(helicopter humming)
GORDON (over radio): Captain.
Where are we going to put this bird down?
PILOT: Well, actually...
...we don't have any permit to land in there.
GORDON (over radio): No permit to land?
PILOT: You will have to jump.
GORDON (over radio): Jump? Jumping down, seriously?
PILOT: There's no other way around it.
GORDON (over radio): Okay, will you shout when it's safe to jump?
PILOT: I'll tell you when.
GORDON (over radio): Oh my God!
PILOT: So here we go.
GORDON (over radio): Here?
PILOT: Be ready.
GORDON (over radio): Holy shit.
♪ ♪
I'm here in Puerto Rico.
A beautiful island of paradise.
That honestly I don't think it gets the credit it really deserves.
But, I suspect both the land and the cuisine here has more
to offer than people realize and
honestly I can't wait to explore it.
I'm heading to meet a legendary local Chef,
José Enrique.
This guy was born and raised in Puerto Rico and
boy he is a force to be reckoned with.
This is it. Let's go.
GORDON: José. JOSÉ: Yes Chef.
GORDON: Good to see you my man.
JOSÉ: How you doing? GORDON: Oh my Lord.
GORDON (off-screen): José Enrique is a culinary renegade.
Focusing on fresh Puerto Rican produce.
After opening his first restaurant in 2007
he shot to the top.
His restaurant Condado was listed in the top 30 best restaurants
of the world by Food and Wine.
GORDON: No, you said, "Meet me for lunch."
JOSÉ: That's why we're here. GORDON: We're on a tarmac.
JOSÉ: We're getting on this puppy right now.
GORDON: Oh my God. JOSÉ: We're off to Culebra.
GORDON: Serious? JOSÉ: Yeah.
You're gonna enjoy it.
GORDON: Let's go bud.
GORDON (off-screen): Good news, we're not dining on tarmac.
Bad news we're boarding a plane the size of a bread roll.
GORDON: Turn the air conditioning on, man.
JOSÉ: I think it's his second time flying to Culebra.
GORDON (off-screen): José is taking me to the small island of Culebra,
just off the east coast of Puerto Rico.
We're headed to Flamingo Beach,
ranked one of the top ten in the world.
And while the scenery is lovely,
the flight is not.
GORDON: This better be a bloody good lunch.
GORDON: It's hard, cramped in those tiny planes.
I'm not a big fan of them.
But, the last thing I was going to do is mention that to José.
GORDON: Where the **** is the landing strip?
JOSÉ: It's kinda right over there.
GORDON: Right now we're headed for the ******* hills.
JOSÉ: I know, you'll see.
It's gonna be great.
GORDON: The landing strip is there, we're going there.
GORDON: Fiesta.
Oh (bleep) hell.
GORDON (off-screen): In order to angle into the landing strip you
basically need to squeeze the plane between two mountains.
GORDON: You said lunch.
Not shit my pants.
JOSÉ: Welcome to Culebra.
GORDON: Man!
GORDON (off-screen): I'm just glad to be back on terraferma
after being terrified.
JOSÉ: Go right this way.
GORDON (off-screen): But it's all worth it once we arrive,
because in this place life's a beach.
JOSÉ: Well?
GORDON: This, this is beautiful.
I mean really beautiful.
JOSÉ: Right? GORDON: Oh my goodness me.
This is paradise.
JOSÉ: This is paradise.
GORDON: Uh, where's the restaurant?
JOSÉ: Well, that's kind of a bit of a change in plan there, Chef.
We're gonna cook it ourselves.
We got some beautiful mutton snapper.
We're just gonna do a little ceviche.
GORDON: We're not going to lunch, we're making lunch.
JOSÉ: You're actually gonna fillet the fish.
GORDON: José.
(laughing)
GORDON (off-screen): So, it turns out José's plan isn't to
treat me to lunch, it's to have me make him lunch.
And he's got all the ingredients there waiting for me.
GORDON: This is it?
GORDON: This is our lunch?
JOSÉ: This is it.
GORDON: And look at that.
But, not just any ingredients pristine.
I mean in ingredients that are grown locally and snapper,
literally fished 100 meters.
It doesn't get any better than that.
JOSÉ: Just fillet that out for me.
GORDON: Gotcha!
JOSÉ: We're going, taste this Chef. Look.
GORDON: So what is that? JOSÉ: What is that?
JOSÉ: That's a chironja.
GORDON: Thank you. JOSÉ: That's a mix of a grapefruit and an orange.
GORDON: Mmm. JOSÉ: You know?
GORDON: That's beautiful.
JOSÉ: Yeah? GORDON: Oh my God!
JOSÉ: So in the tropics there's just tons of variety.
But being a colony for this long, you know, you,
you kind of have to deal with basically importing things
because that's basically what ends up
happening in this type of culture.
Mainly importing what 80% of what we do.
GORDON: Crazy.
JOSÉ: And now, thankfully, we just see that turning around.
GORDON: How important is that sustainability for you?
JOSÉ: You know what, for me, as a cook it means everything.
When you stop the importing you're creating jobs.
You're creating passion for the land.
You're creating something, you're actually educating.
It's the only way you're ever gonna feed yourself, you know?
Without that what do you do?
You know when things happen
like Hurricane Maria for instance.
Some people were out of power for six months, seven months.
Restaurants had to close and things got tough.
People were hungry and you're just trying to get whatever you can.
Thankfully, after Maria, we've seen this resurgence.
Farming came back with a vengeance and
you're starting to see a lot more produce come in.
GORDON: Right. Yeah. Amazing.
GORDON (off-screen): José said that Hurricane Maria
demolished the island.
But it ignited a fire in the resilient Puerto Ricans
to take back control.
GORDON: Those colors are beautiful.
GORDON (off-screen): And start using what the land and
sea provide to make the island more self-reliant.
GORDON: Cheers bud.
JOSÉ: Salut. GORDON: Salut.
That's delicious. That is delicious.
JOSÉ: Thank you.
So Chef, this whole week you're going to be meeting
with a lot of friends who are actually at the forefront of this.
Bringing back the produce.
Bringing back growing things here in Puerto Rico.
I want you to just indulge in everything they say and taste everything.
GORDON: Yeah. Yeah.
JOSÉ: At the end of the week we're going to be
doing a little cook-off.
GORDON: Are you competitive? JOSÉ: I am.
I'm really ready for this.
GORDON: Let's not kid ourselves José comes across
like this super chilled, laid back surfer, but trust me,
underneath that wave, uh, there's a feisty, tenacious,
determined, incredible Chef there.
So, I have to raise my game.
JOSÉ: So practice over.
You're going to start right now.
GORDON: Right now? JOSÉ: Yeah.
Here's my friend Tony.
You're gonna go off and get some fish.
GORDON: Him over there? JOSÉ: Yes sir.
GORDON: I'll see you at the end of the week.
JOSÉ: Yes Chef. GORDON: Don't be late.
JOSÉ: Have fun.
GORDON: Oh my Lord. Tony!
Beautiful.
TONY: Yeah.
GORDON (off-screen): While it would be easy to spend
the rest of the day relaxing on this beautiful beach,
there's work to be done underwater.
That snapper I just tasted is exactly what I need for my big cook.
And legendary local spear fisherman, Tony,
is the man who's gonna get me within striking range.
GORDON: Okay, Captain I'm gonna follow you. Which way?
TONY: We can dive right here...
...on the ledge of this reef...
...if the current let us do that.
GORDON: Gotcha. Over to you sir.
GORDON (off-screen): I'm a strong swimmer.
But as I'm diving down I'm literally being swept sideways.
TONY: We have a problem with the current.
It's pretty strong, so...
GORDON: Very strong.
GORDON (off-screen): Tony explains that the fish that
normally swim above the reef are taking shelter from
the relentless current.
He dives deep down to check out some small caves,
where the fish find protection.
I'm not joining him because we're free diving,
with no supplemental oxygen.
If I get trapped in one of those caves,
it would be game over.
♪ ♪
TONY: Gordon, I got you a king crab.
GORDON: That's nice. That's good. I'll take it.
A crab. Nice one.
GORDON (off-screen): King crab is a great catch.
But I still have my heart set on that amazing snapper.
TONY: He's here. He's here somewhere. We're gonna find him.
Let's see what happens.
GORDON: Okay. Good luck.
So then we came up with a plan.
Tony goes down into the cave, flushes them out.
And it's like a team work.
I'm sat on top of it and I dive and take them out.
TONY: Gordon, come here!
There's a big snapper here, over this.
GORDON: Okay. Bingo.
♪ ♪
Uh, I started seeing these fish scupper underneath that cave.
Um, I took my shot...
(pop)
Only got it.
Woo! Yes.
Thank God for that.
Yes!
TONY: Woo! GORDON: Nice one.
TONY: Woo! Finally. GORDON: Huh?
That was a big one down there as well.
Good job bud.
I got one, he got two.
GORDON (off-screen): Team work made the dream work.
And now snapper is officially on my menu for the big cook.
I have no intention of getting back on that tiny plane.
Thankfully José has arranged for some
different transportation off the island.
GORDON (over radio): Now that I've seen what this incredible ocean has
to offer, José's gonna send me into the void.
Deep into that amazing jungle,
for one of my favorite ingredients.
Coffee.
GORDON (off-screen): I'm headed to Utuado,
in the center mountainous area of mainland Puerto Rico.
GORDON: With no door on...
...we're definitely not short of air conditioning...
...that's for sure.
GORDON (off-screen): After that crazy plane ride to Culebra
I was grateful to be in this helicopter.
Until I learned about our exit strategy.
GORDON (over radio): Where are we gonna put this bird down.
PILOT: Well, actually...
...we don't have any permit to land in there.
GORDON (over radio): No permit to land?
PILOT: No, not at all.
You will have to jump.
GORDON (over radio): Jump?
PILOT: There's no other way around it.
GORDON (over radio): Jumping down, seriously?
All I want is a cup of coffee.
PILOT: Yeah, seriously my friend.
GORDON (over radio): Okay will you shout when it's safe to jump?
PILOT: I'll tell you when.
GORDON (over radio): Oh my God.
PILOT: So here we go.
GORDON (over radio): Here?
PILOT: Be ready.
GORDON (over radio): Holy shit.
(helicopter humming)
GORDON (over radio): Oh my God.
GORDON (off-screen): I'm on my way to a coffee farm in
the middle of the mountains of Puerto Rico.
But the pilot does not have clearance to land.
So he's asked me to make a hot exit,
which is a technical term for jump out of a moving helicopter,
and hope you don't break any bones.
PILOT: Be ready.
GORDON (over radio): I'm ready, Captain.
GORDON (off-screen): We're not as high as I feared but I need
to make sure I jump down safely.
And not up into a face full of deadly rotors.
GORDON (over radio): We good?
PILOT: You're good to go!
PILOT: Go!
GORDON (off-screen): I've just jumped out of a helicopter.
And now I'm walking through Jurassic Park
to find this coffee farmer.
But I still can't say it's tougher than queuing at Starbucks.
GORDON: Hello. Well sir. Good morning.
DRACO: Hey. GORDON: Absolute pleasure.
Oh my Lord.
DRACO: How are you? GORDON: What an amazing place.
You good?
DRACO: Yeah great.
GORDON: Now José said you've got the best coffee.
DRACO: I believe we have great coffee. It's organic.
GORDON: The terrain is incredible cause you've got
this sort of climate in here where it's damp, humid and...
DRACO: It's actually awesome here.
And especially this cluster here, uh,
just behind the recording studio, there's...
GORDON: Recording studio? DRACO: Yes.
GORDON: Stop it. They said meet Draco but...
DRACO: I, I do music. I do music.
GORDON: Shit honestly?
It is you.
DRACO: Yeah.
GORDON: Man why didn't you say at the beginning?
DRACO: Well it's, we're here for the coffee.
GORDON: But the heart throb of the 90's,
the most popular boy band in the history of...
DRACO: Latin music. GORDON: Latin music.
DRACO: Menudo.
GORDON (off-screen): It turns out my Puerto Rican coffee farmer
is none other than Draco Rosa.
One of the original members of Menudo.
Who then went on to co-write and produce some of
Ricky Martin's biggest hits.
Like, Livin' La Vida Loca.
GORDON: And now you're producing coffee.
DRACO: Yeah we're producing coffee.
GORDON: Jesus Christ, what a surprise.
Honestly, I'm happy to be here.
DRACO: This way. Here, grab a basket.
GORDON: Man.
DRACO: We're gonna go pick...
Well, actually you're gonna go and pick this.
GORDON: Down there?
DRACO: Yeah I'm gonna you know keep an eye on you from up here.
Alright but, make sure they're red, a nice burgundy.
Something like this would be nice.
GORDON: May I? Just as an example, thank you.
DRACO: Yeah that's a good example.
GORDON: And what...
Obviously burgundy because of the sweetness or?
DRACO: Yeah because then they're ripe, they're ready.
GORDON: Alright. Down there. See you soon.
DRACO: Good luck. I'm here.
GORDON: I, I came to see you for a cup of coffee.
Not pick the fricking things.
(laughs)
Straight down.
Oh. Shit. The red ones yes?
DRACO: Yes.
GORDON: The darker the berry...
DRACO: The better. GORDON: The sweeter the juice.
DRACO: Mmm-hmm. Beautiful huh?
GORDON: Oh my God.
And how long does this process take?
DRACO: For it to be a full, mature tree,
we're looking at seven years.
But we could start picking around three, four years.
GORDON: Man these little ants everywhere.
What are they? Fire ants?
DRACO: Oh yeah, you have to watch out.
GORDON: Shit.
DRACO: I'm sorry I didn't tell you that.
GORDON: Man they're everywhere.
Bloody hell.
You mentioned recording studio.
And it sort of got me thinking.
Are you still writing?
DRACO: Absolutely. GORDON: Good for you mate.
DRACO: I continue to write music.
I don't produce, uh, many records anymore.
GORDON: No?
DRACO: Been spending more time here and
it's been good for me.
You know serenity. It's priceless.
La Vida Loca.
GORDON: Living. DRACO: Livin' La Vida Loca.
GORDON: Exactly that, right. DRACO: On a farm.
GORDON: What a surprise.
Honestly. Holy (bleep).
DRACO: Okay I think you got enough, Gordon.
GORDON: You sure?
DRACO: Yeah you know first time run,
think you rocked it.
You did really well.
GORDON (off-screen): I've certainly been bitten by
the coffee bug, as well as 3,000 fire ants.
And now it's time to begin production.
The first step is separating the beans from the skin.
GORDON: Right.
DRACO: So you wanna be careful with the family jewels.
GORDON: Right.
DRACO: Yeah you know what I mean.
GORDON: Gotcha.
DRACO: Yeah you just gotta be careful.
GORDON: Yeah don't hook up.
DRACO: Yeah you don't wanna deal with that.
And then we'll pour a little water.
We should have water in here right?
GORDON: Yeah. So off we go then.
DRACO: So here we go. Um, yeah you pour away.
GORDON: Gotcha. DRACO: Look at that.
GORDON: Wow. DRACO: That's beautiful.
GORDON (off-screen): This machine does the trick.
The crank pushes the berries through the pulper.
GORDON: Man look at those.
GORDON (off-screen): Eventually we're left with
these mouthwatering beans.
GORDON: What a method. That's incredible.
GORDON (off-screen): But Draco warned me.
There is a particularly painful risk with this method.
GORDON: Oh shit.
DRACO: You almost got it there.
GORDON (off-screen): Luckily I have good reflexes and
this machine didn't double up as a nut cracker.
GORDON: Beautiful. DRACO: And that's it.
And then we'll, we'll put it out to dry, au natural.
GORDON: And it just bakes in the sun here.
DRACO: Yeah.
GORDON: So how long does that process take to dry them?
DRACO: It just depends cause we have rain.
So it can take a minute you know.
And you gotta keep moving it.
GORDON: So drying and then the exciting part,
the roasting.
DRACO: And you know I'm proud of our coffee cause it has a
nice chocolate after taste too.
GORDON: It does. Look at that.
DRACO: That nice?
GORDON: And how long will they be roasted for?
DRACO: It depends on the batch.
We have a secret sort of formula for our roasting.
GORDON: Top secret. DRACO: It is, it is.
GORDON: That smells incredible.
DRACO: So see get a little taste of this.
Cheers.
GORDON: Cheers my man.
DRACO: Salut. GORDON: Salut.
Mmm. That's beautiful.
There's no bitterness there is there?
There's just that beautiful nice aftermath flavor.
DRACO: I'm glad you feel that, yeah.
GORDON: Now that's given me some thought.
I've got the big cook at the end of the week.
I would love just to take some of this coffee and
introduce it somehow across the cook.
DRACO: That is awesome.
GORDON: Yeah? DRACO: Yeah.
GORDON: You are living the life aren't you?
DRACO: Living it. GORDON: Congrats, man.
DRACO: Thank you. GORDON: Honestly.
DRACO: Thank you so much. GORDON: Amazing.
DRACO: Cheers. GORDON: Mm.
That coffee was exceptional.
This final cook, if I'm gonna use coffee, snapper,
whatever I use.
You know let those ingredients shine because
they are in a league of their own.
Thank you bud. Congrats man.
DRACO: Thank you. GORDON: Amazing.
I've only got a few days before the big cook.
But there's more that I want from the waters here.
This time I'm heading inland for some amazing river shrimp.
GORDON (off-screen): But it's rainy season.
And as I head into the forest to meet a shrimp fisherman
rainy season lives up to its name.
(thunder rumbling)
GORDON: Oh my goodness.
Jorge.
JORGE: Yeah. GORDON: That was crazy.
I got caught in a storm.
JORGE: Celebration coming over here, no?
GORDON: José said you've got the amazing shrimp.
JORGE: Ilias our fisherman is waiting for us and
we need to make it.
GORDON: Ilias is down there? JORGE: He's down there, yes.
We need to make it to the rivers and to make it down
there is gonna be another adventure.
The rain still on the mountain so we can have a flood anytime.
GORDON (off-screen): With the clock ticking my guide,
Jorge says we need to repel quickly down to the river.
And be in and out as fast as possible.
JORGE: Ready?
GORDON (off-screen): So straight down we go.
GORDON: Okay.
GORDON (off-screen): On wet rocks with no traction.
GORDON: Man. It's slippy.
GORDON (off-screen): I hope I can keep my footing.
Because this is one hell of a drop.
JORGE: Let's go for it.
GORDON: If there's one thing for certain,
you Puerto Rican's are tough, man.
Okay.
JORGE: Doing great.
You can extend your legs a little bit more so
you will be more comfortable.
GORDON: Gotcha. I only want some shrimp.
Repealing down, the side of a fricking cliff,
you gotta have your wits about you.
Especially this deep into the forest.
And the minute you see or feel rain here, trust me,
this place could change in a heartbeat.
JORGE: So slippery down here.
So extend your legs my friend.
GORDON: Yes.
JORGE: Yeah let that rope gently go.
There you go. Nice.
GORDON (off-screen): Finally I'm in a groove
and feeling comfortable.
Well, as comfortable as one can feel dangling on
a sheer rock face.
JORGE: You're doing great. Now you have the flow.
So like a free fall.
GORDON: Gotcha. JORGE: Release. Doing great.
There you go. Nice.
Pull away a little bit.
Believe me this is better than hiking down.
GORDON: That's insane.
JORGE: Doing great, almost there.
GORDON: Man. JORGE: Yes big guy.
Woo-hoo! We made it.
GORDON: Man, that's crazy. JORGE: Let me help with this.
By Jove.
JORGE: We need to keep on moving.
GORDON: Sure.
GORDON (off-screen): So, I made it to the end of my rope.
Now we just need to make our way to the river,
where I'll get my hands on those coveted shrimp.
JORGE: This is super slippery.
So I told you about that the adventure doesn't stop.
GORDON: Oh my God, stop it. Is that gonna take my weight?
JORGE: Yeah, we need to cross here and
then we gotta meet Ilias, in ten minutes more.
GORDON (off-screen): Honestly I think I felt less anxious
dangling from a vertical rock face.
JORGE: I will follow you.
GORDON: How slippy is this thing? Seriously?
All I wanted was some shrimp.
This thing's bouncing like mad.
Thing's older than me.
Thank (bleep) I haven't eaten all day.
GORDON (off-screen): Who knew that fishing for shrimp in
a river could test a man's fear of heights.
JORGE: Woo! We find our friend.
GORDON: Ilias. ILIAS: Hi. How are you?
GORDON: How are you? So nice to meet you.
ILIAS: Nice meeting you, too.
GORDON: Now, José said you got the best shrimp anywhere in Puerto Rico.
ILIAS: Well I born here, I do it for, for living.
GORDON: What's so special about the shrimp here?
ILIAS: Panama river is one of the cleanest of Puerto Rico.
GORDON: Are they big shrimp? Are they...
ILIAS: Small but taste good. GORDON: Taste good.
I have a big cook at the end of the week and
I'm desperate to get my hands on some.
ILIAS: Okay. GORDON: Please.
ILIAS: We're gonna start, uh, I think that way.
GORDON: Up there? ILIAS: Yeah.
GORDON: Now this river now is pretty low right? So...
JORGE: Yes is good right now.
GORDON: One thing we have to be careful of is how quick
this place turns.
Rainfall 20 miles away could turn this place into a death trap.
So they're always looking, listening,
waiting for signals.
Gotta get in, gotta get out.
ILIAS: I'm, I'm gonna put this, uh, net right here.
GORDON: Gotcha.
ILIAS: And you are going to move the stones...
GORDON: Ah, so they're laying underneath the stones?
ILIAS: Yeah.
GORDON: As we lift the stone,
the shrimp hopefully will jump in the net?
ILIAS: Okay that's it. GORDON: Gotcha.
I'm trying to get my footing first.
JORGE: Yeah, yeah, yeah. GORDON: So I don't slip. Here?
ILIAS: Yeah. Move it.
JORGE: We keep on moving more. ILIAS: Yep, yep, yep.
JORGE: The more we move, the better.
ILIAS: Just one more. GORDON: Gotcha.
ILIAS: Okay, that's it.
GORDON: Enough?
ILIAS: There, there is no-one.
The net.
GORDON: Shit.
This is crazy.
ILIAS: Okay right here, right here.
GORDON: Here?
ILIAS: Not even one.
GORDON: There's one in there, no?
ILIAS: No.
GORDON: Man what a hunt.
For a (bleep) shrimp.
Let's just remind ourselves okay?
JORGE: No.
ILIAS: None here either.
GORDON: Man, not the most elusive lobster in the world, a shrimp.
ILIAS: Oh!
Oh look at this. Oh a big one.
GORDON: Oh shit yeah. Wow, there you go.
Wow.
ILIAS: It's a big one.
GORDON: Bloody hell, they're beautiful.
It looks like a cray fish.
ILIAS: Chagara, Chagara.
GORDON: Chagara. ILIAS: Chagara.
GORDON: Man it's a very tough shell isn't it?
ILIAS: That, that, that's a big one.
GORDON: It's a start. We need some more.
I've got a big cook. I need more than one shrimp.
JORGE: So let's go.
GORDON: 60 pound boulders for one shrimp. Honestly.
In a couple of hours’ time I'll be (bleep).
Oh my God.
In fact I'm (bleep) already.
Yes!
ILIAS: Yes. GORDON: Come on.
Bloody hell. These are beautiful, huh?
Look at that baby. Man.
GORDON (off-screen): They're beautiful.
And everything I was hoping for.
GORDON: Yes, honestly I think we've got enough there for the big cook.
A tough shrimp.
Nothing is easy in Puerto Rico.
ILIAS: Yeah that's it.
GORDON: Another stern reminder just how
robust Puerto Ricans are.
Come on.
I don't want you getting swept out the current.
(laughing)
Honestly, you know I've caught shrimp before.
Not that extent.
GORDON (off-screen): And it will all be worth it when
these shrimp help me defeat José,
when we face off at the end of the week.
GORDON: Now the final cook is just round the corner.
And I know there's more bounty in these beautiful seas.
So I'm headed back to the coast to try for
a much bigger fish from deeper waters.
(car horn honks)
Anthony. Good morning.
ANTHONY: Mr. Gordon.
GORDON: What a beautiful place.
ANTHONY: Yeah, nice to see you man.
GORDON: Good to see you man, you good?
ANTHONY: Are you ready to go fishing?
GORDON: I can't wait to go fishing.
ANTHONY: Alright let's go.
GORDON: Will that thing hold both of us?
ANTHONY: Yeah. GORDON: How far we going out?
ANTHONY: Probably one, two miles, around.
GORDON: One or two miles in that?
ANTHONY: Yeah right.
GORDON: Anthony, it's like a plank of wood.
(laughs)
You sure it's gonna take our weight?
ANTHONY: Hell yes. Are you ready?
I'm ready. Let's go.
GORDON: Let's go. Let's do this.
Let's go, Captain.
GORDON (off-screen): To find the big fish we head out to sea,
in a tiny micro-skiff, that doesn't even seem
big enough to be a life raft.
GORDON: Some big waves.
ANTHONY: Yeah. This is surfing.
How do you feel?
GORDON: Amazing.
GORDON: So beautiful.
ANTHONY: Well right here in the middle and
the fishes get fast.
GORDON: Gotcha.
ANTHONY: Because it's more deeper in this area.
All right, so...
ANTHONY: So we always pay attention...
...to bird activity...
...so we can see if we find some mahi around.
GORDON: So the, the, and they always spot them first don't they?
The birds?
ANTHONY: Exactly.
GORDON (off-screen): Ironically the best way to
find the fish in the water is to look is to look to the sky.
Seabirds enjoy the same bait fish as the fish we're after.
And the birds are easier to track,
on account of them not hiding underwater.
ANTHONY: We're gonna troll ballyhoo.
GORDON: That's a bloody big bait that.
ANTHONY: Beautiful right? GORDON: Jesus Christ.
ANTHONY: Fish are gonna love it.
GORDON: How big a fish... ANTHONY: 50, 60 pound.
Or a 100 pounds.
GORDON: 50, 60 pound? On this boat?
ANTHONY: Yeah, yeah man.
GORDON: I'm still trying to understand what would we do
with a 50, 60 pound fish on that tiny boat?
Especially with the size of Anthony and I.
ANTHONY: Throw in on that, put it in the water.
GORDON: Yeah.
ANTHONY: And then open the spool.
GORDON (off-screen): But I'll consider myself lucky if
I actually have to contend with that problem.
Now it's time to start trawling and see what these
waters have in store for us.
GORDON: And do the fish move this fast?
ANTHONY: They can go more fast than that is.
GORDON: Really? ANTHONY: Yeah.
GORDON: Wow.
ANTHONY: King mackerel, wahoo!
GORDON: Wow. ANTHONY: Yellow fin tuna.
GORDON: That would suit me perfect for the final cook.
Please. Come on big boy.
ANTHONY: Yeah let's do it. Let's get it.
GORDON: Let's do this.
ANTHONY: I don't see any bait jumping yet...
...but that's what we're looking for.
GORDON: Yes. Come on baby.
ANTHONY: Where the bait at? Where is the bait?
GORDON: Come on baby.
ANTHONY: We just need one strike.
GORDON: Just one.
Uh, hey look, got toes. Every thing's crossed.
Look every thing's crossed.
ANTHONY: Come on, fishy.
GORDON: We're looking for birds.
Spotting the bait fish.
And that's where the tuna and the snapper,
that's what would be feeding.
Couldn't spot the birds.
No bait fish jumping.
Trust me it's not good news.
ANTHONY: On the east side you see that big rock over there?
GORDON: Over there?
ANTHONY: Right around that rock is full of life.
ANTHONY: So let's see. GORDON: Come on, fish.
Our first location was a bust.
So Anthony decides to move to another
of his regular hot spots.
ANTHONY: Oh, you see fly fish here?
GORDON: Yeah just here.
ANTHONY: Bait is here.
ANTHONY: Come on baby. GORDON: Come on baby.
GORDON: Hot spot right here.
GORDON: I'm confident the next five minutes we're gonna get one.
Come on man. We got this.
ANTHONY: Just one, just one, just one straight.
GORDON: Oh, oh.
ANTHONY: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
ANTHONY: Oh, you got a fish.
GORDON: Yes. Boom.
GORDON (off-screen): I'm off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Desperately trying to catch a big fish.
And just when it seemed all hope was lost...
GORDON: Boom.
ANTHONY: Oh, you got a fish on.
ANTHONY: Oh my God.
Hold it, hold it just as right there.
GORDON: Yes. Come on fish.
Give me, give me, the reeling, reeling, reeling.
(bleep) hell.
No it's gone. It's gone. Yeah.
That's why it's called fishing.
It's not called catching.
ANTHONY: Seems like this time we don't have any luck.
GORDON: But it was a great morning.
ANTHONY: Yeah. GORDON: Really good.
I would love a fish for the end of the week.
Is there any chance you could go back out, please?
ANTHONY: I can, I can came back tomorrow.
GORDON: Tomorrow morning?
ANTHONY: Yeah, tomorrow morning I can get some mahi, tunas.
GORDON: That'd be amazing.
ANTHONY: Yeah. GORDON: Thank you, Captain.
ANTHONY: Thank you. GORDON: Well done, bud.
Damn, what a shame.
Anthony is the real deal.
Today nothing, tomorrow he's gonna bring it home.
Now the big cook is almost here.
And I need some delicious vegetables.
But I only want vegetables that are grown locally.
So I've come to an amazing organic farm.
What the hell?
(speaking in native language)
GORDON: Really?
(speaking in native language)
GORDON: Good morning. IYAN: Oh, Gordon.
SOLAY: Hi. IYAN: Hi.
GORDON: This is beautiful. IYAN: Thanks. Hard work.
GORDON: Nice to see you sir. IYAN: Iyan, my name is Iyan.
GORDON: Iyan, nice to see you. IYAN: Hi, I'm Solay.
GORDON: Solay.
IYAN: Welcome to, (speaking in native language).
GORDON: Thank you.
GORDON (off-screen): Solay and Iyan are pioneers of
Puerto Rican sustainability.
Along with their ecofriendly business partners,
two giant oxen.
GORDON: They said that the vegetables here,
number one organic.
IYAN: Yeah we, we are very conscious about taking care of the soil.
And the entire environment around.
GORDON: Right, I had some Chef friends that came to the island back in 2017,
to help on the back of the rebuild, um.
How devastating was that for you with the hurricane?
IYAN: We lost everything.
Every crop that he had here we loss, lost it.
GORDON: And how long did it take you to get back
in terms of back on your feet?
IYAN: The gas was not...
...getting to the island...
GORDON: No.
IYAN: But we were able to plough with our multitask mini tractor.
GORDON: Amazing. They're gorgeous.
IYAN: Five weeks after the hurricane we were harvesting
the first vegetables.
GORDON: They were heartbroken three years ago.
And like Solay said we didn't need gasoline,
we didn't need electricity.
We got back in the fields and we started ploughing.
So what does that tell you about Puerto Rican's?
Respect right there.
IYAN: We have here Hosco and Caramero.
GORDON: Hosco and Caramero. IYAN: And Caramero, yeah.
They are our friends, they are our partners.
GORDON: Yes. IYAN: Team work.
We are preparing this plot.
We are going to plant here root crops.
GORDON: So we gotta plough the field first and
then sow the seeds?
IYAN: Yeah.
GORDON: How do we steer these beautiful beasts?
IYAN: You have to be careful when you go to the side of the oxen.
GORDON: So they can see you? IYAN: Yeah.
GORDON: Not right directly behind.
IYAN: They are very good animals.
GORDON: Right.
IYAN: But they can get a little bit nervous.
GORDON: Gotcha.
IYAN: This is similar as riding a motor cycle.
GORDON: Right.
IYAN: Go this way, the plough will go down.
If you bend the plough this way, the plough will go up.
GORDON: Right.
IYAN: But you have to keep a straight line.
GORDON: What's the, uh, lingo?
How do I, how do I talk to those beautiful, uh, oxen?
IYAN: You have to throw them kisses.
(smooching)
GORDON: Kisses.
IYAN: Yeah.
GORDON: And they move?
GORDON: Okay.
(smooching)
GORDON: Thank you that's straight.
(speaking in native language).
IYAN: Nice. GORDON: Gotcha.
IYAN: You have done this before?
GORDON: Uh, no, never. Never, never, never.
Man, they move fast don't they?
It's hard to keep it straight.
(speaking in native language).
GORDON: I mean, that's a DUI right there, look!
Honestly.
GORDON (off-screen): In true Puerto Rican fashion Iyan and
Solay are making me work hard.
(smooching)
GORDON: Wait, wait, wait, stop.
How the (bleep) do you turn them around?
IYAN: Pull the plough this way. Yeah.
GORDON (off-screen): But it's worth it for some of
the best produce on the island.
IYAN: Remember the kisses. GORDON: Gotcha.
GORDON: Oh... IYAN: Yeah.
Oh, oh. On the right.
GORDON: I was quite impressed.
Last thing I wanted to do was a Z plan across the field.
(speaking in native language).
IYAN: They are just tractors. You are just the driver.
GORDON: Yes.
A little bit of a bend to the right but hey, I'll take that any day.
Man, what a task.
Is that straight enough?
IYAN: Yeah I think it, it's good to me.
(laughing)
GORDON: Please sir may I have some vegetables?
IYAN: Yeah of course. SOLAY: Okay.
GORDON: Yeah?
SOLAY: We are going to..
...harvest now some...
...cassava.
GORDON: This is beautiful, honestly.
SOLAY: Look at this, look at this.
GORDON: Okay, so there's the first there.
That's so beautiful, wow.
Look at that.
That is beautiful.
SOLAY: This are the sweet potatoes.
GORDON: Is there a fridge I can go and stand in?
GORDON: Do you have a fridge here no? No.
We don't have weather like this is Scotland.
SOLAY: I know.
GORDON: We have some great potatoes but we don't have weather like this.
I've picked many a vegetable but
I've never worked that hard for them, let me tell you.
SOLAY: Mira, mira. GORDON: Oh my Lord.
SOLAY: It's a big one. GORDON: Oh bingo.
Right there.
Uh, my parents, you know when we 12, 13 years of age,
we used to go potato picking.
As part time jobs.
SOLAY: So we're going to the red okra.
GORDON: Red okra to finish it off.
But not in this heat.
SOLAY: These are like the perfect size.
GORDON: Look at that one, oh my God.
Look at that. My God. That is beautiful.
SOLAY: And okra give food and food and food you know.
GORDON: Same plant, just continuing to grow. Amazing.
SOLAY: Let me see your hands.
GORDON: So... SOLAY: Beautiful hands.
GORDON: Oh my God.
SOLAY: All humans should have it.
GORDON: Exactly. My mum always said a piece of dirt won't hurt.
Getting this knowledge and these incredible ingredients,
vital ingredients, I'm hoping gives me the edge for that final cook.
Because this is on a different level.
This week's been a huge eye opener.
This island came together on the back of that devastation.
What an example.
GORDON (off-screen): Now it's time for me to harness some of
this Puerto Rican spirit.
And use it to beat José.
GORDON: José. JOSÉ: Chef.
GORDON: My man. JOSÉ: How you doing?
GORDON: Oh my God what a week.
JOSÉ: Yeah? GORDON: What a week.
I made it.
JOSÉ: Chef you gonna take those shoes off or something? Huh?
(laughs)
GORDON: Do you know what I'm worried about?
JOSÉ: What?
GORDON: Getting my feet burnt. Seriously.
JOSÉ: Don't do it. I'm used to these things.
These are tough feet.
You know? Keep yours covered.
GORDON (off-screen): So the competition has already begun.
First event, mind games.
And unfortunately José is in the lead.
GORDON: My man.
GORDON: Right I'm gonna get my pork on.
Now I'm gonna take some of that coffee and
get that on a rub with the pork shoulder.
JOSÉ: I'm gonna start my stew. I'm gonna do a, a fish stew.
GORDON: I love that.
JOSÉ: And I'm gonna put a little bit of taro root in here as well.
GORDON: Nice. And that's gonna act as a, like a starch right?
JOSÉ: Yeah that will be the starch and it'll,
it'll make everything a little bit more dense.
GORDON: Yeah, I'm gonna get the shoulder on.
This is marinated in that coffee.
I'm gonna sort of just grill that,
get that flavor in there.
And then get that into the pan.
JOSÉ: That's beautiful.
GORDON: God, that smell of that coffee searing in there like that.
I'm mean literally amazing.
Look at that, Tony came up absolute trumps.
A queen snapper.
JOSÉ: Yeah, oh yeah. GORDON: My God.
That is beautiful.
So how you starting the stew?
What's the base?
JOSÉ: Onions, peppers and garlic.
That's the holy trinity for us you know?
GORDON: Right.
JOSÉ: I'm actually gonna add, which I've never done before,
I'm gonna, I wanna add plantain.
Ripe plantains.
GORDON: Is this a dish from the restaurant?
JOSÉ: No. This is a dish I'm making for you.
GORDON: Hold on a minute, you haven't done this before?
JOSÉ: I really have never done it.
But I figured we could even out the playing field you know?
GORDON: Yeah. You can.
GORDON (off-screen): José comes across all relaxed.
But he's putting twists on his traditional dishes.
TONY: So a little,
(speaking in native language), over here.
GORDON (off-screen): This man means business.
JOSÉ: What's going on there, Chef?
GORDON: So I've just stuffed it with some lime,
grilled some limes, some onions.
Seasoning and then gonna throw this on the grill,
and then literally sort of grill it.
Get the marks on there and then grill it off.
JOSÉ: Beautiful.
GORDON: But that is a beautiful fish.
Look at the size of that thing.
JOSÉ: Yeah. It's beautiful.
GORDON: And Tony said they come bigger than that as well.
Oh my God.
That is stunning.
So what do you do with that fried fish after that?
Where does that go?
JOSÉ: I'm just gonna take it off,
put tons of local oranges and limes and that's it.
Just squeeze it over the top and you're ready to go.
GORDON: Love it, love it, love it.
And that's a staple?
JOSÉ: No I just came up with it now.
I've never done it before.
GORDON: You're pulling out all these little tricks.
Like you're at a bloody party, man.
JOSÉ: I've never done it before, Chef.
GORDON: Yeah right.
JOSÉ: How you doing over there?
GORDON: Uh, running a little bit behind.
JOSÉ: That's island time.
You're actually, you've done your job so well this week
that you've already got the island time down.
It's awesome.
GORDON: And then my freshwater shrimp.
I've blanched them, I'm gonna brush them,
this time with a little, uh, red mojo.
TONY: Oh. GORDON: Yes.
JOSÉ: Wow Chef. GORDON: Exactly.
JOSÉ: Got your Spanish thing down and everything.
You're killing it Chef,
you're doing such a great job with this...
GORDON: Fingers crossed... JOSÉ: Puerto Rican thing.
GORDON: What's gonna kill me here is the heat man.
Oh my God. Seriously.
JOSÉ: So I'm gonna start my last dish...
GORDON: Right. JOSÉ: Which is ceti.
GORDON: Ceti? JOSÉ: C-E-T-I. Ceti.
GORDON: Ceti.
JOSÉ: Yeah and it's actually, it's from this area.
(speaking in native language).
GORDON: Yeah.
Yeah they come out the sea and go up into the fresh water.
JOSÉ: Correct.
GORDON: It's only like six, seven weeks season.
JOSÉ: Correct. GORDON: Quick fry. Beautiful.
Where do you get them from?
JOSÉ: They're actually from here, out of the sea.
GORDON: And why didn't you tell me about them at the beginning of the week?
I would have gone...
JOSÉ: Well Chef I had to have something.
I mean I've given everything, the mountains, Tony.
You've got everything you know?
GORDON: They are beautiful by the way.
Man. Huge delicacy. Huge.
José, he brought his A game.
He brought those beautiful tiny little ceti.
The sort of, the prize of the ocean.
Very short season but an amazing taste.
So he's not holding back.
GORDON (off-screen): I wonder what other surprises
he has in store.
JOSÉ: I'm done, I mean I'll wait on a couple of things.
But since you're you know taking up your time nicely,
island time, I'm gonna go check the water.
There's a nice little pond over there.
I'm gonna check it out.
GORDON: Stop it, seriously? Dip your toes, man.
(laughs)
Oh my God.
Seriously, honestly.
Would you like some coffee or tea or?
JOSÉ: I'll take maybe a beer or.
GORDON: Man. JOSÉ: Beer would be better.
GORDON: Woof. JOSÉ: Chef!
GORDON: What? JOSÉ: It's beautiful.
GORDON: Beautiful.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, seriously.
I'm up to my eyeballs in it and he disappears for a swim.
Now that's confidence right there.
Man.
You good?
JOSÉ: Beautiful.
(laughs)
GORDON: He's more laid back that a fricking ironing board.
JOSÉ: It's beautiful Chef.
(laughs)
You watch my dishes and things?
GORDON: Yeah I did, I kept an eye on the fish tails.
JOSÉ: Thank you, Chef.
You good? You need me over there?
GORDON: Oh absolutely.
JOSÉ: You want me to give you a hand?
GORDON: Yeah I'll go, I'll start plating in two minutes.
I'm running around like a blue arsed fly.
And he's asking me hey, do you need some help?
I mean the only thing he didn't do was go for a surf.
Now that would have really pissed me off.
Go for another swim man, huh?
Come on bud.
(speaking in native language).
GORDON: Hi guys. Welcome.
We good?
GORDON (off-screen): The locals who've helped me out
this week are here.
And it's time to find out if my hard work or
José's native knowledge will win over our guests hearts.
GORDON: Final touch. He said keep it citrus.
JOSÉ: Chef, this looks beautiful.
GORDON: Keep it, keep it alive.
And more importantly keep it Puerto Rican.
Man, that was the toughest ever.
JOSÉ: That was the easy part. GORDON: Oh boy.
GORDON: Beach service. Here we go.
GORDON (off-screen): It's time to serve the locals who
helped me throughout the week.
And see if what I'm serving is enough to beat José
on his own turf.
GORDON: I'll give you a quick insight to the dishes.
Uh, a beautiful light ceviche.
Something that's taken from land and sea.
Right down to the half orange,
half pink grapefruit to give it some zest.
After that this one here is my braised pork shoulder,
marinaded in that beautiful coffee.
The rub, anchochile, coffee and then seared and cooked.
And then finally queen snapper,
grilled with the most amazing vegetables that were handpicked.
Onions, lemons. Beautiful fish.
Thank you. Seriously.
JORGE: It's beautiful Chef.
JOSÉ: So I made here a, (speaking in native language).
Basically I messed around making a little bit like a,
like if it was Spanish but mixed it with,
(speaking in native language).
And basically it's a
Right, so it's a fish stew in coconut.
And then over here I have, (speaking in native language).
Mutton snapper pan fried and basically in some turmeric and cilantro rub.
GORDON: Beautiful. Gents dig in and enjoy.
JOSÉ: I'll be handing out money in a little bit.
To be sure votes go my way.
GORDON: Enjoy.
(laughing)
DRACO: Okay. Alright I'm in.
(overlapping chatter)
MAN: Wow, that's really good.
DRACO: It's pretty good, yummy.
GORDON: Man they're digging in aren't they?
JOSÉ: Yeah. GORDON: They are digging in.
JORGE: Yeah.
ANTHONY: It's a little fishy. DRACO: It's fishy.
ANTHONY: Yeah, definitely.
DRACO: Now, but this stew, nuts.
GORDON: Man that's a table of tough critics right?
JOSÉ: Yeah. Yeah.
How do you feel?
GORDON: I mean, you just wanna do the best with the ingredients right?
JOSÉ: Yeah, I mean look at this...
That's not a nice face.
I think he just tasted something that's yours.
(laughs)
DRACO: Mm. That's amazing.
TONY: This is really good, my friend.
DRACO: Oh my God. That one over there?
JORGE: Mm-hm. Yeah. DRACO: No, that's nuts.
GORDON: Let's go and find out shall we?
JOSÉ: Let's, Chef.
DRACO: I think we, we know who the winner is.
Yeah, absolutely.
(laughs)
GORDON: Happy faces? ANTHONY: Yes.
GORDON: Uh, six amazing dishes, right?
DRACO: Absolutely.
GORDON: Fingers crossed I did those incredible ingredients proud.
Let's talk about ceviche.
JOSÉ: And the ceti. GORDON: And the ceti.
Tony, my man?
TONY: It was a hard decision for me, but...
For me the ceviche was a little bit better.
GORDON: Ah.
TONY: It was really good, my friend.
GORDON: Right. JOSÉ: There you go Chef.
GORDON: Thank you for that. JOSÉ: There you go.
GORDON: The stews?
JORGE: Everything was pretty amazing.
But man, the (speaking in native language).
Wow.
JOSÉ: Killing it right?
JORGE: The coconut flavor on everything with the fish, wow.
JOSÉ: Just cause it feels natural here, Chef.
Don't feel bad.
It's just the coconuts, it was made easy for me, you know.
(laughing)
GORDON: Okay.
GORDON (off-screen): So it's one vote for the local and
one vote for the Scot.
Now it's down to José's mutton snapper versus
my queen snapper for the win.
GORDON: Finally fish.
DRACO: Hands down, knockout punch.
I mean for me, fellas we, we all agree.
The Queen.
(speaking in native language).
Spectacular. Spectacular.
JOSÉ: Good job, Chef. GORDON: Man trust me.
I've had the week of a lifetime.
And sort of understood how strong the island really is.
For me it's not about winning here in Puerto Rico because
think what they've been through.
Think what they stand for.
This week for me has confirmed that the actual work starts
before it arrives in your kitchen.
And that's why I fallen in love with Puerto Rico.
Thank you. Take care and God bless.
Best wishes guys. Thank you.
Puerto Rico's been a wonderful adventure.
Exploring both land and sea,
but the biggest take away for me is the understanding of that
incredible Puerto Rican spirit of resilience
that's really helped reshape this cuisine
and this gorgeous island.
And now for me on to my next adventure.
Captioned by Cotter Media Group.