My thought was to find a way to transform all of the mystery ingredients into something that was appealing to both the eye and the palate, and since my cooking style is all about layers, I focused on the avocado first. I decided to make a cream enhanced with cilantro and tomatillo; then it just made sense to run with Latin flavors.

I have made crabcakes in the past using peppers and seasonings that you would find in Mexican cuisine, so a fish cake seemed like a natural fit. Finally, using the cabbage-like structure of the endive seemed like a good foundation for a slaw that would add nice flavor and texture balance to the dish.

My reaction to the mystery ingredients? Sardines. Really? I love most seafood, but sardines have to be at the very bottom of the list.

To me, they are an acquired taste so making it into a cake worked best because you still taste the fish, yet it played well with the other layers of the dish.

My kids really liked the first attempt. However, my wife does not eat any type of seafood so that I could rely only on my kids’ opinions. My son is an extremely finicky eater, and he gave it a thumbs-up. I made the dish a few days later and had my neighbors try it, they both were very impressed and told me that I was a lock to win!

I love creating new dishes and sometimes feel like a mad scientist in the kitchen especially when I get a flavor profile in my head and see it come to fruition. I was explaining to my son the other day that it is kind of like how an artist will see the painting before he ever applies brush to canvas. I am a firm believer that you eat with your eyes as well, and quite honestly, I made a really nice dish.