Now that the June gloom that actually started in April finally — finally! — left last month and summer is truly under way, outdoor entertaining is also in play.
If you’re keen to impress guests with appetizers that both serve as a delightful introduction to your party and can be prepped in advance so you can spend time with your guests, we have a couple that come straight from the reconceived kitchen of The Marine Room, in La Jolla.
The creator of these apps is executive chef Mike Minor. In 2021, after chef Bernard Guillas’ retirement, Minor became executive chef of the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club culinary program, which includes The Marine Room, as well as The Shores, Club Dining and catering events. Minor has shaken things up at The Marine Room, especially its Lounge, which debuted in September 2022. Both the decor and the menu take inspiration from the ocean just on the other side of the windows. A palette of blues and turquoise, including glass mosaic-topped tables, is the setting for dishes of small bites and craft cocktails. Minor complements that influence by using ingredients that are as local as possible.
Executive chef Mike Minor of The Marine Room adapted recipes for home preparation from a dynamic small-plates menu he implemented at the Lounge. He leads the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club resort’s entire culinary program.
(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Minor came to San Diego from Las Vegas, where he grew up and began restaurant work. He was a prep cook for Wolfgang Puck as a teenager and eventually met the “Two Hot Tamales,” chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken.
“I worked for them for 16 years as their executive chef, where I ran all their restaurants and we traveled through Mexico, eating and studying the country and culture,” he said. “Susan’s like a second mom to me. They really took me under their wing, and Susan taught me everything I know today. I’ve taken some of that and implemented (it) here in The Marine Room.”
Minor is rocking new flavors from Japan, Morocco and Spain at the Lounge — with small dishes that include tender Spanish Octopus with smoked cauliflower puree; luscious Surf & Turf bites of Hokkaido scallop, Kurobuta pork belly, caviar and bacon whiskey jam; Dry Aged Bluefin Tuna Carpaccio; and Moroccan Lamb Lollipops.
The latter two appetizers have been modified here by Minor for home cooks to create. You’ll notice that there are a lot of ingredients in the lamb dish and perhaps some unfamiliar ones in the tuna dish, but you’ll be surprised at how easy the ingredients are to find (think Japanese markets and Specialty Produce, a local wholesale distributor that also sells retail) and how simple the dishes are to prepare.
Minor’s Local Bluefin Tuna Carpaccio is a dish that’s a delightful little bit of this and a little bit of that in layers that create surprising punches of flavor in each bite. And if you don’t feel inclined to use all of the spices and oils he included, you don’t have to. Find your own inspiration.
The small amount of prep for this dish starts by mixing equal parts shichimi togarashi and furikake. Shishimi togarashi is a spicy Japanese condiment that has seven ingredients. Although the mixture can vary, depending on who produces it (and it’s certainly something you could make yourself), it always includes red chile pepper, citrus peel, seeds (mine has black and white sesame seeds), and nori. It’s great to have in your spice rack to sprinkle on ramen, season cooked rice and vegetables, or use as a rub for chicken or fish.
Furikake is another dry Japanese condiment, usually combining dried fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar and salt. Typically, it’s sprinkled on cooked rice, vegetables and fish.
With those two condiments mixed together, you’ll then mix yuzu juice, from the aromatic citrus fruit, into sea salt.
Then, it’s time to slice the raw tuna. Be sure to buy the loin from a purveyor who has very fresh seafood and pack it in frozen ice packs to keep it cold. Minor said you can buy it the day before.
“The whole idea behind this is keeping it bright red and beautiful.”
Buy the freshest tuna loin you can find for the bright red color. Use a sharp knife to slice it, avoiding the need to saw back and forth while cutting.
(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
To slice the tuna, use a very sharp knife so you can avoid sawing back and forth. The goal is to cut once or twice for each thin slice.
“When you start sawing is when you start having problems,” Minor explained. “The fish will start falling apart on you.”
Starting from the outside, you’ll place each slice at the end of the previous one, working toward the center, to create a circle that by the end looks like a pizza.
Then layer the rest of the ingredients with a light hand, following the recipe. This is a dish you can prepare earlier in the day or even the day before you serve it.
Minor’s Grilled Moroccan Lamb Chops are perfect for a balmy evening. He has five components for this dish, along with the lamb, but each are easy to make and can be prepped in advance. For the tzatziki, you simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate it.
The red beet horseradish cream requires cooking the beet — just rub a cleaned beet with olive oil, wrap in foil and roast for about 50 minutes, cool, and then peel the skin. Then you’ll puree it and mix with the rest of the ingredients, then refrigerate it.
The pistachio almond crunch involves roughly chopping the nuts, then toasting them briefly in a skillet with the spices and setting aside.
For the mint chimichurri, mince the mint and parsley and combine them in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and set aside.
Finally, there’s the Moroccan spice mixture. Just combine them in a bowl. If you want to make a paste, add a little coconut oil and mix with the spices.
Grilling the lamb takes just minutes. The only prep you need to do as the grill heats up is to slice the rack of lamb between the bones into individual chops and scrape off whatever fat and meat is on the bones below the meat. Then you’ll either spray each chop all over with coconut oil and dip into the spice mixture, or slather each lollipop with the spice paste. The lamb lollipops are now ready for cooking. Grill on medium-high heat for just 2 minutes on each side — and to keep the spices on the meat, don’t move the chops until you’re ready to turn them.
At this point, you can serve the chops to each guest with the tzatziki and crunch on top, and place bowls of the red horseradish cream and chimichurri on the table for each guest to serve themselves. An alternative is to create a serving platter with a swath of tzatziki spread across the dish onto which you’ll artfully place the chops. Pour the red horseradish cream into a squeeze bottle and drop different size drops on the plate, spoon the chimichurri over the lamb, followed by the crunch, and top with the remaining dill fronds.
Toppings of shallot, truffle, ginger crystals, lemon zest and microgreens add surprise punches of flavor to Local Bluefin Tuna Carpaccio. Shards of blue “coral lace,” used solely in the restaurant’s plating, add texture.
(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Local Bluefin Tuna Carpaccio
Makes 2 to 3 servings
1 teaspoon shichimi togarashi (spicy pepper mixture)
1 teaspoon furikake (dry condiment)
1 cup sea salt
1 teaspoon yuzu juice
1 pound fresh local bluefin tuna loin, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon truffle oil
1 tablespoon ginger crystals
1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fermented garlic chili oil
3 large slices of truffle
1 teaspoon smoked shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
½ teaspoon lemon oil or lemon zest
Mix together togarashi and furikake. Add yuzu juice to sea salt and mix.
Starting from the outside and working in, place tuna slices in a circle like a pizza.
Overlap the slices of tuna in a circle so they end up looking like a pizza. Layer on the other ingredients, including the shallot rings.
(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Start topping the tuna with the rest of the ingredients. Drizzle the tuna with truffle oil. Then sprinkle with the shichimi togarashi-furikake mixture. Over that sprinkle the mix of salt and yuzu juice, followed by scattered pieces of ginger crystals. Then place shallot rings, followed by drops of chili oil. Truffle slices are strategically placed next, a drizzle of smoked shoyu and either lemon oil or lemon zest.
If you like, you can garnish with micro herbs or flowers as well. The point is to have fun with this and make it your own.
It only takes a few minutes to grill the lamb chops, which are coated with a Moroccan spice mixture for ultimate flavor.
(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Grilled Moroccan Lamb Chops
Makes 2 servings
FOR THE TZATZIKI:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced (save a couple of fronds for garnish)
1 Persian cucumber, very small dice
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Zest of 1 lime
Pinch of white pepper
Pinch of sea salt
FOR THE RED BEET HORSERADISH CREAM:
1 large beet
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon canola oil
¼ cup Atomic horseradish or other brand of plain grated horseradish
FOR THE PISTACHIO ALMOND CRUNCH:
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw pistachio nuts
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
FOR THE MINT CHIMICHURRI:
1 cup fresh mint
1 cup fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chile flakes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE MOROCCAN SPICE:
¼ cup ground cumin
¼ cup ground coriander
¼ cup Hungarian paprika
⅓ cup ground nutmeg
⅓ cup ground cardamom
⅓ cup ground allspice
1 pinch ground clove
⅓ cup ground ginger
⅓ cup ground cinnamon
Coconut oil (optional — enough to make a paste)
1 rack of lamb
Coconut oil to rub on lamb if not mixing with the Moroccan spice
When ready to plate, first spread the tzatziki sauce on a serving dish.
(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Make the tzatziki: Mix together all of the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the red beet horseradish cream: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Clean and then rub olive oil on the beet, then wrap in foil and roast for 50 minutes. Check periodically to make sure it’s not drying out (if so, dribble a little water over the beet and rewrap). The beet is done when a skewer slides into it easily. Let the beet cool until you can peel it.
Puree the beet until smooth. Place in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the pistachio almond crunch: Roughly chop the nuts, then toast them in a dry skillet with curry powder, cinnamon and salt for 10 minutes.
Place the lamb lollipops on top of the tzatziki, then spoon on the chimichurri sauce, followed by the pistachio almond crunch. Squeeze dots of the red horseradish cream sauce from a squeeze bottle for an artful look.
(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Make the mint chimichurri: Mince the mint and parsley. Add them to a bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Set aside until ready to serve.
Make the Moroccan spice: Simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. You can also add coconut oil to make a paste.
Prepare the lamb: Start the grill, oil the grates, and let it heat up. If you don’t have a grill, heat a large skillet and add coconut oil. Cut between the bones of the rack and scrape off whatever little fat and meat on the bones below the meat to make lollipops. If you aren’t making a paste, spread the Moroccan spice on a plate. Spray or rub coconut oil on the lamb and dip each lollipop into the spice mix. If making a spice paste, slather each lollipop with that.
Place each lamb chop on the grates and grill on medium high heat for about 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Sear the lamb in the pan for the same time. Don’t move the lamb until you’re ready to turn to keep the spices on the meat.
To plate, spread the tzatziki across a serving dish. Place the lamb lollipops on top of the sauce. Sprinkle the crunch on the lamb and tzatziki and serve the red horseradish cream and mint chimichurri on the side. Alternately, you can place the red horseradish cream in a squeeze bottle and artfully squeeze drops of different sizes on your serving plate, then spoon the chimichurri on the lamb chops, topped by the crunch. Place the remaining dill fronds over the lamb to serve.
Recipes by Mike Minor.
Golden is a San Diego freelance food writer and blogger.
