Brad and Matty Matheson Make Fish Tacos | It’s Alive | Bon Appétit

Bon Appétit Test Kitchen Manager Brad Leone is back for Episode 34 of “It’s Alive.” He’s joined by chef and host Matty Matheson (Muchies, Viceland) to make some delicious halibut fish tacos. With tortillas from scratch, fish from Alaska, and accents from New Jersey and Toronto, this episode has it all.

Be sure to check out Matty’s new book:
http://bonap.it/Jlk2OXa

Out this fall!

Join Bon Appétit test kitchen manager, Brad Leone, on a wild, roundabout and marginally scientific adventure exploring fermented foods and more. From cultured butter and kombucha, to kimchi and miso, to beer and tepache, learn how to make fermented and live foods yourself.

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Bon Appétit is a highly opinionated food brand that wants everyone to love cooking and eating as much as we do. We believe in seasonal produce, properly salted pasta water, and developing recipes that anyone can make at home.

Hey guys today on it’s alive we’re gonna be making a little uh that I don’t seem right Vinny hi hi Brad hey guys hey I’m it’s alive we’re gonna be making a little fish tacos you got a nice little guest with us Matty Matheson guys might know him vice he’s got his

Book he’s got a show he’s got himself myself he’s wonderful perfect human [Applause] So yeah we’re gonna do a little halibut fish taco halibuts really nice comes from Alaska this one does I do believe you can get them on the East Coast two in the Atlantic yeah there’s a bit of cold water deep bottom feeder they get bigger than both of us they don’t make sense

That’s a big boy that’s your big boy so I’ve never made tortillas in my life and I’ve even a lot of people probably know this I I don’t hate on the corn tortilla I just I like a flour tortilla better ooh so this is a really nice opportunity I

Think for we’re gonna Brad chef Brad here did convert me all right we’ll try anything so yeah a little pork fat when you hook that up in the microwave and then salt that’s it that’s all we’re gonna do and then just water and then water let me zap these two things yes all

Right microwave real quick Benny okay all right we’ll do 25 seconds great we’re melting the pork fat all right I’m over here with the masa we’re I’m protecting the masa the fat won’t melt this is you know I think the water taking all the energy from the microwave

I don’t know how things work I don’t really like them chef Mike chef Mike chef my bed I worked in this restaurant my first restaurant job was at this like fake fine-dining restaurant these are microwave a lot of things in it and they would call it chef Mike chef Mike

They’re like head of what the chef Mike like like a rack of ribs oh [ __ ] get the world I was just a dishwasher you know as and how you gonna keep up with Chef Mike so Mike wait is it bubbling boo boo yeah oh yeah we’re liquid oh my goodness

All right so really easy pour salt in salt how much salt dissolve it I measured it for you okay I’ll pull the water in and then I stir yeah okay and it’s it’s a real simple dough so it’s just it starts off a little shaggy and

Then it here you go here yeah then I’m gonna hit it with the fat a little drizzle of fat baby you’re getting that but oh my goodness look at that people have any little fat chisel keep working a little not too wet shouldn’t be sticky should be a nice little ball with a

Little a little bit of mild bounced should we need it do we need it yeah go ahead yeah right in the hands otherwise sometimes it starts to stick a little because of the fat I just he’s get it all nice and incorporated oh you’re a natural look at those hands tortilla it’s so

Nice and warm it’s like hold my Chi like a like a warm diaper just kind of like that you got kids Matty I got I got I got one one baby boy and then I got another I got a girl on the way Oh Congrats yeah I got a baby I got a

Two-year-old boy Wow mine too oh two and four months or some [ __ ] oh you did – turn to a May it’s amazing it’s the best dude and I got another little boy it was boring this name do congratulate look at us dad’s oh ah dad’s own unlike it is

That nice that’s frickin perfect Wow oh I’m going to pop that right there and then we’re just gonna cover it with a little plastic you don’t want you got covered otherwise the oxygen you know oxygen kills everything oh it does it’s funny how it like it gives you so much life literally life

Without and it just ruins everything you peel an apple at the end of day everything dies from everything dies oxidation life give us some take us so just gonna let that sit for about it you know an hour hour and a half you can make this ahead

You can make this a day ahead I like to have to let it rest for like an hour I like to pop it in the fridge I find it’s like a patch a bruise a yeah exactly Bon Appetit so next Vinnie well we’re let’s do the sour cream mix okay get the

Sour cream gone yes go ahead and plop that right in here I’ll get your spoon all right no he’s a pro little lime juice okay stand back make sure it does go in your Hall you matters yeah no right I’ll do one of these matters can I

Do one is a family program what’s this called it’s a citrus juicer does everyone have this at home definitely cuz this is what’s something that you need at home this is something you can get definitely out like a William Sonoma for like this is probably

Like $2,000 I try like 35 okay it’s $35 we mix that up maybe we need a bigger bowl huh no no smaller smaller maybe use like a fork just gonna dry it one get the biggest complete we’re gonna eat it nor’easter this up yeah yeah so we’re gonna fully incorporate the lime juice

Is it already acidic sour cream exactly and that’ll brighten it up a little and it’ll also loosen it up a little mmm what’s that’s fine chef so this is you can get in your supermarkets just just that chipotle in adobo sauce two tablespoons and then here I got some

Some spices and salt a little onion powder a little chili powder what the hell else is in there garlic powder dip this in there you a little taste good yeah let’s find out what you think it needs might be a little spicy a little zing go bingo single be tested

This recipe for sure cuz that’s perfect we’re gonna live boom alright so we’ll throw that over somewhere here Bennett you along for our fish we’re gonna do just a little cornmeal dredge like oh I love a cornmeal dredge mmm and here’s just some spices spices works places do we have

Once again are we replicating the spices there and we’re building the flavors the foundation of this whole taco yeah big-time you know a joy to be out of them some Cayenne because we all have that you’re okay a little more heat yeah onion powder garlic powder chili powder cayenne and some salt

Gotta have are we gonna I want to see something though are we gonna mix that and then add that to this bowl we’re gonna add this to the small bowl neither neither no no this is the season just a fish itself and then just a formula

Because if we were to fry this this would make the cornmeal actually turned dark and not golden right I’m trying to figure this out maybe I’m a professional we did maybe unknown at all I like for your head rubs that’ll maybe do a little a little riff on that I usually just

Season the fish with a little salt okay dredge it dredge it fry it oh and then that’s a little Baja banger no okay then I feel that so maybe we both maybe we do okay fish but cuz you already have salt in here so why don’t you do that and

Then I think if we did that on it and then we put it into the cornmeal okay and then or we don’t we do it your way I don’t know what happening Vince knew Vince knew everything a damn mastermind Chuck don’t get them going please Matt all right matters matters Bilbo all

Right for our next trick here that cut is switch sides this is okay how’s a continuity switch how’s the continuity we switch find new ax T sides this is okay switch I’ll cut up the cabbage and if you want what do you want me to do

Yes they can lace here tell me one chef and I’ll try my best if you’re thin shift knob okay chef it’s shifting on yeah boom boom Oh God he’s on my gene Oh stunt double I don’t know that’ll do man oh man perfect throw that right in

Here and then we’re gonna below them a little bit of some uh some cilantro so this is easiest doing a rough chop yeah and like a sliding but you don’t mince you know bruise so like like a basil a basil a basil well how would you say I

Say I owe ya basil basil I say basil good a little bit of soak a little bit salt is it gonna really bring out a little bit of moisture and what you saw I said to that give a cabbage a little crunchy so those are good let me pop

That I want to mix them at all you’re just gonna leave that so it’s a little more cilantro so equal parts the Lancer two cabbage on this slaw and you don’t mix you just put a bunch of salt on top yeah I mix it I mix it a little okay did

You can see I wasn’t watching that’s okay I was unfocused it’s fine I’m here for you no one’s back this is great let’s do six of these right now all right deal how I do you want to do well we only prizes along you ever hear you know I’ve

Been dying to do it go noodling Oh bro what’s it with the catfish do you know yeah so when I worked at this French restaurant mm like three with me and my friends Michelle and Alison used to call ourselves the Noodlers and we and I’ve never gone noodling but in my heart in

My heart please I have a close connection to noodlin I want to go noodling so why don’t we go bro Appetit no I only fly business class though only does that yeah me too Vince Emirates brought to you by Emirates let’s go fly fishing in Montana

Wait do you guys wanna see is compliant fishing gy z is going space dude you want to see the big man the big boy big boy boner is full Gravlin imma pop this in the city I’m gonna let that chill alright chill out let me get rid of this how’s your arms

Don’t worry about him this is what Vince looks like you don’t want to use a mandolin I’ll get it these are $20 pop and they have taken more lives took my fingertip oh my goodness how many times how many chefs how many chefs have ruin their lives

Shave these down real nice mm-hmm mm-hmm then we’ll start making tortillas I like this you know people think that like TV magic is so you see Brad he is white drop a table there’s nobody coming in there and helping him out no he’s alone he’s alone he’s a long Vince is here

Vince I eat all ventas here this is broken no no it’s perfect oh oh you never used one no but you’re a smart cookie so okay catch test kitchen assistant Gabi main showed me you know I was thinking maybe I’ll practice the sauce yeah yeah no she was like no no no take

A little this is natural yeah and it’s got its own little natural hinge little bone your little ball there all right boom boom put the blanket on nice nice so we’ve been dabbling around for a little while it’s probably been about an hour or so I like to break him and get

This whoa Road Road only one we got them all right so it’s rested it’s nice we got our ball Wow okay nice nice I see not sticking malleable leaving that little Doupe Doupe Doupe dimple but as your work and you want to keep it covered right cuz the old oxide it gets us

There’s this 30 grams one perfect tortilla 30 grams it depends of the asking yes okay 30 great on the nail ooh Wow chef Brad is so great okay now I want to see what’s my gram that looks nice honestly audible to your gut did you see that I reached over I second-guessed

Myself when I see the grammar there I know Oh what is it 34 is it yeah real life that was awesome hey anyone get over here and get this bud could horsing around so lucky I like to push it up you would think right in

The middle but you know they get kick it up just don’t just uh just a hair okay all right and we put the blanket on and off that bad boy huh and then just pause give it a go a pretty good look not too much not too much okay that’s my first

Tortilla I’m gonna take a photo I’m so excited that looks like it’s gonna be dry come on I don’t know it’s too thin we just started yeah that’s too thin I feel we’re gonna cook it anyway okay because Vinnie we want to see we got now they’re kind of like you ready

Yeah they’re kind of yeah they’re kind of like pancakes I don’t like them pancakes too much you don’t like a pancake really but they’re kind of like pancakes the first ones never really the best okay so they tell you you want to just like palm it and kind of just go like that

Maybe a little too thick maybe we should pop it in the fridge for a man I think I just don’t need to press that hard I think I figured it out yeah first one yeah okay so we put it up in the middle we put the fold

Cuz we want a little I think the trick is that you don’t even do it that much you go Oh Marla okay see if you can just flop it and then peel it with your finger and you just go right onto the grill okay we’ll cook that one just for the

Sake go drop her yeah just let her cook and that’s our little burner yeah we’re only gonna get better yeah right is my computer open can you check may be searching email this looks okay she’s the worst she ain’t the best we’re perfectly mediocre over here they

All be a Test Kitchen no no we’re gonna get those things no this is good I think your melon man there’s the first one I’ve ever made we’re gonna get good but we’re gonna I think we even make them like fatter a little fatter and smaller yeah like fatter and smaller almost like

Laying like casados yeah all right you know have you been in casados so and No In LA I’ve never been to LA shut up I swear to God if you like to see us do a taco tour we should go to LA I’m Brad and if you’d like to see me and Matty go to LA for a taco tour PA fans vote I’ve

Never been to LA that’s crazy I never been south of San Francisco where you from New Jersey Hills no Vernon Verde part okay all right Oh buddy so this is chef Brad’s look at Brad’s Brad’s is really nice-looking mine hole all balls and then you want to steam

Them yeah let them hang out under that little towel and then the steam is actually what makes it kind of fluff up oh I tried to do your mind can’t eat this yeah this is like a learned it do whatever you want with that I mean you’re not the best by themselves look

Good no bad it’s the best taco you’ve ever grateful to you ever are my life yeah well that’s stack Vinny get in here buck you’re missing the game you’re the chopper down there piden oh yeah those are good all right so everything let’s go get the fish it’s fish time yeah it’s

Fish time they take a walk the dog walking with me walk Christopher Walken is my office this is it yeah that’s not you got some acorns oh jeez Louise turning the lights off halibut matters matters he already had that on there yeah you already thought of that

Nickname Oh for months what a crazy person sex swing drops yeah so our buddies up from Juneau last Alaskan seafood told him I was making some fish tacos he was like we’ve got to have the halibut I feel like even in Canada a lot of people just use frozen tilapia

Tilapia we’re like no sea bass I mean I like to use what’s in season and stuff but I tell you what especially this way of frying I get that it just comes out like that’s beautiful it just comes out like this beautiful like ocean bomb it’s

It I was very happy very nice hmm yeah maybe we’ll have this this way and then cut she’s perfect all right you don’t want too much you don’t look to me tacos that are like these big like donkeys but I just like a perfect ratio of like shell you want the

Tortilla the the filling balance ya ratios yeah that’s nice boom alright so we’re gonna add some of these we’ll start it off with a small batch we’ll add these boys oh ok sold on hold on yeah here’s about to start just throwing fish in a dry ass corn

Yeah we’re gonna okay and we’re gonna throw them right in here look at this I’ll tell you salt high and above on the internet chef and if you seasoned like a deer down here spot welder go go right into the corn like that that’s pretty

Put that on your cover you could be my official here we’ll go over here okay I’m gonna crank this up a little bit I like to get it up to 400 Vince yeah easy you know it’s a coup don’t wanna be I’m not crazy cover girl that’s pretty much

It will take any sponsors we can get I’ll take makeup lipstick I’ve been saying it for a while I want to bring like I’m in or someone’s probably doing it but like comfortable like dresses for men yeah I think they’re just called dresses I think anyone can wear all

Right into the oil will only fire one in as a sampler Oh always got to do a sampler you know it’s not a big piece of fish so you I really wanted up 400 425 something like that so you know it’s gonna cook quick and you

Want that outside corner to get a little golden everything he’s saying is true true so you can see that nice Bowl join your seasoning no we’re not there I’m gonna drop yeah I’m gonna drop all the rest and look at boys in since we achieved you want to crank the heat

Right now cuz you’re gonna drop the temperature right exactly I already did that but you’re right okay cuz we’re dropping a cold fish into hot oil and you would you know it does drop the oil but these peas are pretty small they’re pretty small that whale is pretty high 400

We’re getting there don’t put your anything ear in that nope yeah I got a story my dad it’s nice yeah it’s beautiful it’s pretty it is and here we’ll go right into this nice little Bowl boom turn that down a skosh oh I did this ahead of time guys but it’s

Just some quick pickled onions it was up there some recipes on bone Appetit comm here’s our little our little Baja banger so I’m seasoning my terrain you know they’re like little freaking fish dicks almost look at the 9 mil nugs excited I’m so hung go yeah me too anything yet

Oh gotta breathing it and then one buck look at that nice on the inside boom tight Ryan yo please go oh my god you know what temperature could even be a little hotter and cooked a little less yeah well that’s low where you’re going

It’s not bad and wait to be jazz it up it’s a little overcooked do a couple samples always with your fish before you go throw in you know cuz it’s not cheap and nor should it be do a sampling one try to get your timing down your temperature because everyone’s situation

Is gonna be a little different let’s face it it’s cooking its life a little smear of the cream first yeah and on there you know just get a nice little pad a little bit of our little slaw we got here okay as much as you want

Or don’t if you want oh my goodness okay and then the fact you do a little bit of red onion on there like that little radish you a couple radishes go crazy if you want and then just a little ah okay oh my goodness we’ll give it a

Little dab of hot sauce Wow why not that was for you this is mine this one I want you to eat I’m gonna try this one okay here we go I’ll get you a napkin mmm Wow well we take it it’s perfect that fresh tortilla you know the fattiness is getting in

It’s not too acidic with the pickled onion right the cabbage all the lime oh I forgot one thing here you save your last bite oh my god your eyes nothing’s dripping nothing came knowing come out oh oh my god I will make another one yeah this is so good

I’m so hungry you know we are really hungry and you don’t even know what’s kind of really going on and everything tastes so good I’m having that moment now yeah we told your manager make sure he doesn’t eat breakfast so that he’s hungry I’m hungry matter what we feed

Him he’ll say it’s delicious how about the corn tortilla you know I’m always such a hater on the corn tortillas I just don’t think I’ve had the right ones these are me actually I’ve had a few really good tortillas I feel bad cuz I’m always like just really

Good fresh tortillas you know you got to be fresh and you can put anything on them Cheers ah cheering food is so nice mmm oh honey we’re gonna make you up is always you know are we done hey brown yeah we make tacos and the one

Oh yeah my book hey Brad write on my book that’s right I run a cookbook yeah got my life handsome guy no that’s me she’s not at tables around my food it’s an idea do you want to look at it it’s filled with recipes oh oh I see you

Stole my tortilla rest yeah yeah my kind of book joke is he’s really it’s just a diary you gotta fill it in you have to fill it in it’s an emotional voyage for you so by a book by two great was a lot of fun ah David thank you that’s a good

Yeah good guy good cry hey kitchen and we’re W New York City and I mean fish tacos brought why we’re on this whole fish thing noodling wanna go nude on I wanna go no no with this guy just cool it yeah that’s it bone a Pillman what

Appetit in that way whatever is it don’t make fun of me it’s a wild thing dude how old are you so literally all day everyone’s just testing and like cooking stuff for the magazine like anything that’s in that magazine is made in this kitchen and it’s made here not only shot you’re

Sometimes they shoot you know everything I mean Chris and these guys behind us they that’s all they do crazy that’s not all they do but they every recipe gets cooked several times and then a fresh pair of eyes cross that’s it right just to catch any last bugs

Okay I’m gonna use this weird cleaver why do you have like a cleaver knife this way you use yeah that’s the go-to Jesus thinks the best wicked sharp edge whatever you found it holds a wicked edge it’s thin who’s that just three fillet yeah gree fillet bad it’s like a

Bench scraper yeah what a great knife yeah we’ll see I love radishes it’s perfectly it is yeah if I was on a desert island it’d be a radish I mean my last meal little salt No