Holiday Recipe: Salmon Tostones with Chef Andrew Balick of Tap 42 Restaurants

Filming the first segment of A Bite of Miami with Brickellista was so much fun! I created the concept as a way to introduce local Miami Chefs in an intimate setting. And there’s nothing more intimate than my apartment! I rarely photograph within my apartment’s walls, so it’s truly a behind the scenes look into my life.

A Bite of Miami with Brickellista is my first YouTube series where I will interview local chefs while we (mostly them) cook one in my kitchen. I get to sip on yummy cocktails and they feed me! DREAMS DO COME TRUE!

I’ll admit I was super nervous leading up to filming. At one point we had to cut filming because I was laughing hysterically (from nerves – nothing funny happened).

Luckily, I was working with pros who had done this before! Chef Andrew Balick and Andrew Bonilla, my videographer / production guru, had done this so many times they made me feel at ease.

Chef Andrew Balick of Tap 42 is no stranger to the limelight. His gastrogrub creations have been tempting South Florida so much so that the Tap 42 concept has expanded across 4 locations (Boca, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables, and Midtown) and they are now building their 5th location in Aventura.

Chef Andrew Balick’s Salmon Tostone recipe is hands down a crowd favorite. My gals and I absolutely crave this dish. Having Chef Andrew in my kitchen was a treat and stealing this coveted recipe for all of you is icing on the cake.

The Salmon Tostone dish is easy to make and tastes like absolute PERFECTION! Serve it for dinner or during your next holiday party – it will certainly leave your guests raving.

I included product links to the IMUSA products I used for cooking, which helps make the process so much easier. Bonus the IMUSA pan is a beautiful holiday red which matches my cute IMUSA espresso cups.

I hope you will enjoy this dish as much as my friends and I do.

So let’s start cookin’!

Grocery List

Salmon Ceviche:

• 1/2 pound finely diced Sashimi grade salmon
• 1 tsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp chopped scallions
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp brunoise ginger
• Sesame Seeds
• Eel Sauce – add to a squeeze bottle (gluten-free option skip the eel sauce)

Spicy Mayo Ingredients:

• ½ cup mayo
• 2 tsp sriracha
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp soy sauce

Guacamole Ingredients:

• 3 whole avocados diced – use the IMUSA Molcajete to mash
• 1 tbsp finely chopped onion – marinate in lime juice overnight
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Tostones:

• 3 green plantains and make from scratch
• Or to make life easier, you can buy pre-made plantains from Goya.

I purchased these colorful bowls from IMUSA to make the ingredients. The set comes with 3 bowls and you will need one bowl for the salmon, one bowl to make the mayonnaise, and the other… I like to serve the guacamole.

Make the Salmon Ceviche + Spicy Mayo Recipe…

• Finely dice the salmon into cubes
• Chop the scallions – set aside
• In another bowl combine the mayonnaise, 2 tsp sriracha, 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp chili garlic sauce, 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp soy sauce
• Add the mayonnaise combination to salmon
• Add copped cilantro and ginger
• Refrigerate this mix while you make the guacamole and tostones

Make the Guacamole…

• Chop the onion and soak in lime juice for a couple of hours (24 hours is best) – this is Chef Andrews trick at Tap 42
• Use an IMUSA Molcajete to mash the avocados
• Finely chop the cilantro and add to avocado base
• Add the soaked onions to avocado base with lime juice
• Add salt and additional lime juice to taste
  

  

Make the Tostones…

• Chef Andrew suggests using frozen tostones to make life easier. However, if you choose to go the traditional route make sure you get a tostone press from IMUSA. This recipe will be with the frozen tostones.
• Thaw the frozen tostones
• Pan fry the to stones, I use this IMUSA ceramic pan and it cleans up nicely!  or bake the tostones
• Using a round cookie cutter cut the tostones and save the edges as a healthy snack for later

Build the Dish…

• Top the round tostone first with 1 tbsp of guacamole and then 1 tbsp of the salmon mix
• Using the squeeze bottle, swirl the eel sauce on top of the salmon mix
• Sprinkle the dish with remaining cilantro and sesame seeds
• Serve on your favorite pretty platter and enjoy!

#BTS Behind the Scenes

Make sure you visit Chef Andrew Balick at Tap 42 at all of their locations across South Florida and try the Salmon Tostones and all of his other creations.

Use the button subscribe to my YouTube Channel and share this video with your friends. I’m excited to share this video with all of you and would love to hear which chef you would like to see next! So leave a comment below with your ideas.

From my kitchen to yours, I hope you will have a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones!

XO,
EV

Special thanks to IMUSA for the products featured in this post
Production by Andrew and the team at trex-creative.com
Photography by Kenneth Lesley at trex-creative.com
Hair & Makeup c/o GlamSquad
Thank you to Tito’s Handmade Vodka for the beverage featured in the segment

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