We don't wanna see fried.
You know, we wanna keep it simple and pure.
What's the one big mistake you think they could make tonight with those crabs? Aarón: The idea is that we wanna push them, chef.
We want them to feature the crab and really lift up the creativity level.
Guys, we've got 10 minutes gone, 15 minutes remaining.
So, I'm cooking a japanese style entrée.
Really ambitious.
There's a lot of components.
I'm not technically cooking anything aside from my pickles, so, we'll see.
This is a risk, but if morimoto loves this dish, I think I can die happy.
Give a little insight to what you're doing.
I'm trying to push myself, gordon.
You know I cook mostly indian food.
- Yes.
- And so I'm gonna go japanese inspired.
Like, a really simple crab-- like a salad almost.
Yeah.
It's gonna be beautiful.
Yes.
Oh, my gosh, I have no idea how I would highlight that.
Yeah, I don't know.
I don't know.
That's-- I cannot say.
Yeah.
It's gonna be beautiful.
Yes.
Oh, my gosh, I have no idea how I would highlight that.
I don't know.
That's-- I cannot say.
- Yeah.
Thank you.
- Good luck.
I am making a pappardelle pasta with king crab.
I make homemade pasta once in a blue moon just for special occasions only.
And being on "masterchef" is a special occasion, so everyone's gonna enjoy.
- Fred, tonight is the night to shine.
- Fred: Absolutely, chef.
I want to make sure that this dish speaks true to who I am and my taiwanese roots and traditions, because if I don't start showing them that I am telling my story through my food, they're gonna cut me.
Give us an insight to the dish.
What you doing? I'm making crab and crème fraîche stuffed lanterns, which are gonna be my little raviolo.
So this is the meat from which part? I'm using the knuckle meat and some of the leg meat from the smaller portions of the leg.
- Gordon: So you're making a pasta.
- Yes, I am.
- And that's the lantern.
- Yes.
So it's almost like your take on a ravioli.
- Oh! - Yes, I'm actually gonna take an asian concept - of a wonton soup - Gordon: Yes.
And turn it european.
How are you gonna combine that inside that ravioli? What are you gonna use to bring it together? I'm gonna use a tiny bit crème fraîche.
I'm gonna season it with lemon zest, salt, pepper, and fennel pollen.
Oh, you're not using this one a little more? So maybe you don't need this one, this one.
Put them in there.
You want that flavor coming out of those knuckles.
- Absolutely, chef.
- Sounds amazing.
- Good luck, okay? - Thank you, chef.
Cooking for one of my idols.
I think morimoto is in a league of his own, but I relish in pressure.
To be able to give him a dish, let him taste it.
I mean, are we kidding? It's season ten.
I mean, it doesn't-- it doesn't get better than this.
Oh, boy, here we go.
Wuta: Back home in new york, I love eating chinese food from around the block or going to fine dining restaurants in chinatown and tasting these asian cuisines.
I'm excited because this is where I'm the most comfortable.
Aarón: So what you got going on here, buddy? So I'm gonna do a kimchi fried rice.
I'm gonna fold the crab in and then also top it with crab.
What is gonna give that fried rice some flavor and some unique elements? That's the green apple and lemon.
I'm gonna fold that into the end.
I'm gonna play with the toasted peppercorn, and even with the kimchi, I'm using rice wine vinegar to elevate the kimchi.
The one thing I'm concerned about is you have very aggressive flavors, fermented flavors like oyster sauce, kimchi.
- Strong.
- Big flavors, and crab is very delicate and sweet.
So just be mindful on how you add and season your rice.
I don't really eat crab anymore, but what I do know is rice.
And I'm really excited to show the judges that I have grown from my first dish of rice till now.
This is season ten of "masterchef," we're expecting nothing but the best from you, okay? - All right, good luck, wuta.
- Thank you, gentlemen.
Hi, chef.
What an honor.
Thank you so much for being here.
I've been watching you with my family, man, for 20 years.
I mean, what a crazy show, but I'm just speechless.
- What's the dish? - Okay, so we're going to be doing a gazpacho - with summer orange tomatoes.
- This one? I thought the color was beautiful, so I did a lot of the orange.
Put some cucumber, cayenne, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar.
And I puréed-- what, sir? - No crab in there.
- No crab.
No, sir.
- Noah's allergic to crab.
- Deathly allergic to shellfish.
Yeah, I can't taste it at all.
I don't-- oh, absolutely.
This is one of the greatest ingredients, if not the greatest ingredients I've ever had.
You put that stock in there at the end, it's gonna be almost like a sauce.
Otherwise you don't-- it's gonna water that down.
I'll see.
If it's not good enough, I'll leave it off, 'cause that's one thing you've taught me.
If it's not good enough, definitely leave it off.
I am feeling so good.
This is one of my favorite dish.
This is a simple cajun crab omelet with a cajun crawfish étouffée sauce.
I'm gonna show them how an omelet can be very, very elevated as well.
Gordon: An amazing bunch of exciting dishes.
Looks like renee's making the most amazing pasta there.
Aarón: You know, and that's a traditional avenue to take, so we'll see how it comes out.
Wuta, fried rice.
- He's a vegetarian, wuta.
- Ah! He's gonna put the crab in the fried rice.
Yeah.
It's salty already.
Sweet and salty, so they need to taste it before they start cooking.
Fred, yeah, he's taking a turn on almost like a taiwanese lantern.
The flavor of that broth already looks amazing.
30 minutes gone, 30 minutes to go, guys.
One stunning portion.
Oh, no.
( groan ) it didn't work.
Nick: The sushi burger isn't gonna work.
The rice is too flimsy.
I look over at the clock, it's 30 minutes left.
I need to win immunity and this sushi burger idea is too big a risk.
I need to scrap it and move on.
If I waver any more, I'm gonna run out of time.
I have no idea.
- Gordon: 30 minutes to go, guys.
- ( nick groans ) nick: The sushi burger isn't gonna work.
If I waver any more, I'm gonna run out of time.
No idea.
I've essentially put myself at a disadvantage by starting over.
I'm normally more composed.
I'm calm.
I come in with a really strong plan.
So, I'm a bit all over the place, but, you know, I just keep pushing.
- Chef, joe.
- What do you got, nick? I started off trying to make a king crab sushi burger, but now I'm making basically butter poached king crab with lightly smoked sunchokes.
You have good components here.
This has good flavor.
- Thank you.
- That has good flavor.
- Had to pivot a little bit, but-- - here's the deal, nick.
In order to be a masterchef, how you rebound and how you excel in these very difficult situations - is gonna speak volumes of you, okay? - Yes.
So look at this as an opportunity, - not an obstacle.
- I will.
- All right? - Thank you, chef.
Thank you very much, chef.
I know if I set my mind to this, I'll finish all the components, I'll make a beautiful dish.
But I'm a little worried that I might not finish in time.
Gordon: 25 minutes to go, guys.
Jamie: What I'm concerned about, what I need to take my time doing is making a dish with finesse and making sure that what I present is something that chef morimoto is gonna look at and say, "this guy's respecting this crab.
" - hey there.
- Thanks for coming.
Gives us an insight to the dish.
What are you doing? So I am doing a kind of rustic cut butternut squash.
I'm trying to utilize this little reproductive flat meat.
I know it's rich and it's a little bit different taste.
So, what do you think of that, the muscle going in the butternut squash? Yeah? - No.
- Okay, so let's switch up.
No, you can put them in.
- Maybe a knuckle piece.
- A knuckle piece.
But just-- you flake it out.
- And so you stick that inside.
- Yes! Now I can taste the crab.
Do you see what I'm saying? - Absolutely.
- Yeah? Don't forget, a touch of citron, a little bit of tarragon.
Yeah, I'm actually gonna do blood orange and lemon zest.
Boiling water? For the raviolis.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
- Well thought of.
- Thank you, chef.
- Remember, think in front.
- ( laughs ) I want to continue to put myself on a plate and the things that I grew up with, and I want to represent my family and I want to represent my roots.
- All right, so, dorian.
- Whatever it is, it's beautiful.
- What are those? - Those are fried green-- - fried green tomatoes.
- Love it.
- "tomaytas.
" - "tomaytas.
" tomatoes.
My mom used to make these all the time, and as a mom myself, I've made them for my children.
So what else do you have going on in your dish here? Light crab salad.
I wanna keep the integrity of the crab.
I don't wanna do too much to it.
This is really good.
Acidity, acidity.
- Thank you.
- Do you have something base or something creamy - Yes, I do.
- To moderate it? What are you gonna do? - Yeah, there you go.
She's already on it.
- Ah! - Look, don't even-- - yeah, there you are.
- What is this, spicy mayo? - It is.
Dorian, out there in georgia, do you have a chance to get with-- hey, take it "eash.
" you have a chance-- you can eat all you want.
Here.
You want me to feed it to you? You can have all you want.
Do you work with a lot of king crab back home? No, I do not.
My husband and I go to a restaurant that serves king crab, and I was pregnant and I sat down and ate, like, six whole legs.
But, I mean, other than that, no.
- It's a delicacy.
I mean, it's expensive.
- Yeah.
- It's not-- - for someone who's never cooked it, this is a really great interpretation of the delicacy, really with balanced acidity.
- Love it! - Oh! Thank you.
- Gordon: Sam.
- Chef morimoto, it's an honor.
So I'm doing a crab and corn chowder.
This is a fish stock, chef, that I cooked down with some fennel - this? - And some-- - some king crab legs.
- Great.
It tastes okay, - but it doesn't taste like king crab.
- Morimoto: Not much.
You need to strengthen that.
All these little bits here, - you get it in there.
- Understood, chef.
- I really wanna prove myself.
- On a night like tonight - in front of chef here.
- Absolutely.
This is a dream for me.
I really want this, chef.
You've got 15 minutes to go.
Flavor, please.
Thank you so much, chef.
Absolutely, chef.
Micah: This is my most challenging one yet because I don't know how a king crab tastes.
I don't know how any crab tastes.
So I really need to use my knowledge of flavors and herbs and really put together something that's gonna work.
I just wanna say this is mind-blowing.
- Standing in front of you and gordon at the same time? - No, no, thank you.
I couldn't have imagined anything crazier.
- Give us an insight into the dish.
- Oh! - Oh, wow.
- This is squid ink tarragon risotto, and I'm gonna be doing my crab in a beurre monte sauce.
And I have over here my lemon saffron aioli over top.
It's very rare you finish a risotto with aioli.
- Why are you going there? - It brings-- it has lemon, it has the brightness of the saffron.
- It adds color to the plate.
- But you can pour that into risotto.
Just drizzled lightly over top, chef, just to bring some flavor to the crab as well.
But make sure the risotto is rich, buttery.
- Nothing crab meat? - No, sir, I'm also-- I'm allergic to shellfish.
I cannot taste it.
You should be flaking all those little knuckles in there so you got crab in there as well.
- Crab in there as well.
- Okay.
- That would taste delicious.
- Thank you, chef.
Gordon: Guys, just under seven minutes to go.
Dang it.
My pasta is sticking to the roller, and I can't find a pasta cutter anywhere.
So, I hand cut with a knife and they are wretched.
I am feeling really frustrated right now.
I'm a huge perfectionist and if it's not gonna work out, then I just throw it away.
So this is gonna be your white wine sauce? - Yes, sir.
- Where are the pappardelle? - Those are the ones I'm gonna cook.
- These? This is not pasta.
This is, like, scraps.
Where's the rest of the pasta? I threw it away.
I was pissed.
You can't make a pasta with this.
I'm going to.
Please, let me try.
I just don't understand, though.
Like, why did you throw the pasta away? Because it got stuck in here.
You should've called me for help.
I would've helped.
Let's see.
Where is it? It's still clean.
It's on top.
It's not dirty.
I'm having issues with my dough, trying to roll it out.
You can't let the kitchen get the better of you like that.
Just put this through here and make fettuccini.
Just get 'em long enough, cut 'em, flour 'em, leave 'em in a nice pile, let 'em aerate, and then boil them.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Oh, my goodness.
Thank god for joe.
He helped me and he saved me.
But there's five minutes left and immunity is on the line.
Come on, are you kidding me? Where's the basil? Four minutes to go.
Come on.
Don't plate too early, fred.
Aarón: Let's go, subha.
Let's go to the plate.
Love the taste of micah's squid ink risotto.
Putting some of the crab in there as well, fold in some of those knuckles.
- Joe: Renee, those are done.
- ( screams ) nick, he has a lot of great components.
He has a little butter sauce.
He has some toasted farro.
He has a little corn purée.
- But I don't know what the essence of the dish is.
- Yeah, he's behind.
90 seconds to go, guys.
Come on.
Start plating, let's go! This is going everywhere.
Come on, guys.
Presentation is key.
- Crab has to be the hero.
- Where are the green onions? 50 seconds to go.
( bleep ).
Are you kidding me? Does anybody have green onion? Aarón: Here we go.
Homestretch.
Oh, my god.
All: Five, four, three, two, one.
- That's it.
- And stop.
Hands in the air.
- Well done.
- ( dorian sighs ) so simple, but yet so difficult.
Jeez.
That was excellent.
With that impression tonight, you raised the bar again.
Chef, they are on form.
That means you have to come back next week.
- Anything you need.
- There you go.
Now, as you work across those 60 minutes, we study, we taste as you cook.
There were plenty standout dishes tonight.
And with that said, we've decided tonight there are six dishes that we'd love to take a much closer look at.
The first dish showed great flair, and it was so nice to see that flair based on the rough week that individual had last week.
Please, step forward, wuta.
- Whoo! - Let's go, wu! Morimoto's about to eat my food! This legendary chef is going to really give me feedback on how to be better, but I'm a little nervous.
Young man, describe your dish, please.
So what we have here is a kimchi fried rice with a fried egg and on top we have the king crab.
- Wuta: Oh.
- Like this.
There we go.
Thank you.
This reminds me of you conjuring up a chinese spot there in the bronx and then letting the masterchef kitchen influence that food memory.
- Thank you.
- There's no bronx in that.
The crab meat and the fried rice is smart, spicy.
- It's the full deal.
- Thank you.
- Chef.
- Hmm.
Yeah.
And any things.
- Good.
- Yeah.
I would've taken those knuckles and claws, reduced them down, made a little-- little bisque and brushed the varnish.
But if you'd asked me two months ago, can a vegetarian cook this good? Never.
Tonight, you proved us wrong.
- Well done.
Good job.
- Thank you very much, all of you guys.
- Good job, wuta.
- Thank you.
Way to go, wuta.
So the next home cook, they impressed us with their plating skills and their attention to detail.
They have been at the top of multiple immunity challenges.
Please, bring your dish forward, nick.
Yes.
Nick: I'm feeling really nervous.
I put myself at a disadvantage giving myself 30 minutes by deciding to nix the sushi burger idea.
Joe: Uh-oh.
Now I hope that wasn't a huge mistake.
You were a little bit uncertain at the beginning of the concept of your dish.
You kind of zigged and zagged.
Are you happy with the result? Uh, I tried with a different dish, - sort of a sushi burger.
But I'm really happy with it.
- Aarón: So let's see.
Morimoto: Hmm.
So Yeah.
So I-- I tried, chef.
Nicholas, please, describe your dish.
So I have a butter poached king crab with crispy smoked sunchokes, and a creamy corn purée with a fennel salad.
The fact that you got that done after that first one going off-piece is amazing.
I think the lumps of crab at the end shows a lack of maturity.
- Yes, chef.
- You don't serve that much crab anywhere unless it's for two or three guests.
That's probably a hundred dollars worth of crab on there.
Again, it's all about the flavor.
Gents, shall we? All right.
I really enjoy the way that this dish came together considering that you were up against it.
I just think you have so many rich components that you need acid.
I think it needs lemon.
- Thank you, chef.
- I think the whole dish really is quite good.
For me, the crust on the sunchokes is so strong.
And I love it, don't get me wrong.
But they dominate.
On a crab, I was looking for more delicate flavors.
So, you used a lot of crab meat.
- A little too much.
- Yes, chef.
That's a really great job.
Thank you, chef.
The sunchokes are the star, 'cause you haven't done much for the crab.
You've taken the crab out and stuck it on top.
But here's the fascinating thing about you.
You're like this rough diamond that's come to life in this competition.
What you've done with those sunchokes is mind-blowing.
I think it works, just cut back on that rolls-royce of crab.
- Yes, chef.
- Well done.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
- Good job, buddy.
- Good job, nick.
Okay, guys, we are very intrigued to taste a little bit more of this asian-inspired dish.
Please, bring your dish forward, shari.
- All right, shari.
- Great, shari.
Great job.
I can't even contain myself.
I just love morimoto and I really wanna impress him.
I hope that my crab salad is good enough to get immunity.
Mmm.
So, shari, what is the dish? I have in front of you a yuzu vinaigrette, a green apple pickle, and a crab salad with an avocado mousseline.
- Shall we? - Yes.
Mm-hmm.
I just gotta say, it is just spot-on on multiple levels.
It has texture, you manipulated the crab.
Man, it is just hitting on all facets of deliciousness.
- Thank you, chef.
- Bright, clean.
- Mmm.
- Focused.
- Three star dish.
- Oh, my god.
You should have your indian mother-in-law taste this.
It'll turn her hair blonde.
- Morimoto: Thank you.
- Thank you so much.
The evolution of your start of cooking is extraordinary.
You're not playing safe.
You're out of that comfort zone.
It's good to see you shine.
- Great job.
- Joe: Great job, shari.
- Shari! - Good job, shari.
- Delicious.
- That's what we're talking about here.
Thank you.
The next home cook, their dish told a compelling personal story.
- Fred, please step forward.
- Go, fred! Thank you, chef.
- Ooh-la-la.
- Please describe the dish, fred.
It's called "welcome to the lantern festival.
" I have crab and crème fraîche stuffed lanterns in a crab and fennel broth.
Welcome to the bri standard of plating.
- Thank you.
- Finally, somebody else is popping with such finesse.
Thank you.
So the idea is to hit the broth - over the lanterns? - Yep.
Did you make pasta or was it a wonton paste? I made my own pasta dough.
Joe: Very nice.
Gordon: Chef? From the heart.
This is kind of asian stuff.
- So, thank you.
Good job.
- Thank you, chef.
I love everything about this dish.
I think it's very personal and you can taste it on the plate.
Today dishes need to be subtle, sweet, elegant, refined.
This dish is all of that.
- Good job, fred.
- Thank you, joe.
There's an amazing feel good factor after eating this dish, 'cause it's you.
It's light, it's sophisticated.
It's, I think, one of your best dishes ever - in this competition.
- Thank you.
And the nice thing for me, it's not a dessert.
That's a nice thing.
Great job, well done.
- Thank you, chef.
- Amazing.
Chef morimoto, he's a huge influence on the asian food scene in america.
I have been struggling so much with my own identity, so for him to go and like my dish, it's incredible.
- Amazing.
- I can't believe this happened.
The next home cook really did a great job.
Please, bring your dish forward, dorian.
- Let's go, dorian.
Let's go! - Way to go, dorian.
I would've never thought in a million years that chef morimoto would be tasting any of my food.
- Yes! - But here we are.
I'm standing on the masterchef stage handing chef morimoto my plate to taste, and I am floating on cloud nine.
Dorian, you just gave yourself a fist bump internally.
- Yes.
- What is that about? I'm very excited for you guys to taste it because it's my family on the plate.
Please, describe your dish.
I have a light herb and citrus king crab salad and fried green tomatoes and the aioli underneath just to add a little bit of heat.
It's very, very satisfying, and again, dorian, you are able to put yourself on the plate every time, but you do it in a thoughtful way of someone who really knows how to cook.
And that's really an important factor - in your success.
- Thank you, joe.
I think structurally there could have been some differences here.
I think you could've cut the fried green tomatoes a little thinner.
But that's just a minor point, 'cause all the elements are so well done.
Thank you, chef.
Mmm, yeah.
- Thank you, chef.
- Gordon: Everything's there.
Let me tell you, I would love to have spent the last two minutes with you dressing that, put it on the plate and just elevating it.
But when you have an aioli like that, that delicious, you don't hide it.
That should be over the top almost like icing on top of that crab.
- Okay.
- That dish has got heart.
- Brilliantly done.
- Thank you.
Amazing.
- Good job, dorian! - Noah: Great job.
Thank you, sweetie.
And the final home cook we'd love to bring up had a very colorful and elegant dish.
Micah.
Great job, micah.
Micah: I'm super nervous.
I can't taste a single component of my dish except my aioli.
But aioli doesn't win challenges.
The entire complete dish does, and I don't know how it tastes.
I'm just praying that it's perfect.
Please, what is the dish? This is a squid ink risotto with knuckle meat flaked in, a saffron lemon aioli served with crab tossed in a tarragon beurre monte sauce.
- Wow.
- Micah, you've done the most courageous thing tonight, taking squid ink and trying to get that combined with alaskan king crab.
It's so dangerous.
Squid ink, it's super powerful, it tastes of zinc, and really dense and really heavy.
- Shall we? - Yes.
It's just a dangerous thing to do.
Super dangerous.
Micah, you've done the most courageous thing tonight, taking squid ink and trying to get that combined with alaskan king crab.
Squid ink, it's super powerful, it tastes of zinc, and really dense and really heavy.
It's so dangerous.
The aioli, what's in here? I have saffron, lemon juice, dijon, and eggs.
Here's what you did that's so brilliant about this dish, is that you used a lemon aioli as you would finish a risotto with butter.
It's diffusing that iron-y, deep, rich flavor of the the squid ink.
Your choices have made for a very delicious, well-balanced bite that celebrates crab.
Joe: The risotto is perfect.
You nailed the risotto.
- Right.
- Aarón: More crab flavor.
Here's the thing, risotto is nailed beautifully.
You took 27 minutes making that risotto.
I watched you.
I felt that across the 27 minutes, you were so close to your risotto you were almost making love to it.
- What? - You wouldn't let it go.
Yeah.
Okay.
I've been told I'm a little clingy, chef.
- So - Nothing wrong with that.
- Continue being clingy.
- Especially with your rice.
Here's the shock.
You're allergic to shellfish.
- You can't even taste it.
- No, chef.
And I wish that you weren't allergic because it tastes phenomenal.
And so it's very rare to get that on point when you can't taste where you are.
- Well done.
- Thank you, chefs.
- Thank you, thank you.
- Good job, micah.
Great job, micah.
Really great job.
Morimoto just ate my food.
- Right.
So crazy.
- That's all I can say that's in my head.
Guys, there were some great dishes out there tonight, really.
We now need a moment to discuss and evaluate these dishes.
- Thank you.
- Please.
Noah: I'm really upset.
I've never tried harder than I've tried tonight.
I wanted the opportunity to present a plate in front of morimoto and, uh, and I didn't get to do that.
- Happy with the three? - Yes, sir.
- Happy? Excellent.
Let's go.
- Yeah.
- All right.
- Please.
Tonight's dishes were so good that we've decided that we are handing out immunity to not one, not two, but three of you.
That's right, half of you will be safe and half of you, along with everybody else standing behind you, will be facing elimination tomorrow.
I just want to say well done.
For me, the most exciting challenge to date.
Thank you very much.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you, chef.
Right, the first talented home cook heading up to the safety of the balcony who will not face elimination, that home cook is Shari.
Well done.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
- Great job, shari.
Shari: I cannot get on that balcony fast enough.
I need to get up there before they decide they made a mistake and keep me back down.
Gordon: You are safe from tomorrow's elimination.
I think that I've proven that I can cook other cuisines, and I'm feeling good.
The next home cook heading up to the safety of the balcony that will not face elimination also was a bit of a shock.
Pretty adventurous, somewhat daring, but it worked.
Congratulations, micah.
Maybe one of the best risottos in the ten year history of "masterchef.
" spot-on.
That doesn't come lightly.
That was excellent, excellent rice.
Thank you, joe.
Micah: It means a lot to me to win immunity in front of morimoto.
I'm the youngest competitor, and for him to see that and to reward it with immunity, I know that I'm on the right path and this is what I'm supposed to be doing.
An amazing job.
How do you feel? I have no words, but thank you all for the praise.
It means a lot to me.
Three of you will be entering tomorrow's elimination challenge.
Just one more spot left up on the balcony.
That spot goes to the very best dish of the night.
The home cook who made this winning dish will receive an incredible once in a lifetime special surprise.
An invitation from chef morimoto to come and dine as a table of four as his guest in one of his restaurants - anywhere in the world.
- Wow.
That's amazing.
Congratulations goes to - Fred.
- Oh, my god! Oh, my-- can I-- can I shake his hand? Can I shake your hand, chef? - Thank you.
- Thank you so much.
- Yay, fred.
- Thank you.
- Good job, fred.
- Thank you so much, everyone.
Fred: I'm on cloud nine.
I can't believe I just won.
This dish represents who I am, and knowing that they love who I am strikes a very personal chord in a good way.
- Well done.
- Thank you, chef.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Dish of the night, and now a special guest in chef morimoto's restaurants anywhere on the planet.
- Fred: Thank you.
- On the planet, yes.
So, it's a four top, so, joe, aarón, and myself can't wait to join you.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
You guys can be my plus three anytime.
Wuta, nick, dorian, great job, but, please, all three of you, head back to your stations.
- Fred: Good job.
- Thank you, chefs.
Good job, buddy.
Now, elimination challenge is now set.
We know all the players.
The question is who will survive? Trust me, the next time we see you, there is a lot of dough on the line.
- Okay.
- Good night.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
- Thank you, chef.
- Bye, morimoto! Thank you.
- ( laughs ) - yes.
- Thank you, joe.
- Thank you, buddy.
( music playing )
- Stop the clock! Your main course isn't enough.
We want to see a dessert! Is this a joke? Dorian, you bring home cooking to another level.
- Thank you.
- Sarah, it's fireworks.
- Perfection.
- Thank you so much.
Wuta, this does not look appealing.
A little disappointing, I have to say.
For the first time, I feel embarrassed.
Keturah, it reminds me of season one of "masterchef junior.
" the person leaving "masterchef" is keturah.
- Bye! - Bye, keturah.
Tonight, the home cooks take on an immunity challenge fit for a king.
Gordon: Humongous alaskan king crab.
And the pressure is on to impress a legendary guest.
- Gordon: Chef morimoto! - Oh, my gosh.
It's definitely intimidating a little bit, cooking for morimoto.
- Here we go.
- Joe: Where's the rest of the pasta? - I threw it away.
I was pissed.
- Only the top cooks will claw their way to the balcony One of your best dishes ever.
And be safe from elimination.
We are handing out immunity to not one, but three of you.
The home cook who made this winning dish will receive a special surprise.
Fred: Oh, lord.
( music playing ) whoo! Please make your way down.
Wuta: I'm still here.
As a struggling reader, I was told that I wouldn't be good at anything.
But I used that as fuel.
Each day I come in this kitchen to learn.
- Here we go, top 13.
- There's nothing in front of us Top 13, and I'm feeling good.
Another chance to fight for immunity, and I want it.
Immunity is the first step to getting me to top ten.
Welcome.
We are halfway to the finale.
- All: Yes, chef.
- You should feel lucky to have made it this far because this has been the most exciting, the most unpredictable, and the most epic season ever.
Sarah, top 13, where do you see yourself going? Next step is top 10 and all the way to the finale.
Mm-hmm.
Fred, because you've gained immunity across the last few weeks, it's almost like we haven't seen you cook enough.
- Yes, chef.
- You ready to get your hands dirty? I'm absolutely ready.
I'm excited for whatever today holds.
I can't wait to show you guys more of my story and who I am on a plate.
Everybody ready to find out what's in store tonight? All: Yes, chef.
This next challenge is a true monster.
I'm scared.
Tonight is all about immunity.
Win this upcoming challenge, and you'll be safe from tomorrow's elimination.
Gordon: Let's get this going.
Tonight, we have a huge guest.
This guy's a multi michelin star restaurateur, an expert in japanese cuisine - ( gasps ) - whoa.
And one of the most exciting chefs to grace any kitchen on the planet.
Oh, my god.
Please welcome chef morimoto.
- ( music playing ) - ( screaming, cheering ) oh, my god! - Wow! - Oh, my gosh.
- Yes! - Oh, my god! Oh, my gosh! Morimoto, the iron chef, one of the titans in the culinary world.
I'm completely starstruck.
I'm a huge fan of morimoto-sama.
I can't even believe he's standing in front of me right now.
It's-- it's insane.
- Amazing.
Good job.
- Oh, my god.
Chef, welcome to the masterchef kitchen.
It's taken us ten years to get you here, but thankfully, - you're here now.
Ten years.
- Ten years? - Congratulations on all the success.
- Thank you, thank you.
Guess what.
Chef morimoto has brought in these beautiful, humongous-- king crab.
Alaskan king crab.
Now, these crabs have been plucked out of that pristine water across alaska and flown here.
And tonight all of you are gonna have to turn this alaskan king crab into something truly magical and break them down yourselves.
Oh, lord, if I mess this up in front of chef morimoto, that's embarrassing.
Now, the good news is chef morimoto and I are gonna show you how.
- Oh, wow.
- Unreal.
Thank you.
Wow.
Why am I crying? Being blessed to be in the presence of somebody you look up to like that is overwhelming.
It's unbelievable.
It's unreal.
Gordon: Right.
First things first, alaskan king crab, it is the rolls-royce of the sea.
But the most important thing is to make sure we get a maximum yield on all the crab coming out.
How old do you think this is? 15 years old, guys, okay? Pull off the legs first.
One, two, and you pull and twist as well.
- Yeah.
- Three, and one big claw.
Good.
And twist.
Beautiful.
Wow.
Twist and pull.
- Bri: Wow.
- And be careful, so you do not tug it too hard.
Just twist and pull.
And then from there, you just slide that off.
This filament there, we do not want to see that.
- All right? - You see, this is easy.
I think you can use anything.
Don't hesitate there.
Gordon: Take the scissors as well, both sides.
Take this.
It's easier.
A crab like this, we're looking at around $500 cost.
- Wow.
- Whoa.
So think of the yield, okay? - I'm gonna use a knife, first move, like this.
- Gotcha.
This is easy.
- And then take, open it.
- Nice.
Then, easy.
- Anyone dive for crabs? - I catch them every day, but not like this.
And we use them for bait, which you wouldn't do for this either.
I'm making sure that I can do everything exactly like he does it and exactly like he does it.
I'm stoked to be watching, but at the same time, I gotta focus on what they're doing.
Never smash the shell.
What happens when you smash the shell? - Get the shell in meat.
- You get bits of shell throughout the crab.
Open up, thumb underneath again, and lift.
- Look at that.
- Wow.
Okay? Now, let's be honest, it's the kind of crab that's almost like caviar.
It's for finishing dishes.
You don't put this in a crab cake.
- Understood? Never.
- All: Yes, chef.
So understand what you're dealing with here.
And then you slice the claw.
- On, twist, and snap.
- Wow.
- It pops off.
- All: Wow.
- Finger comes in underneath.
- ( whistles ) - wow.
- Come in, then you come down.
Now for the exciting part, putting the most amazing jigsaw together.
It's like pablo picasso painting.
There's so much mess, yet there's so much beauty, and you start to see this picture being formed.
And at the end, you have this perfectly broke down, beautiful king crab.
- ( applause ) - that is how two master chefs break down an alaskan king crab.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Amazing.
Amazing.
Outstanding.
Thank y'all so much.
This protein that I know so little about-- because being deathly allergic, I stay away from it like the bubonic plague.
All right, everyone, please come and grab a crab and head to your stations.
Come on.
- Ooh, they're heavy.
- Be careful.
Be careful.
They'll poke you.
I'm highly allergic to crustaceans.
All of them.
It's especially dangerous to work with king crab because they have so many prickly bits.
I could puncture my hand and I'll start to break out in hives, I'll swell up.
I just need to stay calm, because if I get nervous, if I get scared, I'll fall to pieces, and I can't do that.
Now, tonight, you'll have 60 minutes to take your crab and turn it into a stunning dish.
We wanna see you honor that king crab.
We want to honor morimoto.
Immunity from elimination is on the line.
Right, your 60 minutes start - Now! - Aarón: Yeah.
( muttering ) what should I do? There's no real way you can mess up king crab except for trying to do too much to it.
So, I decide on making some king crab and butternut squash stuffed raviolis.
Flour, flour, flour.
I've actually never made raviolis before.
I tried one time at home.
Failed miserably.
I don't want them to think I'm just a fish guy.
I want them to see me making something that they haven't seen me make yet.
Ha-ha! They got squid ink, baby! I really wanna show the judges that even though I can't eat crustaceans, I can create a restaurant level dish that they would love to serve in their own restaurants.
Extract that crab, everyone.
Unbelievable.
I know it's crazy with chef morimoto here, but I might try to pull off a king crab sushi burger.
It's kind of like a craze right now in the us, and if chef morimoto likes it, then I think it's probably a done deal.
I'm making a king crab saffron risotto.
It's definitely intimidating a little bit, cooking for morimoto.
They're taking it up a few notches this season.
I've never seen these contestants so excited.
There's no better crab in the world.
You don't see it in restaurants very much because you have to charge so much for it.
We don't wanna see crab cakes.
- Deep-fried.
- We don't wanna see fried.
You know, we wanna keep it simple and pure.
What's the one big mistake you think they could make tonight with those crabs? Aarón: The idea is that we wanna push them, chef.
We want them to feature the crab and really lift up the creativity level.
Guys, we've got 10 minutes gone, 15 minutes remaining.
So, I'm cooking a japanese style entrée.
Really ambitious.
There's a lot of components.
I'm not technically cooking anything aside from my pickles, so, we'll see.
This is a risk, but if morimoto loves this dish, I think I can die happy.
Give a little insight to what you're doing.
I'm trying to push myself, gordon.
You know I cook mostly indian food.
- Yes.
- And so I'm gonna go japanese inspired.
Like, a really simple crab-- like a salad almost.
Yeah.
It's gonna be beautiful.
Yes.
Oh, my gosh, I have no idea how I would highlight that.
Yeah, I don't know.
I don't know.
That's-- I cannot say.
Yeah.
It's gonna be beautiful.
Yes.
Oh, my gosh, I have no idea how I would highlight that.
I don't know.
That's-- I cannot say.
- Yeah.
Thank you.
- Good luck.
I am making a pappardelle pasta with king crab.
I make homemade pasta once in a blue moon just for special occasions only.
And being on "masterchef" is a special occasion, so everyone's gonna enjoy.
- Fred, tonight is the night to shine.
- Fred: Absolutely, chef.
I want to make sure that this dish speaks true to who I am and my taiwanese roots and traditions, because if I don't start showing them that I am telling my story through my food, they're gonna cut me.
Give us an insight to the dish.
What you doing? I'm making crab and crème fraîche stuffed lanterns, which are gonna be my little raviolo.
So this is the meat from which part? I'm using the knuckle meat and some of the leg meat from the smaller portions of the leg.
- Gordon: So you're making a pasta.
- Yes, I am.
- And that's the lantern.
- Yes.
So it's almost like your take on a ravioli.
- Oh! - Yes, I'm actually gonna take an asian concept - of a wonton soup - Gordon: Yes.
And turn it european.
How are you gonna combine that inside that ravioli? What are you gonna use to bring it together? I'm gonna use a tiny bit crème fraîche.
I'm gonna season it with lemon zest, salt, pepper, and fennel pollen.
Oh, you're not using this one a little more? So maybe you don't need this one, this one.
Put them in there.
You want that flavor coming out of those knuckles.
- Absolutely, chef.
- Sounds amazing.
- Good luck, okay? - Thank you, chef.
Cooking for one of my idols.
I think morimoto is in a league of his own, but I relish in pressure.
To be able to give him a dish, let him taste it.
I mean, are we kidding? It's season ten.
I mean, it doesn't-- it doesn't get better than this.
Oh, boy, here we go.
Wuta: Back home in new york, I love eating chinese food from around the block or going to fine dining restaurants in chinatown and tasting these asian cuisines.
I'm excited because this is where I'm the most comfortable.
Aarón: So what you got going on here, buddy? So I'm gonna do a kimchi fried rice.
I'm gonna fold the crab in and then also top it with crab.
What is gonna give that fried rice some flavor and some unique elements? That's the green apple and lemon.
I'm gonna fold that into the end.
I'm gonna play with the toasted peppercorn, and even with the kimchi, I'm using rice wine vinegar to elevate the kimchi.
The one thing I'm concerned about is you have very aggressive flavors, fermented flavors like oyster sauce, kimchi.
- Strong.
- Big flavors, and crab is very delicate and sweet.
So just be mindful on how you add and season your rice.
I don't really eat crab anymore, but what I do know is rice.
And I'm really excited to show the judges that I have grown from my first dish of rice till now.
This is season ten of "masterchef," we're expecting nothing but the best from you, okay? - All right, good luck, wuta.
- Thank you, gentlemen.
Hi, chef.
What an honor.
Thank you so much for being here.
I've been watching you with my family, man, for 20 years.
I mean, what a crazy show, but I'm just speechless.
- What's the dish? - Okay, so we're going to be doing a gazpacho - with summer orange tomatoes.
- This one? I thought the color was beautiful, so I did a lot of the orange.
Put some cucumber, cayenne, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar.
And I puréed-- what, sir? - No crab in there.
- No crab.
No, sir.
- Noah's allergic to crab.
- Deathly allergic to shellfish.
Yeah, I can't taste it at all.
I don't-- oh, absolutely.
This is one of the greatest ingredients, if not the greatest ingredients I've ever had.
You put that stock in there at the end, it's gonna be almost like a sauce.
Otherwise you don't-- it's gonna water that down.
I'll see.
If it's not good enough, I'll leave it off, 'cause that's one thing you've taught me.
If it's not good enough, definitely leave it off.
I am feeling so good.
This is one of my favorite dish.
This is a simple cajun crab omelet with a cajun crawfish étouffée sauce.
I'm gonna show them how an omelet can be very, very elevated as well.
Gordon: An amazing bunch of exciting dishes.
Looks like renee's making the most amazing pasta there.
Aarón: You know, and that's a traditional avenue to take, so we'll see how it comes out.
Wuta, fried rice.
- He's a vegetarian, wuta.
- Ah! He's gonna put the crab in the fried rice.
Yeah.
It's salty already.
Sweet and salty, so they need to taste it before they start cooking.
Fred, yeah, he's taking a turn on almost like a taiwanese lantern.
The flavor of that broth already looks amazing.
30 minutes gone, 30 minutes to go, guys.
One stunning portion.
Oh, no.
( groan ) it didn't work.
Nick: The sushi burger isn't gonna work.
The rice is too flimsy.
I look over at the clock, it's 30 minutes left.
I need to win immunity and this sushi burger idea is too big a risk.
I need to scrap it and move on.
If I waver any more, I'm gonna run out of time.
I have no idea.
- Gordon: 30 minutes to go, guys.
- ( nick groans ) nick: The sushi burger isn't gonna work.
If I waver any more, I'm gonna run out of time.
No idea.
I've essentially put myself at a disadvantage by starting over.
I'm normally more composed.
I'm calm.
I come in with a really strong plan.
So, I'm a bit all over the place, but, you know, I just keep pushing.
- Chef, joe.
- What do you got, nick? I started off trying to make a king crab sushi burger, but now I'm making basically butter poached king crab with lightly smoked sunchokes.
You have good components here.
This has good flavor.
- Thank you.
- That has good flavor.
- Had to pivot a little bit, but-- - here's the deal, nick.
In order to be a masterchef, how you rebound and how you excel in these very difficult situations - is gonna speak volumes of you, okay? - Yes.
So look at this as an opportunity, - not an obstacle.
- I will.
- All right? - Thank you, chef.
Thank you very much, chef.
I know if I set my mind to this, I'll finish all the components, I'll make a beautiful dish.
But I'm a little worried that I might not finish in time.
Gordon: 25 minutes to go, guys.
Jamie: What I'm concerned about, what I need to take my time doing is making a dish with finesse and making sure that what I present is something that chef morimoto is gonna look at and say, "this guy's respecting this crab.
" - hey there.
- Thanks for coming.
Gives us an insight to the dish.
What are you doing? So I am doing a kind of rustic cut butternut squash.
I'm trying to utilize this little reproductive flat meat.
I know it's rich and it's a little bit different taste.
So, what do you think of that, the muscle going in the butternut squash? Yeah? - No.
- Okay, so let's switch up.
No, you can put them in.
- Maybe a knuckle piece.
- A knuckle piece.
But just-- you flake it out.
- And so you stick that inside.
- Yes! Now I can taste the crab.
Do you see what I'm saying? - Absolutely.
- Yeah? Don't forget, a touch of citron, a little bit of tarragon.
Yeah, I'm actually gonna do blood orange and lemon zest.
Boiling water? For the raviolis.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
- Well thought of.
- Thank you, chef.
- Remember, think in front.
- ( laughs ) I want to continue to put myself on a plate and the things that I grew up with, and I want to represent my family and I want to represent my roots.
- All right, so, dorian.
- Whatever it is, it's beautiful.
- What are those? - Those are fried green-- - fried green tomatoes.
- Love it.
- "tomaytas.
" - "tomaytas.
" tomatoes.
My mom used to make these all the time, and as a mom myself, I've made them for my children.
So what else do you have going on in your dish here? Light crab salad.
I wanna keep the integrity of the crab.
I don't wanna do too much to it.
This is really good.
Acidity, acidity.
- Thank you.
- Do you have something base or something creamy - Yes, I do.
- To moderate it? What are you gonna do? - Yeah, there you go.
She's already on it.
- Ah! - Look, don't even-- - yeah, there you are.
- What is this, spicy mayo? - It is.
Dorian, out there in georgia, do you have a chance to get with-- hey, take it "eash.
" you have a chance-- you can eat all you want.
Here.
You want me to feed it to you? You can have all you want.
Do you work with a lot of king crab back home? No, I do not.
My husband and I go to a restaurant that serves king crab, and I was pregnant and I sat down and ate, like, six whole legs.
But, I mean, other than that, no.
- It's a delicacy.
I mean, it's expensive.
- Yeah.
- It's not-- - for someone who's never cooked it, this is a really great interpretation of the delicacy, really with balanced acidity.
- Love it! - Oh! Thank you.
- Gordon: Sam.
- Chef morimoto, it's an honor.
So I'm doing a crab and corn chowder.
This is a fish stock, chef, that I cooked down with some fennel - this? - And some-- - some king crab legs.
- Great.
It tastes okay, - but it doesn't taste like king crab.
- Morimoto: Not much.
You need to strengthen that.
All these little bits here, - you get it in there.
- Understood, chef.
- I really wanna prove myself.
- On a night like tonight - in front of chef here.
- Absolutely.
This is a dream for me.
I really want this, chef.
You've got 15 minutes to go.
Flavor, please.
Thank you so much, chef.
Absolutely, chef.
Micah: This is my most challenging one yet because I don't know how a king crab tastes.
I don't know how any crab tastes.
So I really need to use my knowledge of flavors and herbs and really put together something that's gonna work.
I just wanna say this is mind-blowing.
- Standing in front of you and gordon at the same time? - No, no, thank you.
I couldn't have imagined anything crazier.
- Give us an insight into the dish.
- Oh! - Oh, wow.
- This is squid ink tarragon risotto, and I'm gonna be doing my crab in a beurre monte sauce.
And I have over here my lemon saffron aioli over top.
It's very rare you finish a risotto with aioli.
- Why are you going there? - It brings-- it has lemon, it has the brightness of the saffron.
- It adds color to the plate.
- But you can pour that into risotto.
Just drizzled lightly over top, chef, just to bring some flavor to the crab as well.
But make sure the risotto is rich, buttery.
- Nothing crab meat? - No, sir, I'm also-- I'm allergic to shellfish.
I cannot taste it.
You should be flaking all those little knuckles in there so you got crab in there as well.
- Crab in there as well.
- Okay.
- That would taste delicious.
- Thank you, chef.
Gordon: Guys, just under seven minutes to go.
Dang it.
My pasta is sticking to the roller, and I can't find a pasta cutter anywhere.
So, I hand cut with a knife and they are wretched.
I am feeling really frustrated right now.
I'm a huge perfectionist and if it's not gonna work out, then I just throw it away.
So this is gonna be your white wine sauce? - Yes, sir.
- Where are the pappardelle? - Those are the ones I'm gonna cook.
- These? This is not pasta.
This is, like, scraps.
Where's the rest of the pasta? I threw it away.
I was pissed.
You can't make a pasta with this.
I'm going to.
Please, let me try.
I just don't understand, though.
Like, why did you throw the pasta away? Because it got stuck in here.
You should've called me for help.
I would've helped.
Let's see.
Where is it? It's still clean.
It's on top.
It's not dirty.
I'm having issues with my dough, trying to roll it out.
You can't let the kitchen get the better of you like that.
Just put this through here and make fettuccini.
Just get 'em long enough, cut 'em, flour 'em, leave 'em in a nice pile, let 'em aerate, and then boil them.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Oh, my goodness.
Thank god for joe.
He helped me and he saved me.
But there's five minutes left and immunity is on the line.
Come on, are you kidding me? Where's the basil? Four minutes to go.
Come on.
Don't plate too early, fred.
Aarón: Let's go, subha.
Let's go to the plate.
Love the taste of micah's squid ink risotto.
Putting some of the crab in there as well, fold in some of those knuckles.
- Joe: Renee, those are done.
- ( screams ) nick, he has a lot of great components.
He has a little butter sauce.
He has some toasted farro.
He has a little corn purée.
- But I don't know what the essence of the dish is.
- Yeah, he's behind.
90 seconds to go, guys.
Come on.
Start plating, let's go! This is going everywhere.
Come on, guys.
Presentation is key.
- Crab has to be the hero.
- Where are the green onions? 50 seconds to go.
( bleep ).
Are you kidding me? Does anybody have green onion? Aarón: Here we go.
Homestretch.
Oh, my god.
All: Five, four, three, two, one.
- That's it.
- And stop.
Hands in the air.
- Well done.
- ( dorian sighs ) so simple, but yet so difficult.
Jeez.
That was excellent.
With that impression tonight, you raised the bar again.
Chef, they are on form.
That means you have to come back next week.
- Anything you need.
- There you go.
Now, as you work across those 60 minutes, we study, we taste as you cook.
There were plenty standout dishes tonight.
And with that said, we've decided tonight there are six dishes that we'd love to take a much closer look at.
The first dish showed great flair, and it was so nice to see that flair based on the rough week that individual had last week.
Please, step forward, wuta.
- Whoo! - Let's go, wu! Morimoto's about to eat my food! This legendary chef is going to really give me feedback on how to be better, but I'm a little nervous.
Young man, describe your dish, please.
So what we have here is a kimchi fried rice with a fried egg and on top we have the king crab.
- Wuta: Oh.
- Like this.
There we go.
Thank you.
This reminds me of you conjuring up a chinese spot there in the bronx and then letting the masterchef kitchen influence that food memory.
- Thank you.
- There's no bronx in that.
The crab meat and the fried rice is smart, spicy.
- It's the full deal.
- Thank you.
- Chef.
- Hmm.
Yeah.
And any things.
- Good.
- Yeah.
I would've taken those knuckles and claws, reduced them down, made a little-- little bisque and brushed the varnish.
But if you'd asked me two months ago, can a vegetarian cook this good? Never.
Tonight, you proved us wrong.
- Well done.
Good job.
- Thank you very much, all of you guys.
- Good job, wuta.
- Thank you.
Way to go, wuta.
So the next home cook, they impressed us with their plating skills and their attention to detail.
They have been at the top of multiple immunity challenges.
Please, bring your dish forward, nick.
Yes.
Nick: I'm feeling really nervous.
I put myself at a disadvantage giving myself 30 minutes by deciding to nix the sushi burger idea.
Joe: Uh-oh.
Now I hope that wasn't a huge mistake.
You were a little bit uncertain at the beginning of the concept of your dish.
You kind of zigged and zagged.
Are you happy with the result? Uh, I tried with a different dish, - sort of a sushi burger.
But I'm really happy with it.
- Aarón: So let's see.
Morimoto: Hmm.
So Yeah.
So I-- I tried, chef.
Nicholas, please, describe your dish.
So I have a butter poached king crab with crispy smoked sunchokes, and a creamy corn purée with a fennel salad.
The fact that you got that done after that first one going off-piece is amazing.
I think the lumps of crab at the end shows a lack of maturity.
- Yes, chef.
- You don't serve that much crab anywhere unless it's for two or three guests.
That's probably a hundred dollars worth of crab on there.
Again, it's all about the flavor.
Gents, shall we? All right.
I really enjoy the way that this dish came together considering that you were up against it.
I just think you have so many rich components that you need acid.
I think it needs lemon.
- Thank you, chef.
- I think the whole dish really is quite good.
For me, the crust on the sunchokes is so strong.
And I love it, don't get me wrong.
But they dominate.
On a crab, I was looking for more delicate flavors.
So, you used a lot of crab meat.
- A little too much.
- Yes, chef.
That's a really great job.
Thank you, chef.
The sunchokes are the star, 'cause you haven't done much for the crab.
You've taken the crab out and stuck it on top.
But here's the fascinating thing about you.
You're like this rough diamond that's come to life in this competition.
What you've done with those sunchokes is mind-blowing.
I think it works, just cut back on that rolls-royce of crab.
- Yes, chef.
- Well done.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
- Good job, buddy.
- Good job, nick.
Okay, guys, we are very intrigued to taste a little bit more of this asian-inspired dish.
Please, bring your dish forward, shari.
- All right, shari.
- Great, shari.
Great job.
I can't even contain myself.
I just love morimoto and I really wanna impress him.
I hope that my crab salad is good enough to get immunity.
Mmm.
So, shari, what is the dish? I have in front of you a yuzu vinaigrette, a green apple pickle, and a crab salad with an avocado mousseline.
- Shall we? - Yes.
Mm-hmm.
I just gotta say, it is just spot-on on multiple levels.
It has texture, you manipulated the crab.
Man, it is just hitting on all facets of deliciousness.
- Thank you, chef.
- Bright, clean.
- Mmm.
- Focused.
- Three star dish.
- Oh, my god.
You should have your indian mother-in-law taste this.
It'll turn her hair blonde.
- Morimoto: Thank you.
- Thank you so much.
The evolution of your start of cooking is extraordinary.
You're not playing safe.
You're out of that comfort zone.
It's good to see you shine.
- Great job.
- Joe: Great job, shari.
- Shari! - Good job, shari.
- Delicious.
- That's what we're talking about here.
Thank you.
The next home cook, their dish told a compelling personal story.
- Fred, please step forward.
- Go, fred! Thank you, chef.
- Ooh-la-la.
- Please describe the dish, fred.
It's called "welcome to the lantern festival.
" I have crab and crème fraîche stuffed lanterns in a crab and fennel broth.
Welcome to the bri standard of plating.
- Thank you.
- Finally, somebody else is popping with such finesse.
Thank you.
So the idea is to hit the broth - over the lanterns? - Yep.
Did you make pasta or was it a wonton paste? I made my own pasta dough.
Joe: Very nice.
Gordon: Chef? From the heart.
This is kind of asian stuff.
- So, thank you.
Good job.
- Thank you, chef.
I love everything about this dish.
I think it's very personal and you can taste it on the plate.
Today dishes need to be subtle, sweet, elegant, refined.
This dish is all of that.
- Good job, fred.
- Thank you, joe.
There's an amazing feel good factor after eating this dish, 'cause it's you.
It's light, it's sophisticated.
It's, I think, one of your best dishes ever - in this competition.
- Thank you.
And the nice thing for me, it's not a dessert.
That's a nice thing.
Great job, well done.
- Thank you, chef.
- Amazing.
Chef morimoto, he's a huge influence on the asian food scene in america.
I have been struggling so much with my own identity, so for him to go and like my dish, it's incredible.
- Amazing.
- I can't believe this happened.
The next home cook really did a great job.
Please, bring your dish forward, dorian.
- Let's go, dorian.
Let's go! - Way to go, dorian.
I would've never thought in a million years that chef morimoto would be tasting any of my food.
- Yes! - But here we are.
I'm standing on the masterchef stage handing chef morimoto my plate to taste, and I am floating on cloud nine.
Dorian, you just gave yourself a fist bump internally.
- Yes.
- What is that about? I'm very excited for you guys to taste it because it's my family on the plate.
Please, describe your dish.
I have a light herb and citrus king crab salad and fried green tomatoes and the aioli underneath just to add a little bit of heat.
It's very, very satisfying, and again, dorian, you are able to put yourself on the plate every time, but you do it in a thoughtful way of someone who really knows how to cook.
And that's really an important factor - in your success.
- Thank you, joe.
I think structurally there could have been some differences here.
I think you could've cut the fried green tomatoes a little thinner.
But that's just a minor point, 'cause all the elements are so well done.
Thank you, chef.
Mmm, yeah.
- Thank you, chef.
- Gordon: Everything's there.
Let me tell you, I would love to have spent the last two minutes with you dressing that, put it on the plate and just elevating it.
But when you have an aioli like that, that delicious, you don't hide it.
That should be over the top almost like icing on top of that crab.
- Okay.
- That dish has got heart.
- Brilliantly done.
- Thank you.
Amazing.
- Good job, dorian! - Noah: Great job.
Thank you, sweetie.
And the final home cook we'd love to bring up had a very colorful and elegant dish.
Micah.
Great job, micah.
Micah: I'm super nervous.
I can't taste a single component of my dish except my aioli.
But aioli doesn't win challenges.
The entire complete dish does, and I don't know how it tastes.
I'm just praying that it's perfect.
Please, what is the dish? This is a squid ink risotto with knuckle meat flaked in, a saffron lemon aioli served with crab tossed in a tarragon beurre monte sauce.
- Wow.
- Micah, you've done the most courageous thing tonight, taking squid ink and trying to get that combined with alaskan king crab.
It's so dangerous.
Squid ink, it's super powerful, it tastes of zinc, and really dense and really heavy.
- Shall we? - Yes.
It's just a dangerous thing to do.
Super dangerous.
Micah, you've done the most courageous thing tonight, taking squid ink and trying to get that combined with alaskan king crab.
Squid ink, it's super powerful, it tastes of zinc, and really dense and really heavy.
It's so dangerous.
The aioli, what's in here? I have saffron, lemon juice, dijon, and eggs.
Here's what you did that's so brilliant about this dish, is that you used a lemon aioli as you would finish a risotto with butter.
It's diffusing that iron-y, deep, rich flavor of the the squid ink.
Your choices have made for a very delicious, well-balanced bite that celebrates crab.
Joe: The risotto is perfect.
You nailed the risotto.
- Right.
- Aarón: More crab flavor.
Here's the thing, risotto is nailed beautifully.
You took 27 minutes making that risotto.
I watched you.
I felt that across the 27 minutes, you were so close to your risotto you were almost making love to it.
- What? - You wouldn't let it go.
Yeah.
Okay.
I've been told I'm a little clingy, chef.
- So - Nothing wrong with that.
- Continue being clingy.
- Especially with your rice.
Here's the shock.
You're allergic to shellfish.
- You can't even taste it.
- No, chef.
And I wish that you weren't allergic because it tastes phenomenal.
And so it's very rare to get that on point when you can't taste where you are.
- Well done.
- Thank you, chefs.
- Thank you, thank you.
- Good job, micah.
Great job, micah.
Really great job.
Morimoto just ate my food.
- Right.
So crazy.
- That's all I can say that's in my head.
Guys, there were some great dishes out there tonight, really.
We now need a moment to discuss and evaluate these dishes.
- Thank you.
- Please.
Noah: I'm really upset.
I've never tried harder than I've tried tonight.
I wanted the opportunity to present a plate in front of morimoto and, uh, and I didn't get to do that.
- Happy with the three? - Yes, sir.
- Happy? Excellent.
Let's go.
- Yeah.
- All right.
- Please.
Tonight's dishes were so good that we've decided that we are handing out immunity to not one, not two, but three of you.
That's right, half of you will be safe and half of you, along with everybody else standing behind you, will be facing elimination tomorrow.
I just want to say well done.
For me, the most exciting challenge to date.
Thank you very much.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you, chef.
Right, the first talented home cook heading up to the safety of the balcony who will not face elimination, that home cook is Shari.
Well done.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
- Great job, shari.
Shari: I cannot get on that balcony fast enough.
I need to get up there before they decide they made a mistake and keep me back down.
Gordon: You are safe from tomorrow's elimination.
I think that I've proven that I can cook other cuisines, and I'm feeling good.
The next home cook heading up to the safety of the balcony that will not face elimination also was a bit of a shock.
Pretty adventurous, somewhat daring, but it worked.
Congratulations, micah.
Maybe one of the best risottos in the ten year history of "masterchef.
" spot-on.
That doesn't come lightly.
That was excellent, excellent rice.
Thank you, joe.
Micah: It means a lot to me to win immunity in front of morimoto.
I'm the youngest competitor, and for him to see that and to reward it with immunity, I know that I'm on the right path and this is what I'm supposed to be doing.
An amazing job.
How do you feel? I have no words, but thank you all for the praise.
It means a lot to me.
Three of you will be entering tomorrow's elimination challenge.
Just one more spot left up on the balcony.
That spot goes to the very best dish of the night.
The home cook who made this winning dish will receive an incredible once in a lifetime special surprise.
An invitation from chef morimoto to come and dine as a table of four as his guest in one of his restaurants - anywhere in the world.
- Wow.
That's amazing.
Congratulations goes to - Fred.
- Oh, my god! Oh, my-- can I-- can I shake his hand? Can I shake your hand, chef? - Thank you.
- Thank you so much.
- Yay, fred.
- Thank you.
- Good job, fred.
- Thank you so much, everyone.
Fred: I'm on cloud nine.
I can't believe I just won.
This dish represents who I am, and knowing that they love who I am strikes a very personal chord in a good way.
- Well done.
- Thank you, chef.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Dish of the night, and now a special guest in chef morimoto's restaurants anywhere on the planet.
- Fred: Thank you.
- On the planet, yes.
So, it's a four top, so, joe, aarón, and myself can't wait to join you.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
You guys can be my plus three anytime.
Wuta, nick, dorian, great job, but, please, all three of you, head back to your stations.
- Fred: Good job.
- Thank you, chefs.
Good job, buddy.
Now, elimination challenge is now set.
We know all the players.
The question is who will survive? Trust me, the next time we see you, there is a lot of dough on the line.
- Okay.
- Good night.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
- Thank you, chef.
- Bye, morimoto! Thank you.
- ( laughs ) - yes.
- Thank you, joe.
- Thank you, buddy.
( music playing )