Dish description: Peanut dukka-dusted shrimp with charred cabbage, Maldon smoked spring onion, peanut-butter carrots, with peanut tamale, chile corn, browned butter and cilantro oil

Team representative: Nikhil Abuvala, Chef-Owner, Nanbu Noodle Bar, Roux 30a, The Daytrader Tiki Bar & Restaurant, Santa Rosa Beach and Seaside, Fla.

What was the inspiration behind this dish? Describe the peanut-butter carrots and peanut tamale, both intriguing applications.

NA: For this dish, we wanted to highlight how peanuts complement spicy flavors. Many of the ingredients are Mexican-inspired, but we also borrowed some inspiration from Asian cuisine.
For the peanut-butter carrots, we were inspired by the commonality of carrots and peanuts paired together in many Asian salads. For this dish, we smoked the carrots in peanut dust, then created a peanut glaze to pull the dish together. The peanut tamale is perfect example of our original intent. We utilized dry-roasted peanuts and peanut butter to create this unique play on the traditional Latin dish.

What was a takeaway from this event for you?

NA: Overall, I found the content to be incredibly eye-opening, particularly related to the sustainability of the peanut. As new products are developed, the question of sustainable development is an important one, and this is valuable information going forward.