From California’s Inland Empire, Chef Chachi has been in the culinary industry for 14 years, wandering up and down the West Coast.
He started out as a dishwasher in San Francisco, worked his way up to some of Los Angeles’s finest restaurants, and gained a cult following in Seattle through his DIY food popups featuring everyday food for everyday people, made with local ingredients.
His family history spans far back cooking on ranches from Chihuahua, Mexico to El Paso, Texas. Chachi has been taking his knowledge outdoors, cooking his family’s recipes over wood fire in nature as intended.
Chef Chachi
What you’ll need:
- Uni Compound Butter (recipe below)
- butter (unsalted)
- dill
- tarragon
- shallot
- garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Sea urchin uni
- Oysters
- Grated Parmesan
- Mixed mushrooms
- Tongs
- Skillet
- Cooking oil
- Cutting board
- Spatula
- Spoon
- Cutting board
- Firewood (seasoned)
Recipe
Uni Compound Butter Ingredients
- 1/2 pound butter (unsalted)
- 1 bunch picked dill
- 1 bunch picked tarragon
- 1 shallot
- 4 cloves garlic
- Salt and pepper
- 6 pieces of uni
Instructions
Rough chop shallot and garlic. Pick dill and tarragon from stem. Make sure butter is room temp. Season with salt and pepper. Place all ingredients in food processor. Blend until combined!
Surf and Turf Instructions
- Start a campfire and wait until the coals are ready. Add a well seasoned skillet.
- Add some cooking oil and let heat.
- Pat the steak dry with a paper towel and refrigerate for a few hours (even days) for a perfect crust when searing.
- Add steak to hot skillet
- A general rule for steaks roughly one inch thick is to cook two minutes per side for medium rare.
- After cooking the steak to the desired temperature, rest for about 10 minutes and place uni butter on top–the residual heat from the steak will melt the butter. You can also use the same pan to cook sides, like mushrooms, in the fat rendered from the steak.
- While the steak rests, shuck the oysters and place a pad of butter inside, then top with parmesan. Grill the oysters until they are bubbling, and the parmesan has caramelized.
- Remember to slice the steak against the grain and eat everything on the half shell–juices included!
- Open extra urchin for garnishing steak with fresh uni an extra pop of flavor.
Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.
