Chef/restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson rolled up to the Ed Sullivan Theater last night with an array of meat, vegetables, seafood, and spices to show Stephen Colbert how to make a dish he describes as “almost like a Vietnamese summer roll, but with some fried chicken.”
In the clip above, Samuelsson uses slices of chicken that are coated in cricket flour, an ingredient that Colbert had never tried before. “I feel like a trout,” the Late Show host says after sampling a bit of the insect powder on its own. The comedian immediately notices that Samuelsson is using shrimp that have had their tails removed, a choice that he appreciates, as a South Carolina native.
After the shrimp are sautéed in bourbon and the chicken is fully fried, Samuelsson tosses them with carrots and pickled cucumbers, and puts the mixture in a rice roll. “You’re essentially making a fried chicken joint,” Colbert quips. The late night host is clearly impressed by the finished product, although he’s a bit surprised by the heat level of the sauce that accompanies the roll.
The dish Samuelsson cooks in this clip is partially inspired by the forthcoming New Orleans episode of his new show with PBS and Eater, No Passport Required. As the chef says in the clip above, the new series is about “traveling around the country to these great cities — through Detroit, Chicago — looking at the country through the lens of an immigrant, through food and culture.” The first episode, focusing on Detroit’s Middle Eastern culinary scene, premiered last night, and the New Orleans episode drops next Tuesday.
You can watch the first episode right here on Eater, and head over to the Late Show’s Facebook page for the summer roll recipe.
• Marcus Samuelsson Makes Fried Chicken With Crickets [YouTube]
• All Coverage of No Passport Required [E]