Seattle’s ‘Prime Chef’ contestant Shota Nakajima picks his must-have ingredient — and 13 extra native prime cooks share theirs, too

Season 18 of “Top Chef” Premieres April – no joke, the show was filmed in Portland during the pandemic, and Seattle’s own Shota Nakajima is one of 15 new chief testants. Nakajima says the COVID safety protocols, including an initial quarantine and then a pod hotel life, were so strict: “It felt a lot safer than normal life.”

Bravo is arguably just as strict on spoilers, but the producers have given permission to reveal that the first episode features a Quickfire Challenge that required all of the chefs to choose their only indispensable ingredient – a single one that doesn’t want to cook. without it being essential.

Other cast members who are to remain nameless chose Gruyère, apple chutney, butter, and plantains; Nakajima chose kombu. For this reason he thinks it is necessary – and because the top chefs in our hometown are the best, we also asked 13 more of them about their selection of ingredients on the desert island and received answers from various umami boosters about our friends who Microorganisms, all the way to champagne (yes!).

SHOTA NAKAJIMA by Taku (and “Top Chef” candidate of the 18th season): “Kombu – it’s natural MSG with a lot of taste! Japanese cuisine is dashi based, and the classic version of dashi is water, bonito flakes, and kombu. Kombu is dried seaweed, so the salt naturally hardens, leaving a white powdery layer that is the same element as your so-called MSG – and pretty much pure umami too. [There are] lots of fun ways to use it … Some of my favorites are dashi – clear soup broth – with beets or low and slow braised with a sweet, savory soy sauce that turns into a delicious condiment with rice! “

KRISTI BROWN from Communion: “Bragg’s Liquid Aminos – it’s the queen of umami! It flows and can bring flavors together – in contrast to salt, soy sauce or citrus fruits! “

DAVID GUREWITZ from La Dive: “After much deliberation, the ‘ingredient’ I can’t live or cook without is / are microorganisms (eye rolls, I know). Microorganisms are largely responsible for all of the delicious things I like to eat, from coffee to kimchi, yogurt to miso. They also help to preserve food (important on a desert island). If I had to be more specific, I would go for Lactobacillus first (although edible Aspergillus strains are a good argument). “

MELISSA MIRANDA from Musang: “My indispensable ingredient is Johnny’s seasoned salt! It makes everything taste better – the perfect balance of taste and flavor. There is almost nothing that I would not wear. Johnny’s has been an integral part of my family for many years. Everyone I shared it with in the restaurant and among our guests fell in love with it. I brought it into my work as a video host for Bon Appétit because I find it extremely versatile in a wide variety of dishes. And it’s made in Tacoma, so it’s a local brand. “

DRE NEELY of Gravy: “My must-have ingredient is mustard green. I love them because they are so tasty, versatile and available all year round. I love to stew them and serve them with fish. I make a lot of mustard green pesto. And I use them in many different salads – tasty and hot. “

HOLLY SMITH from Cafe Juanita: “I think I would choose Colatura / garum – they do everything better. Salt can be harvested on an island. I suppose I have fruits and fish on the island and maybe a wild boar, some lumpy palm trees? I could hunt and fish … is champagne an answer? It would be sad not to have any champagne. “

MATT TINDER from Saboteur Bakery: “It’s very easy. Meyer lemon. The bowl, the bowl, the juice. I keep it; I preserve it and then I candy it. I make jam out of it, I make jam out of the juice, I kiss the bowl. It’s my favorite … actually I’ll call my favorite pigeon “Meyer Lemon”. ”

SUN HONG by (recently closed but will be baaaaack) Von Tae: “If this isn’t a ‘castaway’ situation with Tom Hanks, the first thing that comes to mind: beef jerky and a pack of cigarettes, definitely . If it’s like the ‘Survivor’ show where you have to make friends: beef jerky and a pack of cigarettes. In case of emergency: cocktail sauce, of course. Everything tastes like shrimp on an island. “

MUTSUKO SOMA from Kamonegi and Hannyatou: “I will have to choose bonito flakes. Bonito is used as the basis of Japanese cuisine to prepare umami in dishes. It’s very versatile and I can use it as is, or I can use it to create dashi that adds layered complexity to a dish without using fat. I could also use it as a set. “

MIKE EASTON from Il Nido: “Mine should be the egg. It’s not just a meal in itself, but an integral part of everything from fresh pasta (obvi) to classic cocktails that are necessary in soufflés and desserts, used as a thickener, as a leavening agent … also be my favorite ingredient. “

WAYNE JOHNSON from FareStart: “Wow, this is a tough job. At first I thought it must be satisfying, like chocolate. Then I thought about what if I was stranded for a long time and I went to the kale because then I could have it when I caught my fish, cook it, cook soup or make kale salad. If you had said article, I should have said: machete. “

LIZ KENYON from Rupee Bar and Manolin: “One object, lonely island. It’s really hard! The first thing that comes to mind is any kind of lovely vinegar – probably specifically a rose vinegar, white balsamic vinegar (I like the sweetness), or a sherry. I really love how clean a lovely vinegar is and how much it adds to everything you eat or drink! It is a very versatile ingredient for savory dishes, sweet desserts or cocktails / mocktails. I also love every kind of cucumber. “

LOGAN COX of Homer and Milk Drunk: “I would say my desert island necessity would be flour ?! If you really are thinking of surviving – assuming the island is surrounded by salt water, could you harvest salt and possibly fish ?! But with just flour you could distill the salt water and make a naturally soured starter and have unlimited bread for eternity (as long as you take care of this starter!). “

TOSHIYUKI KAWAI from Iconiq: “My absolute must for a desert island is a fish called Kinmedai, which is widespread in Japan. It’s an amazing protein. Served raw, it is tender and almost melts in your mouth as it is a fairly oily fish without ever feeling greasy. When cooked in the shell, the shell becomes an almost natural breading, which gives the fish a certain crispness even if it is lightly fried. I don’t serve it in the restaurant very often as I import it fresh from Japan, but the few times we’ve served it this year I’ve been thrilled to see that our guests like it as much as I do. My second choice was butter. “

(The answers have been edited and compressed for reasons of clarity and space.)

Bethany Jean Clement
is a food writer for the Seattle Times: bclement@seattletimes.com; facebook.com/bethany.jean.clement; on Instagram @bethanyjeanclement; on Twitter @BJeanClement.