The newest season of MasterChef on Fox, dubbed MasterChef: Legends, is in full swing with the top 15 home cooks in America preparing to begin the battle to win the title of the next MasterChef. The season has already brought in professional cooking legends Emeril Lagasse, Curtis Stone, and most recently Paula Deen, and now Chef Morimoto is on the way as guest judge for an episode all about monkfish. Facing the challenge of cooking a fish dish like monkfish is vegan contestant Michael Newman, and a new episode clip showcases Michael’s choice for how he's cooking this week, which includes tasting the fish.
Michael’s explanations about what he’s doing professionally and with the monkfish raise some questions for Chef Morimoto, so check out the exclusive clip from the June 23 episode of MasterChef: Legends on Fox!
In the clip, Michael Newman reveals that he’s cooking up breadcrumb and Parmesan-crusted monkfish, lemon garlic kale, and seasoned rice, and I’m guessing that a whole lot of viewers will be ready to taste his dish based on the description alone. Gordon Ramsay agrees that it sounds good, then notes that Michael is vegan making a fish dish including cheese, to Morimoto’s surprise, but Michael confirms that he will “have to taste it.” Ramsay reiterated that Michael should taste “everything” before moving on.
Whether or not Michael Newman has what it takes to make a monkfish dish that will impress the judges panel comprised of Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez, and Joe Bastianich plus guest judge Morimoto remains to be seen in this Wednesday’s episode of MasterChef: Legends, but Michael was clear that his vegan lifestyle won’t stop him from tasting his dish despite the fish and dairy when the time comes.
Of course, as Michael Newman said, he is a “lifestyle and relationship coach” who tries to use food as “a common ground” and get people to “connect through food,” which presumably involves working with people who don’t exclusively eat vegan dishes. Plus, there’s no advancing on a show like MasterChef: Legends without the contestants pushing themselves above and beyond.
After all, this is the season of legends! Beating the competition requires an open mind toward dishes the contestants don’t already know or cook regularly, and Michael is clearly ready to taste what he makes to guarantee the best finished product despite his veganism usually meaning no fish. But will it be enough to come out on top of the other talented chefs who made it past the first round?
Find out with the next new episode of MasterChef: Legends on Wednesday, June 23 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Iron Chef icon and Michelin Star winner Chef Morimoto certainly has the expertise to judge which of the monkfish dishes is good enough for contestants to move forward. Plus, Gordon Ramsay is known for being blunt (among other things) when it comes to elements of dishes that don’t work, so hopefully Michael Newman and the rest have the nerves of steel to keep their cool and deliver the best dishes they possibly can on MasterChef: Legends!
