by Todd Betzold

 

Things are about to get poisonous tonight on MasterChef, as the homecooks take on a challenge of cooking up a sea urchin. It may be poisonous and it may be ugly, but how will they cook this one up?

 

The homecooks head back to the MasterChef Kitchen, as we skip the Team Challenge this week and are doing another Mystery Box Challenge. As the previews have shown, it's going to get poisonous tonight because underneath the boxes are sea urchins. Some of the spines are poisonous, so Chef Ramsay shows them how to handle them. The homecooks are also given a limited pantry of ingredients to pair with the sea urchin. They have 60 minutes to create a dish that will wow the judges.

 

The judges are going around and people are questioning Monti's ability to do well in this challenge. Time runs out and the judges take one more look at the dishes and choose three standout dishes. Up first is Felix, who made Uni and Pea Risotto. Chef Ramsay said it is breathtaking. Bold move, but well done. Graham said it is a really a complex driven dish that showcases the Uni. Joe said it is amazing and she is back in this competition. Next is Josh, who made Homemade Noodles with Rock Shrimp and Uni Cream Sauce. Graham said the cream sauce is really good and he loves seeing the ingredient in front of him. Joe asked about his pasta and tells him he has the instinct of a winner. The last dish is from Stacey, who made Rock Shrimp Sushi with Uni Aioli. Chef Ramsay said it's beautiful and she is a dark horse in this competition. Joe said she went at it like someone who has a lot of experience creating sushi dishes.

 

The judges discuss and the winner of the Mystery Box Challenge is Felix and she is back people! She heads back to the pantry with the judges to get her advantage and decide on the Elimination Test. The theme tonight is fishing. She has a pick of the ocean, as there are nine fish sitting in front of her. She gets to hand-select each and every fish her and her competitors will be cooking. Some of the choices are Rock Fish, John Dory, Catfish, Yellowtail, Salmon and Arctic Char.

 

Time for her to decide and she picks the California Halibut for herself. She gives Becky the Rock Fish and gives Frank the Catfish. She gives Monti the John Dory. Tali gets the Arctic Char, David gets the Yellowtail and Christine gets the Salmon. Stacey gets the Striped Bass and Josh gets Sardines. They get five minutes in the pantry and then have to create their dish in 60 minutes.

 

Felix picked the Halibut, which is a hard fish to cook, but she wanted to challenge herself today...will it backfire on her? Again, everyone wants to throw Monti under the bus, but she keeps pulling through in the end. Will she do it again tonight? David makes a hot sauce for is fish, which Chef Ramsay said you need a fire extinguisher in your mouth after tasting that. Christine is making a simple dish, which Joe questions. Chef Ramsay said that Monti has filleted the John Dory beautifully and Tali is doing everything to take the flavor out of the Arctic Char.

 

The time runs out and time to taste what the homecooks have come up with on MasterChef. Up first is Felix, who made Poached Halibut with Bamboo Rice, Asparagus and Lemon Apple Sauce. Joe said she totally overcooked the fish and she let an opportunity slide by her. Chef Ramsay said it is dry and she could have rose to the top and now she is only slightly halfway. Graham asked when it starts getting serious. Up next is Monti, who made a Filet of John Dory with Baby Asparagus and Roasted Almond Sauce. Joe said the Dory is perfectly cooked and she tried to trip you up, but didn't work. Chef Ramsay said her plan didn't work and she nailed it.

 

Next up is Frank, who made Fried Catfish with Eggplant and Coconut Leek Sauce. Graham said he loves the flavors and never thought he could get that out of catfish. Up next is Becky, who made Fried Rock Fish with Celery Root Puree and Chardonnay Sauce. Chef Ramsay said her and Monti were dealt the hardest cards and she nailed a difficult fish, great job. Up next is David, who made Deviled Yellowtail with Aioli Potatoes and Red Cabbage Slaw. Joe said it is completely raw and cold from the ice still in the middle. Graham said you didn't fully understand the ingredient. Tali is next and he made Arctic Char with Green Lentils. Joe said he has consistently disappointed us. Chef Ramsay said he watches him cook and he gets so pissed off. There is no flavor and it is badly seasoned. Tali said the judges are too old school and they can't see the beauty and the genius that is his food...god, he bothers me so much. Get over yourself Tali! The last dish is from Christine, who made Baked Salmon with Rice and Vegetables. Chef Ramsay said the bread crumbs are raw and everything is dry. This dish is her worst performance in the competition. Graham said the salmon are well done and least visually appealing dish she has put up. Joe said it is like you would buy salmon in a can.

 

The judges discuss and the two outstanding dishes are from Monti and Frank, so they will be team captains in next challenge. The three worst dishes of the challenge are David, Tali and Christine. She is asked to step forward and she is safe...thank you! Based on that performance, the judges send home Tali...finally!!! And David is safe yet again.

 

MasterChef airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9/8c on FOX.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

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