Baton Rouge native Avery Kyle had a little bit of a leg up on episode two of MasterChef Junior.
The pre-teen chefs were faced with a difficult challenge: shucking scallops. Kyle was the only competitor with any shucking experience. That’s where living in the Bayou State must come in handy, she says.
After the top three chefs from episode one finished a cupcake-icing challenge, all 22 of them were given a quick scallop-shucking tutorial, some sharp knives and an hour-long running clock.
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Kyle says she’s shucked scallops before, but never like these. “They were really alive,” she says. “I think the tendons were still moving.”
The contestants were tasked with removing all of the sand and grit and separating the shellfish without breaking them. Up against the running clock, Kyle says that was the most difficult part and took up at least a quarter of her time.
“The time really does get to you,” the 9-year-old says. “And you’re cooking for some of the best judges in the world, so it can get overwhelming.”
Kyle crafted a savory plate of seared scallops with a green pea puree and a kale and bell pepper salad. Though her dish wasn’t aired on the episode, Kyle says the judges were pleased with her culinary creation. If given more time, Kyle says she probably would have added a cream sauce to the pea puree.
Not every competitor’s shellfish dish went as smoothly as Kyle’s. Her fellow competitor Annabelle, 10, had a tough time opening her scallops. When she finally cracked them open, she overcooked them and Kyle came to the rescue, offering her two leftover scallops.
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Kyle says the most interesting part of episode two was seeing the dishes her competitors came up with.
“I was interested to see what combinations other people made,” she says. “I was the only one who had made scallops before, and it was the same thing I made on the show.”
The remaining 20 contestants—including Kyle—advance to episode three Friday, Nov. 20. The episode airs at 7 p.m. Kyle and her family are hosting a public viewing party at Mellow Mushroom at 6:30 p.m.