Gordon: Previously on "masterchef"...
The tag-team challenge.
Grant, you get to pick the teams.
- Nice guy's gone. - Switch!
- Gordon: Let's go! - Let's , charles. We've got to do this.
Jennifer and charles are in trouble.
- Joe: Yeah, too much oil. - It's "disasterchef!"
- It's so terrible. - Taste-wise, flawless.
- Just master class, right there. - Yeah, this is phenomenal.
- Congratulations, md and sav. - What?
Oh, my gosh, I got the immunity pin!
- So, who made the pasta? - I made the pasta.
That looks embarrassing.
Jennifer, say good-bye to charles
And head back to your station.
- Love you, charles! - Good luck, everyone.
Tonight, it's a familiar challenge,
- But with a bit catch. - Oh-ho!
Under each mystery box is a different fish.
What the ( bleep ) am I gonna do?
Md and sav get to choose two cooks
Who must swap fish.
Your target is getting bigger
Than the masterchef logo on the doors.
If you can't handle it, you're not supposed to be here.
- This is not easy. - Damn.
- Is this your fillet? - It could be.
- I hope not. - What did you do in an hour?
I know that I'm in trouble.
His overconfidence got the best of him.
Somebody's going home,
And you've got one foot out the door.
( music playing )
All right.
Big one. Top 10 around the corner.
( speaking spanish )
This is gonna be one of the trickiest,
Slimiest challenges so far.
- Ooh! - ( overlapping chatter )
- That's a big box. - Welcome back, guys.
I don't think I can pick that up.
We've seen a lot of mystery box challenges this far,
And this box has to be the biggest mystery box that I have seen.
That is huge!
So I know what's under there
Has got to be something that is very challenging.
Gordon: Welcome back, guys.
We are almost at the top 10 stage.
- Oh, wow. - Whoo!
Congratulations are definitely in order for sav and md!
You have immunity tonight, which means you've already earned spots in the top 10.
- Whoo, whoo! - Okay, by the end of this evening,
We will have the top 10 locked in,
Which means that whoever cooks the worst dish tonight
Will miss it by this much.
- Wow. - Now, here's the good news.
Whoever cooks the best dish tonight
Will earn the coveted immunity pin
And be safe from elimination across the next challenge.
Plus, you'll get a huge advantage next time round as well.
- You want it, right? - Absolutely. Yes, chef.
As you can see, tonight you have another mystery box challenge,
And for this one we're doing something out of the ordinary.
Let me tell you a little secret.
Under each mystery box is...
- ...A different fish. - ( murmuring )
- Dang. - All right.
So you will not know what you're cooking
Until you've lifted your box.
- Right, we ready? - Yes, chef!
All of you, go fish! Let's go!
- Go, go, go! - Good luck!
Come on, come on, come on.
- Let's get it. - Oh, wayne!
- Let's go, baby. - I take this one then.
Okay, tonight's mystery box is big.
So big, it's like having "masterchef junior" back with lizzie.
( laughter )
Come on, what are you hoping for? An alaskan king salmon?
That would be amazing, but I'm not sure
That's gonna happen, so maybe some trout?
Gotcha. Trout, salmon, and a stool.
Reagan, what are you comfortable with?
Actually not comfortable with any fish
- 'cause I'm highly allergic. - Oh, no.
- Oh, really? - Yeah.
So you're up against it either way tonight, right?
- I am. - Ooh.
Wayne, what fish would you love under that box
To get you into the top 10?
Well, we're pretty land-locked in columbus, ohio,
So I'm just hoping it's something I've seen before.
- Okay. Everybody ready? - Ready.
On the count of three, lift your boxes.
- Oh, my gosh. - One, two,
- Three, lift! - Oh-ho!
- Okay. - All right.
- That's ugly.
- Ha-ha-ha. - Striped bass.
"macker-elle."
Macker-elle?
What the heck are you?
There is the big ugly mug
Of a john dory staring back at me.
I have never seen this fish before.
I have never worked with this fish before.
What the ( bleep ) am I gonna do?
- Grant: Absolutely not. - Okay.
Reagan, what is that thing on there?
- It's a sardine. - The sardine, that's a tough one.
They're just so difficult to cook.
- Of course. - Kennedy, I love that smile.
I mean, look at you. What'd you get?
- I got salmon! - That is a home run, right?
- Oh, absolutely. - James?
Got the macker-elle.
"macker-elle." love that.
- You put the hip-hop into mackerel. - You feel me?
A little-- you know what I'm saying?
It's related to the tuna family.
Mackerel, super delicious, tricky to get right, though.
- Oh. - Wayne, what'd you get?
Uh, I do not have a luxury fish.
- I've got catfish. - Yes, you do.
Says you. People in the south
- Might disagree with you. - Mm-hmm! Exactly.
Right, sav and md, are you happy with the fishes that everyone's got?
Mm-mm. Some of y'all got off way too easy.
- Oh! - Well, tonight, you've both got a big advantage
Because you each get to choose two cooks
Who must swap their fish.
- Uh-oh. - Ladies, do me a favor.
Have a good look at the fish on those boards.
Reagan: Sav, my girl from the south, please pick me.
Please, jesus! Pick me.
I don't want to go home.
This sardine and I are going home today.
Interesting, interesting.
- Branzino. - Love you, ladies.
- Oh, yeah? How much? - A whole lot.
That's a nice halibut you got there, kolby.
- Heh. Yeah. - Real nice.
Okay, md, you're gonna kick this off.
Who are we gonna select
To swap their fish and why?
I think we're heading towards top 10
And there's a saying
That if you can't stand the heat,
Get out of the kitchen.
I'm kind of in that mode at the moment.
So I'm gonna have grant
Switch his striped bass with james' mackerel.
- Wow. - 'cause mackerel is a really interesting fish.
I think it's a very flavorful fish.
Md, it's one of the most difficult fish out there tonight.
I think grant should be able to handle it.
- Gordon: Wow. Wow. - And if he can't, then he's not supposed to be here.
Grant seems so comfortable with his fish,
And james was my teammate, so I kinda want to help him out.
- Grant? - Yes, chef?
Another target on your back, man.
How do you feel?
I'm excited for the challenge.
I'm here to fight. I'm here to win.
So you can give me whatever you need.
I'm gonna throw it down on the plate.
James, come on, let's be honest.
You don't even know how to pronounce the fish,
- Let alone cook it. - Facts. You're right, I didn't.
- How does sea bass sound to you? - It sounds great.
Well, grant, please switch stations with james. Let's go.
Oh, boy. Md, nice choices.
Okay, sav, give us an insight. Where are we going?
So, there is one person in this competition
Who has been putting out top-three level dishes
Throughout the whole competition.
And it's kind of pissing me off,
And I think they got off way too easy.
Are you looking at me?
And one of my region-mates really got something
That they're not super excited about.
So, we got kennedy with the salmon
Swapping with reagan and that little sardine back there.
- Okay. - Ladies, switch.
- Thank you. - Okay.
- Oh, my goodness me. - Much better.
Even though you don't cook fish,
How excited are you now with the salmon?
This is something I'm a little more familiar with,
And something that I can at least manipulate into a great dish.
- Yep. - Kennedy.
- Yeah? - Your target is getting bigger
- Than the masterchef logo on the doors there now. - I know.
- Everybody's coming for me. - You've gone from the most desirable
To one of the most feared. I feel for you, kennedy.
Eh, it is what it is.
Gordon: Ladies, very clever on the picks.
Okay, guys, you will have one hour
To fillet and cook your fish dishes.
Right, the very best of luck. Are you all ready?
- Yes, chef. - Good.
Your 60 minutes starts now. Let's go!
- Come on, come on! - Good luck, guys!
Come on, lizzie, let's go!
- Go on, get it! - Be careful, jennifer.
- Be careful. Do not fall. - Jennifer, let's go.
Breadcrumbs. Where would breadcrumbs be?
- Cream. - Up top.
- Where the hell is the... - ( indistinct chatter )
Thank you, md, for giving me a fish
That hopefully I can do something with.
She's from the west. We're region buddies.
Ooh, romanesco.
So I'm hoping I can grill this one in.
Good, james, let's go!
Right, five minutes gone.
- 55 minutes to go. - Look at that.
So, obviously this is not a fish butchery challenge,
But what are the obstacles to getting around a whole fish
And making it something you want to use in a dish?
Let's butcher this fish.
You have to allow for at least 15 minutes there, joe.
- Yeah. - Getting the decent-sized portion,
Filleting it, and then pin-boning it,
Taking the skin off, skin on, scoring it, marinating it.
Damn, this is not easy.
Listen, if you've got a big fish,
Whether it's round or flat, it's great,
'cause you've got multiple portions.
The real targets tonight
Are those with tiny fish, like the mackerel,
For instance, that grant's got.
I would not want to be in his position right now.
- Yeah, you're right. - Or the sardines that kennedy's got.
Okay, so, sardines, you're not butchering anything.
You may even be just cleaning out the guts.
You could take out the center bone and sort of almost
Butterfly them if they're gonna go down the stuffing route,
Or traditionally they'll be kept whole.
- All right, here we go. - My question, was sav just being
Very kind and generous to reagan?
Or was she really, really trying to hurt kennedy?
Yeah, I think she's concerned about kennedy's longevity in this competition.
And she also has a lot of love for the south.
She mentioned that "she's still my region-mate,"
Even though we've gone to another element of this competition.
Oh, lookit. Kolby's doing good.
I should take the skin off first.
Okay, kolby, looking good.
- Thank you, sav. - Nice work.
I can cook it first and then take the skin off.
- ( groans ) - what's helpful wayne is 86 the head,
- You know what I'm saying? - Yeah.
Sav: I don't know.
All right, I can do this.
Right on time here.
Just get these little bones out.
We'll start with that.
So, reagan, who is terribly allergic to fish,
Has got a double-edged sword tonight,
Because she's always provided those amazing, big bold flavors,
But if she's never cooked fish before,
Then she could be in trouble tonight.
That's a big ol' fish.
- Md: I'm worried. - Yeah.
She needs bigger gloves. She needs dang dishwashing gloves.
- Oh, that's scary. - Md: Yeah.
Reagan: Oh, my god.
My worst fear is cooking fish.
Aarón: Remember, reagan, just one stunning portion, right?
Yes, chef.
I am fearful of, one, dying,
And, two, not being able to cook it appropriately
Because I can't taste it.
That's stressing me out.
- Poor thing. - Md: Yeah.
But I cannot let this fish beat me.
If I go home today,
And I am this close to being in the top 10,
I'm gonna kick my own ass.
Whew. Focus.
( sighs )
Gordon: Right. So, tricky challenge, this fish mystery box.
- Okay. - Someone's getting the amazing immunity pin.
Sadly, someone will be leaving the competition.
And most importantly,
Just around the corner is the top 10.
Joe: Now, obviously with fish in an hour,
You have the luxury of time, right?
Because after the butchering,
The fish cooking part is minimal.
And that's why I'm going to be very critical
About the garnishes.
Because you're right, joe,
There's sufficient time to really evolve the dish.
Do some cayenne here.
Gordon: 15 minutes gone, 45 minutes remaining.
Come on, guys, let's go.
We good. We good on time.
- Okay, kolby. - Yes, chef?
Halibut. Come on, what a dream.
Yes, sir, it is a dream. I'm excited I got it.
What's the dish? Where are we going?
So, I'm gonna do a harissa spiced halibut
With a tabouleh and a butternut squash and carrot purée
With brown butter and heavy cream.
I'm making it because houston
Has a very big mediterranean scene
And I kind of want to show my diversity in this competition.
Love that. How are you gonna cook the halibut?
'cause it's very unforgiving. There's no fat in there.
I'm gonna sear it really quickly and then
I'm gonna turn the heat down to low and just cook it
For about seven minutes.
We've got less of the safety net
Of the regions now,
And it's now actually down to the individuals.
- How does that make you feel? - I really like it now
'cause we're not constrained to our regions.
So if I have the best dish, it'll be up there.
Love that. Don't overcook that halibut, yeah?
- Yes, sir, I got you. - Dish sounds good.
- Very good. - Okay.
- Orange juice. Scallops. - Okay, perfect.
I have the branzino fish today,
And I am making a cauliflower purée
Along with a beautiful blood orange beurre blanc sauce.
- It's a very pretty color. - It is.
- Mmm. - There we go.
Doing good, doing good, doing good.
Paprika.
What is james doing over there?
Ooh, let's get it.
- Jaime! - Hey, what up, amigo?
You had the mackerel, and then you got this lightning bolt of love from up top.
- That's true. - Yes!
How happy were you to get the sea bass?
I'm very happy, because I don't know what to do with that other fish.
And you got a good fillet out of it? Is this your fillet?
- Yes. - He's cut that skin off, which is a good strategy.
- Yeah, I liked that you scored it as well. - Yes, I did.
Make sure all that beautiful heat can cook the fillet evenly.
What else do you got going on here?
Uh, I'm gonna do a cauliflower and parsnip purée.
I'ma sauté these mushrooms with some white wine,
And russet cherry tomatoes.
Do you know the concept of using white wine
In cuisine and cooking?
That white wine has alcohol in it, right?
- Yeah. It needed-- - and in food, you don't want to taste the alcohol.
When you see people flambé stuff, that is the alcohol burning out,
Because really all you want from the wine is the flavor and acidity.
- Gotcha. - Good luck!
- Okay. - What do I use to open a bottle of wine?
You should have a wine key in your drawer.
- There should be one in my drawer? - In your drawer.
- Okay, thank you. - Miss target.
- Hello! Miss kennedy. - Or miss kennedy.
You got excited with the salmon first.
I was excited about the salmon, but actually
I'm more excited about the sardines now.
This is something that's a little bit harder to work with,
And I want to prove to you that I know what I'm doing.
If they keep trying to take me out like this,
And I keep coming back stronger every week,
You're just making me a stronger chef. That's all you're doing.
Love that. And how are you gonna elevate it, then?
Um, I'm gonna do like a whole fried sardine
With a panzanella salad and fresh herbs,
And then a tomato, raisin, and white wine sauce.
- Good. Elevate those sardines, please. - Absolutely.
- Joe, I have a question for you. - Yes.
I've never opened a bottle of wine.
That's the most embarrassing thing I've ever said.
You need a corkscrew. This is called a corkscrew.
Oh, she's so cute, opening the thing.
- Does she not know how to open-- - you got it, lizzie!
This is her first time opening a bottle of wine.
You go like this in your hand,
You put the thing in like you're putting in a needle,
Twist, twist, twist, and pull.
Go ahead, you do it. Hold this part down. Lift.
Lift. There you go. Lift. Keep on going.
- Joe: Yay! - Thank you!
Hey, md, I can't wait to be up there next time.
( md laughs )
All right.
( beeping )
( whispering ) yeah, that's really...
- Grant. - Chef ramsay, how are ya?
Man, you're getting dealt some dysfunctional cards.
I am, but I'm gonna make it work today.
Where are we going with this mackerel? This is a tough one.
Exactly, so I want to make sure this dish is all about mackerel.
So I'm making a stock right here out of mackerel carcass,
Smoking a couple of the fillets now.
I'm gonna broil those, turn them into a mousse.
- So it's like a smoked mackerel pâté. - Yes.
Right, but that's not the dish is it? That's the side.
No, the dish is gonna be the fillets
Over some sautéed kohlrabi greens.
- But this sounds like two dishes in one. - It could be.
Make sure you don't get confused with trying to stick
- An appetizer into an entree. - Sure.
And whilst being in the competition at the halfway point,
What are you missing the most from home?
You know, I miss my wife and my son so much.
I look at this every day. This is from my mother.
It says, "believe in you like I do." she believes in me so much,
And I gotta put my heart on the plate today.
I love that. Focus, get yourself in the top 10,
- Be careful on that mackerel. - Absolutely.
- Good luck. - Thank you, chef.
( muttering ) a little bit more.
- Hello, brynn. - Hello, how are you?
Joe: So, brynn, you got the famous john dory.
I have never seen this. I have never cooked this.
This is something that is usually cooked whole in michelin star restaurants
And then actually deboned and served tableside.
- Okay. - And, of course, you can remove the fillets,
- Which you've done really well. - Okay, good.
What else is it gonna entail?
So, I'm doing lemon and fresh herb.
I'm making a garlic shallot cream.
I'm doing some grilled scallion and pan patty squash,
And I'm making a little couscous salad.
This dish is inspired by my husband.
We fell in love fishing. I think he'd be really, really proud of this dish.
So you're gonna sear the fish.
- I'm gonna try. - Put salt on it, season it,
- Give it a nice sear, get it brown, and then try it. - Yes.
I would do, like, 30 to 40 seconds on each side.
- Thank you. I appreciate that. - And then you can also
- Finish in the oven as well. - I was thinking that as well.
- Thank you, gentlemen. - Coming in hot.
( sighs ) spinach.
- Guys, we're coming down to halfway. - Okay.
So, kennedy got sardines.
She's gonna bread them, stuff them, and fry them over a panzanella salad.
If she can actually pull that off, it might be the dish of the night.
- Dang, that looks good. - I wanna eat it. I love fried fish,
And, like, fried sardines? Fried sardines?
Joe: So, james has the striped bass,
And he's gonna do a fillet
With a purée of parsnip, some cauliflower,
And sautéed mushrooms.
James: That looking good.
Is he relieved he didn't get the mackerel?
James is thrilled because striped bass
Is a pretty common fish, easy to cook.
Let's see if he can pull off some sides and condiments
That really exalt it.
Mm. That's perfect.
Gordon: So, grant, as you know, got james's mackerel.
- Come on. - It sounds like there's two dishes going on.
First of all, he's making, like, a mackerel pâté.
- Pâté? - Yeah.
- Now that is ambitious. - Like a mousse.
And he's taking the bones and the carcass
- And he's making a broth. - Nah.
- Traditionally, we don't use the bones for broth. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- It's oily. - I think he's making a stock? I don't know about that.
Grant: After talking to gordon, I'm a little worried
With what I have going, but I'm a little too far into it
To kinda change paths at this point,
So my hope is that I can maybe prove gordon wrong,
That it didn't sound like a cohesive dish at first,
But I know how to make things work in the end.
So I'm a little worried right now,
But I just have to keep trudging forward
And really hope it works out at this point.
- Interesting. - It's weird.
Oh, my gosh. Come on.
- ( beeping ) - gordon: Guys, 20 minutes to go.
That fish doesn't need to be cooked till the last minute.
- Don't overcook your fish. - Yes, chef.
- Let's go, guys. - I'm curious about lizzie's direction.
- All right, lizzie. - Hello.
We're expecting big things from you.
As a woman from alaska, how often do you get fish
And you have to prepare it?
My freezer is completely stocked with salmon and halibut,
So we probably have it almost every other night.
Cool. So you're familiar with fish, cooking it.
I'm very familiar with cooking with fish,
But maybe not this kind.
Joe: You would never find a red snapper in alaska.
- No. - So what's your idea for this fish?
I am doing a pan-seared red snapper
With a orange saffron sauce and charred bok choy.
Ooh, be careful with saffron, right?
- Yes. - If you use too much of it,
It could taste very soapy, like detergent.
- Okay. - Good luck.
- I'm worried about that. - Yeah.
There we go.
Mmm, that's good.
Okay.
Right, wayne, tell me about the fish, catfish.
I'm doing a blackened catfish over a cajun potato mash,
And I'm making a fresh remoulade,
And I've got some pickled veggies to sprinkle around.
Good. You don't look like a big catfish lover.
- No. - It's not your neck of the woods,
And you're sort of landlocked, right?
This goes back to my college days at lsu,
And when I fell in love with food,
- Catfish was on the menu there. - Love that.
If you didn't make it into the top 10, how would that make you feel?
I would be absolutely crushed, chef.
Getting the apron was my first goal, top 10's my second,
Winning's my third, so we're almost halfway there.
And how's wayne changed? Because I'm not saying
You were cocky at the beginning, but you were definitely assured.
But now you seem more of a wanna-be pupil as opposed to a wanna-be chef.
Masterchef kitchen is a very humbling place, chef,
So hopefully I'm here long enough to learn as much as I can.
- Yeah, good luck, wayne. - Thank you.
Dang, that smells awesome.
That's what we were I looking for.
- ( beeping ) - 13 minutes.
Get that flavor going.
- Ooh, that looks good. - Thank you, baby.
- How'd you get through that salmon, all right? - I'm still working.
Joe: So you seasoned the salmon. You got beautiful fillets there.
You're gonna pan sear, and then the devil's work is done.
Then you can go to your strengths, which are happening here, right?
- What do you got here? - Yes. So, I'm making a classic fish and grits
With polenta and a spicy tomato sauce.
Being severely allergic to fish, how hard is this challenge for you?
This is a very hard challenge for me because I like to taste everything.
If you start to see any milky substance come out,
That's called albumin, and that means it's been overcooked.
- Okay. - You're on the right track.
I would get some nice oil in the pan,
Start it skin side down,
Get it nice and crispy. There you go.
- Okay. Thank you, chef. - Good luck.
God, that's so hard, she can't taste it.
10 minutes remaining. 50 gone, 10 minutes remaining.
Now it's time to cook fish. Now it's time to cook fish.
- Oh. - Ooh, I hate waiting
Till the last minute on protein.
It's so stressful.
- Whew. - Okay.
Sav: That skin coming off, kolby?
A few of them are.
I got another one going just in case.
- It looks good. - All right, kolby.
- What is that? - A tabouleh.
You sure you want to put that in there hot?
It's gonna discolor your parsley.
Fluff this up a little bit with a fork
- And then-- pilaf it. - Or just cool it.
- Cool it off a little bit. - Yeah, pilaf it with a little fork,
And just get a little bit aeration into there.
- Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. - And then right before you go,
Season it, a little bit of oil, little bit of lemon,
- And you're good to go. - Yes, sir.
Finish up, finish up. Let's go.
Guys, five minutes to go. Last five, let's go.
- That's ready. That's ready. - Take your time, reagan.
It's gonna be all right. Come on.
- Gordon: Sav? - Yes, chef?
Are your targets on point?
I definitely feel like I missed the bull's-eye
- With kennedy back there. - Do you think so? Why?
I mean, that dish looks good.
So you're saying kennedy is bulletproof?
- I hope not. - ( md laughs )
Who's looking like they're up against it?
We were looking at lizzie's dish
And just kinda wondering about cohesion,
With the celery and the bok choy and the couscous and the orange.
- A lot. - But maybe-- I think in the box too much sometimes,
So maybe she's just breaking out of the mold.
Gordon: We're coming down to the last two minutes, guys.
Two minutes to go. Start plating.
The jeopardy on plating fish always rises higher, right?
Because the fish is not a big show in itself,
So the saucing, the spoonwork on the plate,
The distribution of everything is fundamental.
Aarón: Yeah, and also checking the acid levels at the end,
Whether you spritz with a little bit of fresh lemon and herb.
- Come on. - Gordon: Speed up, wayne.
Taste everything, lizzie, let's go.
Joe: He's putting a whole tomato plant in the dish.
60 seconds to go, guys. Last minute, come on.
- Aarón: Come on, reagan! - Fish comes out the pan
In the last seconds, guys, come on.
- Good, brynn. - Aarón: Let's go, jennifer.
Gordon: Come on, kennedy. Please, kolby.
- Finish off, let's go. - Here we go.
- Finishing touches, everyone. - This is so stressful.
- Judges: Ten, nine, eight... - Come on, baby.
- Seven, six, five... - There we go.
- ( sighs ) - four, three, two...
- There we go. - ...One. And stop.
- Well done. Hands in the air. - Good job.
- That was stressful. - My hardest thing was trying to figure out
Which piece of fish I wanted to use.
- These are beautiful plates. - Yeah.
( sighs ) I'm just a little embarrassed.
I should have used some ingredients
That I was more familiar with.
I don't normally work with couscous.
I've never worked with red snapper.
I don't have access to saffron normally.
I don't drink wine.
I don't have the right elements coming together,
And I am panicked in my soul right now.
Gordon: Right, all of you, well done.
Now, in order to pick
Our top three dishes of the night,
We need to take a much closer look
At everyone's fish dishes.
Shall we, gents?
- Kennedy. - Hello.
Are you glad you kept the sardines whole?
I think it shows a little bit diversity from everyone else.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Reagan. So, you went the route of the blackened salmon, huh?
Yes. I didn't taste the fish. I've been only told what it's supposed to look like.
- And so... - So this is the first plate of fish that you've cooked
- Sitting in front of you, in your entire life? - That I've cooked.
- Like, yeah. Yep. - That's intense.
Kolby: All my other competitors' dishes look amazing.
It's really hard to tell who's gonna be in the top
And who's gonna be in the bottom.
- This is your first time cooking branzino? - It is.
The judges are having to nitpick at this point,
Because everybody's dishes are coming out so well.
Wayne, the idea of blackening,
You went with oil as opposed to clarified butter,
- Which is the traditional route. - Yes.
So one misstep can really send you home.
All right, lizzie, you had the red snapper.
Where did the wine wind up?
I put the wine in my orange saffron sauce.
- Did you cook out the alcohol of the wine? - No, sir.
- So, james, you were given the striped bass? - Uh, yes.
Did you taste one of these after the pickling?
- I didn't have time to taste-- - so you didn't taste it.
And did you put it on the plate without tasting it?
Uh, yes.
- Grant, uh, mackerel. - Correct.
- What is this supposed to be? - So, that's a broth I made
Out both of the mackerel, mirepoix, and spices.
- Kolby, halibut. - Yes, chef.
You feel you did justice to it?
Yes, sir. I made four fillets
So I could choose the exact right one to give to you guys.
We'll see.
First of all, I want to say well done to all of you
Because all the dishes look really good.
Give yourselves a round of applause. Come on.
Whoo!
Sav, md, it's time to trade in those immunity pins.
Make your way down and hand those pins over.
Excellent. How was that?
Thank you, chef. It was great while it lasted.
Well, there you go. Well done. Congrats.
- Top ten. - Great view.
- Sav: Thank y'all. - Now, there are three
Home cooks tonight that joe, aarón, and myself
Really felt that they highlighted the fish and made that the star.
The first dish comes from a cook
Who's previously made it to the top by cooking seafood.
Please step forward...
- Wayne. - ( applause )
This is my moment. Winning today's challenge
With a catfish would really send a statement
That I really know what I'm doing in the kitchen and I'm here to win.
Describe the dish, please.
I've prepared for you today
A blackened catfish
Over a spicy potato hash,
A fresh remoulade sauce, and I pickled up
Some beautiful little green tomatoes.
The blackening and the cook on the catfish seems to be spot on.
It looks like a very appetizing dish.
- I think, very authentic. - Shall we?
Look, there's a lot going on on that plate,
A lot of textural differences.
The pickling part is very smart,
The potatoes are properly cooked and seasoned,
The fish is cooked to perfection.
It's a good dish.
I think all of the decisions you made
As far as the garnishes were smart.
It's acidic, it's spicy, it's balanced.
- This is really beautiful. - Thank you.
You've actually nailed that catfish.
It's a tough one to get right, let me tell you.
And tonight you have taken that to the next level.
- Really good job. - Thank you.
- Good job, wayne. - Good job, wayne.
All right, so, the second dish that we felt collectively made a splash tonight
Features some of the most refined plating of the evening.
So please come forward...
Kolby.
Kolby: This now makes three top dishes in a row,
Which is amazing, and I think everybody's
Starting to now see me as a threat.
Never gets old.
It's just proven my place in this competition.
Please give us an insight on what fish you were given
And the preparation behind it.
I made harissa spiced halibut
With a little bit of a butternut squash and carrot purée
- And a tabouleh. - I just love the fact
That you're stepping away from the obvious, those gulf flavors.
You said, "you know what? I'm gonna go mediterranean."
And that is confidence.
I think it's been one of your best-plated dishes
So far in this competition, 'cause it's elegant.
- Thank you, chef. - Shall we?
The tabouleh with the purée together are magic alone.
- Thank you. - And then the well-seasoned and properly-cooked fish
Just kind of add the richness that the dish needs.
This is a high level, perfectly conceptualized and executed dish.
- Thank you, joe. - Kolby, this is a very intelligent dish.
And I really appreciate the fact that you did not scorch the seasoning.
It's there, it's present, and I love the choice of the purée.
Halibut's a tough fish to get right.
- It's unforgiving. There's no fat. - Yes.
And it's incredibly difficult to nail.
This is good. I think it's one of your best dishes so far.
- Thank you, chef. - Great job. Thank you.
- Thank y'all very much. - Whoo! Go, kolby!
- Good job. - Thank you. You, too.
Okay, the final dish
That really set the bar up high tonight
Was made with one of the smallest fish.
Please come forward, kennedy.
- Whoo! All right. - Whoo!
I definitely got the fish that nobody wanted in the competition,
But in my eyes, I think it's kind of an advantage
For me to show the judges that I am the kind of chef
That adapts to situations and I think quickly on my feet.
Okay, kennedy, so you got traded a fish.
You started with the innocuous salmon
And wound up with the salacious sardines.
Tell us what you did with them.
So, I made whole fried sardines
Over a fresh herb panzanella
And a white wine raisin tomato sauce.
Kennedy, you know, sardines, living in France for three years
And seeing how difficult they are to nail,
I just love what you've done.
This dish just screams unfazed,
So the mistake here, I think, was sav.
Because no matter what they throw at you, you're gonna come back.
- Thank you. - Can't wait to dig in.
Joe: Perfect.
This is the kind of food I like to eat.
Crispy, rich, acidic.
Everything is right about this dish.
- Quite delicious. - Thank you.
You took, in essence, one of the most challenging fish to cook,
At the same time, the most simple,
And did something that's uniquely kennedy
- That equaled flavor. - Thank you, chef.
Sardines cooked beautifully. They're moist, they're crisp.
Panzanella salad, classic, beautifully done.
I think the hardest thing here is you've got big competition
Behind you for the top three dishes tonight.
- But it's just delicious. - Thank you, chef.
- I really appreciate it. - Great job, well done.
Thank you!
Both: Welcome to the top 10.
That's really hard. Three phenomenal dishes.
- Oh, I know my favorite. - I think I do, too.
Gordon: So, wayne, for the catfish.
I gotta tell you, as somebody that knows
That food really well, I'm so impressed by him.
I think that's the best plate that kolby's put forward with that halibut.
- Yes. - It was very minimalistic.
- There was only three things on there. - Yeah.
And then the sardines. I mean, beautiful.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- Got it? We agreed? - We good? Absolutely.
Wayne, kolby, kennedy,
Three outstanding dishes.
And after much discussion, we're all agreed
That the best dish of the night was cooked by...
The best dish of the night was cooked by...
- Congratulations, wayne. - Wow. Okay.
I just freaking won immunity? I mean, this is incredible.
I have been wanting to win this pin for weeks and weeks now,
And, you know, the rest of the competitors better take note,
Because technically this pin puts me into the top nine.
I've got a one in three chance of being in the finale.
- Good job. Well done. - Thank you.
- Amazing. Head up - yep, thanks.
Wayne: Thank you.
Sadly, there were three dishes
That we felt were not quite the masterchef standard,
And we will be sending one of them home tonight.
The first dish we must take a much closer look at
Is someone that started off with a big bold idea, but missed the mark.
Please step forward, grant.
This is the first time that I've been in the bottom three
Throughout the entire competition,
So this is new ground for me.
This is a fish that I didn't want,
That I didn't have originally. Md gave it to me.
I tried to do as much as I could with the fish,
But in hindsight maybe I did a little too much.
Gordon: Describe the dish, please.
I made a pan-seared mackerel over sautéed kohlrabi greens
In a mackerel broth,
And smoked mackerel mousse inside a potato soufflé.
It looks like you didn't consider the fish you were using.
This is how you would do a branzino or a red snapper,
That kind of a fillet presentation.
But that is not how you would use a mackerel.
So, what's in the broth, please?
In the broth, I started with a mirepoix,
Added garlic, the bones, and the carcass of the mackerel.
You are a way, way better cook than this dish.
Making a fish stock out of mackerel is unheard of.
- It's bad. - I appreciate the flavor of the actual mousse,
And also I like the fact that you charred the greens,
But other than that, it's really sort of difficult to understand that broth.
- It's just a misfire. - Yes, chef.
I think the sear and the torching of the mackerel is spot-on.
It's cooked, it's glistening.
But broth is a sort of mismatch.
There's two dishes coming into one here that don't quite hit the mark.
Boy, oh, boy, did md do one on you tonight, let me tell you.
Because first time in the bottom,
And, sadly, you've got one foot out the door.
Thank you.
Okay, the second dish that we thought missed the mark tonight,
Please come forward...
Lizzie.
I'm not surprised at all that my name was called.
I definitely took on too much tonight.
I should have stuck to some ingredients that I was more familiar with
And I'm really disappointed in myself.
I made a pan-seared red snapper with an orange saffron sauce
Couscous, charred bok choy, and some orange supremes.
Visually, there's a good color on the fish, but it just looks unfinished.
At this stage, you can't just give me steamed couscous,
And I think this presentation is starting to show
That the competition is running away from you.
Joe: What did you do in an hour? This is a 20-minute dish.
There's really nothing to it.
- Shall we? - Yep.
The red snapper's perfectly cooked.
The couscous tastes like a mimosa.
Like, literally, it tastes like wine and orange juice together.
And raw wine, at that,
So big technical defect with the dish.
There's just nothing going on here.
It just tastes of pure orange juice.
It's almost like you just splashed it on the plate.
I mean, there's no creativity, no imagination here.
- Yes, chef. - You can't just go and stick a fruit salad
On the side of the plate with orange segments and expect to get away with it
At this stage in the competition.
So stop playing it safe,
Because tonight somebody's going home,
And you may have just untied your apron.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
The final dish that we need to examine further
Was made by a cook that appeared on the top early on in this competition,
But tonight they fell short.
Please come down...
All right, the final dish that we need to examine further
Was made by a cook that appeared in the top early on in this competition,
But tonight they fell short.
Please come down...
James.
James: Md gave the "macker-elle" to grant
And gave me the striped sea bass,
So I got one of the best fishes of the night.
Hopefully the judges see that I did it justice.
I made a pan-seared crispy skin striped bass
With pickled romanesco, cauliflower and parsnip purée,
Sautéed mushrooms, and roasted cherry tomatoes.
You got handed a pass into the top 10 tonight,
'cause it's one of the most sought-after fishes anywhere in the country.
But it doesn't look like a dish that's thought out properly.
It's just a bunch of different ingredients splashed on a plate.
Okay, here's what's wrong with this dish.
A little bit of everything.
The romanesco is about an hour to 90 minutes away
From being pickled properly.
The tomatoes are about a half hour to 45 minutes away
From being roasted properly.
The fish is cooked twice as long as it should have been,
Therefore overcooked.
So I don't even really know what to say.
You've actually seasoned the fish nicely.
But, sadly, overcooked.
And you just don't serve roasted tomatoes with a parsnip purée.
Tomatoes and parsnips will never work.
They won't go together, period.
Sadly for you, the best bite here is the mushrooms,
Which you know inside and out, in that purée.
But that has nothing to do with fish.
- Thank you. - Thanks, chef.
( whispering )
- This is so hard. - Aarón: Yeah.
First of all, that's the--
That's the worst dish grant's cooked so far.
Grant just got too clever. He fell flat on his face.
- Lizzie's was just too plain, right? - Too plain.
You give someone an hour to cook fish, they have to cook something.
And embellish with the pantry. Lift it up.
- Gordon: James? - Joe: So far off the mark.
It's just ingredients on a plate that are all miscooked.
It really demonstrated james' lack of knowledge
- Of cooking fish and what to pair with it. - Yeah.
Grant, lizzie, james, sadly, your three dishes were somewhat underwhelming,
Especially heading towards the top 10.
After much discussion,
Joe, aarón, and myself all agree,
The home cook that will be leaving "masterchef" tonight is...
James.
Grant, lizzie, please say good-bye to james
- And head back to your station. - It's all good.
( whispering )
Thanks, brother.
James, honestly, watching you come out of your shell
Is inspiring. Food needs attitude.
- You've got that in abundance. - I appreciate it.
And just watching you evolve, I think,
Has been the most important thing for us three.
Thank you. I loved being here,
And, um, definitely-- definitely changed
- And believe in myself more. - You did yourself proud
And the west proud. Come and say good-bye, bud.
James: I'm not ready to leave the competition.
I was just right there, to making the top 10.
It hurts, but I do have a lot to be proud of.
Oh, james.
When I first came into the masterchef kitchen,
I was under the radar.
But now that I'm leaving this competition,
I'm outgoing, and have a boost of confidence.
- Love you, james. - I'ma continue cooking
And, you know, making mushroom jerky.
- Lizzie, md, and kennedy... - You gotta win.
...Work hard and bring it home to the west side.
Bye, james!
Gordon: Next time, the top 10 welcome a masterchef champion...
- Kelsey murphy! - ...Whose nfl stadium food
Fuels fans of the indianapolis colts.
Your challenge is to elevate stadium food.
Wayne, you'll get a chance to give one of them
A time-out for five whole minutes.
- Gloves are off, right? - With a quarter of a million bucks at stake?
- Yes, sir. - Let's see if you got your dad's instincts.
- Look. - Oh, my god.
- Flag goes to ( bleep ). - Time-out!
- Oh, ( bleep ). - Moment of truth.
- Oh, this is such a mess. - It is chaos down there.
- She's going home. - ( bleep )
Didn't see that one coming.
- Let the games begin. - ( bleep )