Here’s the Dish with Executive Chef Lucas Manteca of Quahog’s Seafood Shack
206 97th Street, Stone Harbor • 609-368-6300 • quahogsshack.com • breadandbutterinc.com
Quahog’s Seafood Shack Executive Chef Lucas Manteca was exposed to the restaurant industry from an early age while growing up in Argentina, working in restaurants as a server and line cook. Always looking for adventure, Manteca moved around in his 20s and eventually planted his roots in Costa Rica, where he first went into business for himself in 1998.
“I was surfing and working and living the beach life,” he says. “That was where I met my wife, Deanna [Ebner, an artist/designer], and we stayed there for a while, opened a pizza shop and a bakery there. But after a while, paradise turned flat and we wanted more excitement.”
The couple moved to Miami. Manteca worked as a server and cook, then decided to move to New York and enroll at the French Culinary Institute. He graduated with outstanding honors and was able to work alongside some of the most talented chefs in the industry and form connections.
“We were always traveling and it was a big part of our life at the time,” says Manteca. “But we grew tired of the big city. We’re beach bums, so it was a natural move for us. We opened Sea Salt Restaurant first and Quahog’s a few years after that.”
Quahog’s Seafood Shack opened in 2008 and continues to be a staple in Stone Harbor today. Since that time, Manteca and his wife created the Bread & Butter Company, which includes the duo’s collection of food concepts: The Red Store in Cape May Point, the Taco Shop in Stone Harbor (an extension of Quahog’s Seafood Shack), the Little Store Bakery in Cape May, and most recently a second location for the Taco Shop at the Cape May Airport. Manteca also has partnered with Maria Fox of Pickle Girl Pickles to offer pickles, jams, sauces and more, as well as a partnership with Derrek Thomas of Windy Acres Farm to create Cape May Sea Salt Company.
“I’m a projects guy. Whatever is not here, I will try my best to create it,” Manteca says. “I want to open doors and create opportunities and I would really like to see this area evolve with food. When a project feels exciting, we get the sources we need and we go for it. It creates job opportunities for young kids, involves us within the community and you can never replace the feeling you get when you make people happy and see people happy while eating your food.”
Manteca enjoys spending the little window of free time he has with Deanna and their daughter, Catalina. He also enjoys surfing and body boarding, and is hoping to get more involved with boating. Customers can look forward to the next project that Manteca has up his sleeve.
“I want to keep growing on the beach,” he says with a smile.
Q&A
What are three ingredients that are “must haves” in your kitchen?
Cape May Sea Salt is always my “must have” in any of my kitchens, including at home. Also, olive oil and fermented chilies.When you cook at home, what’s your specialty?
Anything on open fire, Jersey corn, Jersey squash, Jersey scallops, all charred over a wood-burning grill.Your favorite comfort food is (and why)?
Argentinean-style barbecue. It reminds me of home.If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?
I would like to be one of those guys that drives a tractor sweeping the beach in the morning.What is your favorite meal?
It really depends on the day, my mood, the weather, or the company. There are a lot of factors that make a good meal; the type of food is just one more ingredient for the perfect recipe.Describe your dream kitchen.
I actually have it in the back of my restaurant. It’s surrounded by gardens, tons of windows looking out into the wildlife and the best part … it’s air-conditioned.
A Recipe from Quahog’s Seafood Shack: Casado
The Beans:
2 cups dry black beans
1 white onion
3 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 chili pepper, such as Chile de árbol
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 quarts water
Salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in stainless steel pot, bring to boil, then simmer. Cook until beans are tender. Take a cup of the cooked beans and put them in a blender purée. Pour purée in with the cooked beans, mix in. Beans should be creamy.
The Rice:
2 cups of rice
1 white onion diced
3 garlic clove minced
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste.
In a medium pot, heat oil at medium heat. Sweat the garlic and onion for about a minute until tender. Add the rice and slightly toast it until rice grains are translucent, then add water and seasoning. Bring to a boil, lower to low heat and cover. Cook until water is completely evaporated and fluff the rice with a fork.
The Blacken Spice:
1½ tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Mix all the spices and ready to go.
Caramelized Fried Plantains:
2 ripe plantains
1 quart blended oil
Salt and pepper
In a heavy skillet, place the oil, turn heat to high. If you have a high-heat thermometer, the ideal frying temperature for plantains is 325 F. Once the oil is hot, add the plantain and cook on each side until golden brown and soft. Place them on paper towels to drain the grease excess, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Lizano-Style Costa Rican Salsa:
1-2 dried chilies, such as guajillo
1½ cups water
½ small yellow onion
1 4-inch piece thick carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon unflavored vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons fine salt
2 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoons all-natural powdered vegetable broth base, optional
Remove the stems of the chilies and then slice the chilies in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and fibrous connective material attaching the seeds to the chilies. Preheat a 6-8-inch cast iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium heat. Lay the chile pieces in the pan and toast, turning after about 2 minutes. Add the water and lower the heat to bring the water to a simmer. Simmer for about five minutes. Remove the chile pieces from the pan and place in blender. Measure out 1 cup of the chile-infused water and add this to the blender with the chilies.
Add the onion, carrot, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, molasses, bouillon if using. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning.
Sauce will keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Cooking the fish:
Buy fresh flounder from local vendor; about 8-ounce filet per person will do it. The beauty of flounder is that is ready to go after being filleted. Dust the fish on both sides with the blacken spices; place a cast-iron skillet on high heat with a little oil, enough to coat the pan. Place the fish in the pan and cook one side until blackened but not burned; a little burn color will appear. Once you brown the presentation side, flip the filet, add a dollop of butter, crush a garlic clove with skin and baste the fish with that flavored hot butter for about 20 seconds. Squeeze half a lemon on the fish and keep basting for another 20 seconds; by that time, fish should be completely cooked.
Presentation:
Place the fish filet on a large platter, mix equal parts of rice and beans, and place in small bowl or cup, pressing the mix slightly, and then unmold on the plate, right next to it three slices of plantains and a side of homemade lizano sauce.
