Can we combine eel and crabcakes to create a delicious fusion dish?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the idea of combining eel and crabcakes to create a fusion dish, exploring various culinary combinations and flavor pairings. Participants share their experiences with different food pairings, including sweet and savory combinations, and express their opinions on the compatibility of flavors.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants share their successful food combinations, such as crushed red chilis and pickled jalapenos on pizza, and express interest in trying new ingredients like "Very Lazy" chilies.
  • Others propose the idea of combining sweet and savory flavors, citing personal experiences with dishes like Moroccan pastila and Thai chili with pineapple.
  • There are differing opinions on the compatibility of sweet flavors with meat, with some participants rejecting the idea while others recount positive experiences with such combinations.
  • A participant mentions the concept of using chemistry to understand food pairings, likening it to musical harmonization.
  • Several participants express curiosity about the term "lazy chili" and its application in cooking.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a variety of opinions on flavor combinations, with some advocating for sweet and savory pairings while others firmly oppose them. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approaches to combining eel and crabcakes, as well as the broader topic of flavor compatibility.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference specific cultural dishes and personal experiences, which may influence their perspectives on flavor combinations. The discussion includes a mix of anecdotal evidence and culinary experimentation without definitive conclusions.

Who May Find This Useful

Food enthusiasts, culinary experimenters, and those interested in flavor theory may find this discussion relevant and engaging.

wolram
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No hang on that's a brand of pickle, is it epiquer, gastro gnome? oh bother it, a person with refined taste, i think i am one, only a person with refind taste can put two ingredients together and make them sing, i have found that combining a pepperoni pizza with (very lazy chilies), (a chef type thing), is a taste to die for, and so cheap, if one of the fast food outlets wants to buy
my secret it is on offer for 1 million quid.
 
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wolram said:
No hang on that's a brand of pickle, is it epiquer, gastro gnome? oh bother it, a person with refined taste, i think i am one, only a person with refind taste can put two ingredients together and make them sing, i have found that combining a pepperoni pizza with (very lazy chilies), (a chef type thing), is a taste to die for, and so cheap, if one of the fast food outlets wants to buy
my secret it is on offer for 1 million quid.

I have one too. Take a very hot Thai chilli pepper, and crush it in a small bowl of soy sauce. Now sprinkle that soy sauce over chunks of fresh pineapple. You have never tasted a combination of flavors such as that.

Is this new? Nope. I didn't invent it. It is a common way to enjoy fresh pineapples in South East Asia. It is similar in the "clash" of tastes as the Italian version of drizzling aged Balsamic vinegar over fresh mellons.

Zz.
 
Good one wooly. I've been putting crushed red chilis and pickled jalapenos on my pizzas for years, but will get myself a jar of Very Lazy and see what happens!

The cheque for the mill is in the post.
 
ZapperZ said:
I have one too. Take a very hot Thai chilli pepper, and crush it in a small bowl of soy sauce. Now sprinkle that soy sauce over chunks of fresh pineapple. You have never tasted a combination of flavors such as that.

Is this new? Nope. I didn't invent it. It is a common way to enjoy fresh pineapples in South East Asia. It is similar in the "clash" of tastes as the Italian version of drizzling aged Balsamic vinegar over fresh mellons.

Zz.

Balsamic vinegar with parmasama formagio, Heaven.

yours sounds yummy also, i like your taste zapprer.
 
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1.fry some pork sausage meat
2. remove ("reserve") the sausage meat & saute diced apples in some of the fat left over + some butter, add cinnamon
3. add apple juice or apple cider & cook it down by 1/2
4. put sausage meat back in with sour cream & sage
5. fill crepes with sausage meat & diced apple mix

:biggrin:

the sweet/savoury usually confuses people :-p
 
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fourier jr said:
1.fry some pork sausage meat
2. remove ("reserve") the sausage meat & saute diced apples in some of the fat left over + some butter, add cinnamon
3. add apple juice or apple cider & cook it down by 1/2
4. put sausage meat back in with sour cream & sage
5. fill crepes with sausage meat & diced apple mix

:biggrin:
OH, yuk, i just threw up, how could you ? but because i am an epicure i will try it, :smile:
 
brewnog said:
Good one wooly. I've been putting crushed red chilis and pickled jalapenos on my pizzas for years, but will get myself a jar of Very Lazy and see what happens!

The cheque for the mill is in the post.
Hey, my buddies do not have to pay, just enjoy.
 
And by the way, spread the lazy chili under the pepperoni, as it tends to burn if on top.
 
What exactly is a "lazy chili"?

Zz.
 
  • #10
I heard a story on the radio about combining seemingly incompatible foods together to obtain a new taste.

If you're good at chemistry and good at music, you can look at the chemical composition of different foods, see which chemicals form a common "chord", and have a pretty good idea that the two flavors will wind up producing a very interesting and palatable combination. The speaker said it was very similar to harmonizing several tracks into one piece of music.
 
  • #11
Sweet & meat = not good to eat.

I have never liked a sweet taste with meat. The closest I'll get is the orange sesame chicken at the local grocery store's chinese section. It's not really sweet, so it's tolerable.
 
  • #12
Evo said:
Sweet & meat = not good to eat.

I have never liked a sweet taste with meat. The closest I'll get is the orange sesame chicken at the local grocery store's chinese section. It's not really sweet, so it's tolerable.
I thought the same as you until I went to Epcot with Zz and I was introduced to Moroccan food. There was an item containing meat inside a pastry that was sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. It sounded pretty weird, but I gave it a taste (I had a sampler platter, so if I didn't like that, I had plenty of other things to nibble on the plate)...I was really surprised by how well it all worked together. Very tasty. :approve: (Not at all like that hideous concoction of sugary glaze people put on their ham that I know you don't like either.)

I don't know what very lazy chilies are either, but have always sprinkled hot pepper on my pizza for as long as I can remember eating pizza, so it sounds reasonable to me.
 
  • #13
The dish that Moonbie mentioned about was called "pastila". It's a savory meat filling wraped with a crispy pastry dough, and then sprinkled on the outside with powdered sugar and cinnamon. It is VERY good!

The Moroccan restaurant near where I live also has that dish, but they don't sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon! :(

Zz.
 
  • #14
Evo said:
Sweet & meat = not good to eat.

I have never liked a sweet taste with meat. The closest I'll get is the orange sesame chicken at the local grocery store's chinese section. It's not really sweet, so it's tolerable.

Humm.. that means you also do not like Japanese teriyaki?

I've had friends from Turkey who also find it strange to their palate to taste "sweet" meat dishes. Luckily, during the time they were living here, I managed to get them to try more than enough that they finally got used to it.

:)

Zz.
 
  • #15
ZapperZ said:
Humm.. that means you also do not like Japanese teriyaki?
Teriyaki is fine. It's the overpowering sweet sauces that I don't like. I like spicy, hot, savory, but not sweet.
 
  • #16
Evo said:
Teriyaki is fine. It's the overpowering sweet sauces that I don't like. I like spicy, hot, savory, but not sweet.

I make this Thai green curry with beef that is hot and spicy enough to make your hair curl!

Zz.
 
  • #17
ZapperZ said:
I make this Thai green curry with beef that is hot and spicy enough to make your hair curl!

Zz.
You're killing me! I haven't eaten all day and I'm starving. I'm waiting on the Evo Child to bring me food and she is in no hurry. :frown:
 
  • #18
Evo said:
You're killing me! I haven't eaten all day and I'm starving. I'm waiting on the Evo Child to bring me food and she is in no hurry. :frown:

Is she also bringing a DVD player with the food so that you can watch the DVD I sent you while you eat?

:)

Zz.
 
  • #19
ZapperZ said:
Is she also bringing a DVD player with the food so that you can watch the DVD I sent you while you eat?

:)

Zz.
I still have no DVD player. :-( Which is rather pathetic because I can get a free one from work.
 
  • #20
Evo said:
You're killing me! I haven't eaten all day and I'm starving. I'm waiting on the Evo Child to bring me food and she is in no hurry. :frown:

Crabcakes, anyone? :devil:
 
  • #21
cyrusabdollahi said:
Crabcakes, anyone? :devil:
:cry: :cry: :cry:
 
  • #22
I have to bring home some dinner for my mom and I once I leave the library here at school. In light of this thread, I think I'll get some Japanese food. Beef Teriyaki, some rolls, miso soup and salad. Yummy. I will save you some Evo. :wink:
 
  • #23
BobG said:
I heard a story on the radio about combining seemingly incompatible foods together to obtain a new taste.

If you're good at chemistry and good at music, you can look at the chemical composition of different foods, see which chemicals form a common "chord", and have a pretty good idea that the two flavors will wind up producing a very interesting and palatable combination. The speaker said it was very similar to harmonizing several tracks into one piece of music.

harold mcgee's "on food & cooking" probably has all the stuff you'd want to know for that. i think. every copy of that book I've found is too expensive for me ($60) & being a relative newbie to cooking/baking i can't justify buying it right now. :blushing:
 
  • #24
wolram said:
OH, yuk, i just threw up, how could you ? but because i am an epicure i will try it, :smile:

remember to peel the apples :wink:
 
  • #25
cyrusabdollahi said:
I have to bring home some dinner for my mom and I once I leave the library here at school. In light of this thread, I think I'll get some Japanese food. Beef Teriyaki, some rolls, miso soup and salad. Yummy. I will save you some Evo. :wink:
Aww, thanks Cyrus. :!)
 
  • #26
I changed my mind, I am going to get Unadon instead, which is eel. Eel is yummy. :smile:

unadon.jpg
 
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  • #27
Zapper, very lazy, chilis, are ground up chilis preserved in vinigar, the vinigar
evaporates when you cook it.
 
  • #28
wolram said:
Zapper, very lazy, chilis, are ground up chilis preserved in vinigar, the vinigar
evaporates when you cook it.

So it's a chili paste. In asian grocery stores around here, there are jars and jars of them called "sambal", which is Malay/Indonesian for "chili paste"! :) Some even has garlic in in them.

The only advice I would give in using it is that to not saute it dry - it can give off a very pungent order when in contact with very hot hold and makes you cough and sneeze. :)

Zz.
 
  • #29
cyrusabdollahi said:
I changed my mind, I am going to get Unadon instead, which is eel. Eel is yummy. :smile:

unadon.jpg
The worst sushi I ever had was eel at the Hotel Okura, at their 4 star restaurant in Tokyo. Much too overpowering for me.

Eel is big in italian cooking.
 
  • #30
I had (water rabbit) one time in holland, i did not like it, then i found out what it was, eating water worms sounds just as bad. :smile: