A few weeks ago, I detailed my first attempt at doing a version of the television show, Chopped, at home (if you don’t know the television show, I would suggest going to the linked blog post to get a basic idea of what the show is about). Last week, we decided to do a second edition of Chopped at home. Like the first time, there would just be an entrée, and there would not be a time limit.

This time, though, there would be a theme (which I didn’t know until I saw the four mystery ingredients): Jimmy Buffett. As in, each of the ingredients came from a Jimmy Buffett song.

Choppy: my helper for the evening. I'm pretty sure she really just wanted me to drop food for her.
Choppy: my helper for the evening. I’m pretty sure she really just wanted me to drop food for her.
The first of the four ingredients I had to cook with: margaritas. I was not upset at this turn of event.
The first of the four ingredients I had to cook with: margaritas. I was not upset at this turn of events.
The second Chopped ingredient: fish (Swai). As you can see, Choppy was very excited about this particular ingredient.
The second Chopped ingredient: fish (Swai). As you can see, Choppy was very excited about this particular ingredient.
The third Chopped ingredient: Heinz 57 Sauce. I had never cooked with this, or, as far as I knew, even eaten it. Things were going downhill quickly (though, happily, I still had the margaritas to drown my troubles).
The third Chopped ingredient: Heinz 57 Sauce. I had never cooked with this, or, as far as I knew, even eaten it. Things were going downhill quickly (though, happily, I still had the margaritas to drown my troubles). Also, I look crazy in this picture.
The fourth Chopped ingredient: mangoes. I tend to view mangoes as a flavor for a drink, not something to eat. It was the second ingredient I had never cooked with for the evening.
The fourth Chopped ingredient: mangoes. I tend to view mangoes as a flavor for a drink, not something to eat. It was the second ingredient I had never cooked with for the evening.
My Chopped helper has abandoned her toy in favor of waiting for me to give her something to eat.
My Chopped helper has abandoned her toy in favor of waiting for me to give her something to eat.
The final result: Swai with a mango/margarita salsa and a side of French fried potatoes (I kept up the theme with what I made - not necessary, but I thought it was quite clever). For the fries, there were three sauces - a Heinz 57 ketchup sauce, a mango margarita mustard, and a Heinz 57 mango sauce.
The final result: Swai with a mango/margarita salsa and a side of French fried potatoes (I kept up the theme with what I made – not necessary, but I thought it was quite clever). For the fries, there were three sauces – a Heinz 57 ketchup sauce, a mango margarita mustard, and a Heinz 57 mango sauce.
It turns out, the results were excellent. We ate everything (well, not all the sauces. But only because we ran out of French fried potatoes. Not because we didn't want to keep eating them). Success!
It turns out, the results were excellent. We ate everything (well, not all the sauces. But only because we ran out of French fried potatoes. Not because we didn’t want to keep eating them). Success!

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