In the Kitchen with Steve Cataldo

It began as a tequila bar, but when chef and owner Steve Cataldo took the helm, he was determined to make it into something more. And that’s how Blue Agave in Vero Beach came to have its popular Mexican menu.

When Blue Agave opened, Cataldo’s brother was one of the partners. Another partner already had a “Blue Agave” tequila bar in Brazil, and that was where the name and concept came from, Cataldo explains.

“Originally, when this place opened, they had no food,” he says. Due to customer requests, a taco bar was added to the tequila bar, but even so, “the food was an afterthought.”

Steve Cataldo brought a different perspective. “I had been working at chain restaurants all my life.” Now, he was happy to be his own boss yet still be able to put his culinary skills to use. “I made it a little bit more,” he says modestly.

The Mexican menu he developed fit with the tequila bar theme, but it wasn’t something that Cataldo, who hails from Massachusetts, knew when he was growing up. “It was mostly seafood and steak houses there,” he says with a smile. Nevertheless, he educated himself about Mexican food with the enjoyable strategy of “just going to Mexican restaurants and trying different dishes,” along with researching recipes.

Simplicity is part of his strategy, in any case. “You don’t need a big menu, but whatever you’re going to do, focus on it. People become experts by doing the same thing over and over again.”

Among the signatures dishes at Blue Agave is “Mexican street corn.” It consists of corn on the cob with blackened seasoning; the corncob is thrown on a flat-topped stove to cook, and the corn is then topped with guacamole and a dash of cheese. “It’s a very flavorful corn on the cob,” he says.

There are also some fusion dishes. Cataldo prepares mussels in beer and garlic—the beer being a substitute for the white wine used in European-style mussel dishes. Another dish came about when Cataldo was eating an egg roll and decided to try putting an egg roll inside a burrito. The egg roll burrito was born.

Then there’s the “drunken meat loaf.” Cataldo explains: “It’s a regular meat loaf like your grandmother would make, but with black beans, salsa verde, queso dip, and ranchero sauce.” The ranchero sauce combines tomato, garlic, and onions. “We call it ‘drunken’ because of the liquid from the sauces. It’s kind of a cool dish that you don’t really see.” Except at Blue Agave, that is.

Appetizer: Shrimp Ceviche

Although traditional ceviche uses raw seafood, Cataldo uses cooked shrimp. For a creative presentation, he serves this dish in a large martini glass.

Serves 2

• 10 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 tsp. Badia complete seasoning
• 2 cups water
• 4 tbsp. diced tomato
• 2 tbsp. diced poblano peppers
• 2 tbsp. diced yellow peppers
• 2 tbsp. diced red onion
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic spice blend
• 1/2 lime, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. cilantro, diced
• 1 corn tortilla
• 2 tbsp. corn oil

Bring the water to a boil and sprinkle in the Badia seasoning. Add the shrimp and cook until done, about 2 minutes. The flesh should be white all the way through.

Dice the cooked shrimp. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix shrimp with tomato, peppers, onion, lime juice, and Prudhomme spice blend. Pour into a large martini glass and add lime slices to the side of the glass for garnish. Topped with diced cilantro.

In a skillet, heat the corn oil and fry the tortilla, flipping once; it will be done within a minute. Roll the tortilla and stick one end into the ceviche as an additional garnish; it should point up, like a breadstick in a jar. Serve and enjoy as a shared appetizer for two.

Entrée: Scallop Tostada

The use of scallops makes this a distinctive dish that fits with the popularity of seafood in Vero Beach. Cataldo makes his own cilantro-lime vinaigrette, but this ingredient can also be purchased.

Serves 2

• 1/2 cup green cabbage
• 1/4 cup red cabbage
• 1/4 cup carrots
• Cilantro-lime vinaigrette to taste
• 4 sea scallops
• 1/2 tsp. Paul Prudhomme Blackened Redfish Magic spice blend
• 2 tbsp. corn oil
• 1 corn tortilla
• 3 oz. black beans
• 3 slices avocado
• 1/2 tsp. cilantro, diced
• 1 tsp. cotija cheese, grated

Chop the green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrot and combine. Toss in the cilantro-lime vinaigrette and mix to form a coleslaw; continue to add vinaigrette until the coleslaw has reached the consistency you prefer. Set aside.

Rub the scallops lightly with the Prudhomme spice blend. Heat the oil in a pan and sear the scallops for about 4 minutes on each side or until done. Fry the tortilla as well; it will take about a minute.

Place the black beans in the fried tortilla. Add the scallops atop the black beans. Then add the coleslaw mixture. Top that with the avocado slices. Finally, top with diced cilantro and cotija cheese and serve.

Dessert: Crème Brûlée Cheesecake

This ingenious dish combines two beloved desserts, giving cheesecake the caramelized character of crème brûlée. Cataldo does recommend buying the cheesecake used as a base, because it is cheaper to buy than to make. “Not many people make their homemade desserts anymore,” he says, in a quip reminiscent of Yogi Berra.

Serves 6

• 1 cheesecake
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• Ghirardelli chocolate sauce to taste
• Ghirardelli caramel sauce to taste

Sprinkle the sugar all over the top of the cheesecake. Using a culinary torch, brown the sugar; this will create the unique crème brûlée flavor.

The Ghirardelli sauces come in bottles with a fine tip. Add both sauces to the top of the cheesecake, crisscrossing the chocolate and caramel for an elegant presentation.