Acaraje with Shrimp & Vatapa
As seen on TV
Which Show?
Who made this dish?
Sherry made an acaraje, a Brazilian black-eyed pea fritter, using the pantry's dried October beans as the base and honoring her Brazilian heritage while showcasing an Appalachian ingredient. She blended the soaked beans into a batter, par-fried roughly 200 fritters in advance, then dropped them back in the fryer just before serving for crispness. The fritters were topped with shrimp and a spicy peanut paste (vatapa), with a Brazilian-style chow that she described as a cross between a chow and a pico de gallo. Sherry called the dish vulnerable and personal, saying most diners would have no point of reference for it, so she planned to chat with each table. She insisted the dish would be nothing without the beans.
{Judge}: "Yo, Sherry, you're a beast." The judges thought the fritter was really flavorful and the shrimp was beautifully cooked and nicely marinated, calling it a nice dish.
{Judge}: "That peanut sauce, thought it was delicious. It did get a little lost in the dish, but I love how you made the chow your own and still used Appalachian influence." Sherry was named among the top dishes of the day.
