Foodie Friday: The Candied Yam
SALISBURY, Md. – If there are two things that people on the Peninsula are experts on, it’s good food and making perfect strangers feel like family. And you’ll find a masterclass on hospitality and good eats at The Candied Yam in Salisbury.
An Elevated Classic
Executive Chef Victor Subervi starts this tasty menu tour with an elevated shrimp and grits.
“We use very big shrimp; 13/15s. We don’t use the 16/20s like most people,” said Chef Subervi over the shrimp sizzling away in the pan. “Little bit of Cajun seasoning.”
Also added, cherry tomatoes, and a generous dripping of collard greens juice. “The juice has all of that flavor from the bacon and the ham hock,” explained Chef Subervi. “And, it helps simmer up the shrimp a little bit.”
Imperially Delicious
And while the grits fluff up, Chef Subervi makes progress on a mouthwatering offering: a chicken imperial.
“It’s [chicken breast stuffed with] asparagus, smoked gouda, some roasted red pepper. But, before they go in the oven, we are going to stuff them with crab imperial.”
It’s not long until those beauties are browned to perfection, served over seasoned sautéed potatoes, and topped with even more crabby deliciousness.
Full Bellies, Happy Hearts
“The crab imperial just brings so much richness,” Foodie Photog Mike said.
“The crab meat is jumbo lump, so the chunks are nice and big,” added Foodie Host Hannah Cechini. “The chicken is really tender. I also love all the vegetables that are in here, too. They bring these really nice roast-y elements to the dish.”
The shrimp and grits: equally as scrumptious and capable of keeping you from going hungry. “It’s almost like these shrimp went to the gym,” Mike laughed, marveling at the size of them.
“The shrimp is really tender, and it’s also really well-seasoned. It has a really wonderful spicy note over top of everything,” Hannah added. “The grits are buttery and cheesy, and just warm. It’s comfort food. But, it’s also elevated in a sense because you’ve got all of these awesome, fresh ingredients going on. Honestly, you could just give me a plateful of the grits and the collard greens, and I’d be perfectly happy.”
Super Scrumptious
And, the Foodie Friday team got to end things with an unexpected, but delightful twist. Of course, we get spoiled on this segment. But, sometimes we arrive in the middle of something delicious being whipped up that we don’t get to try.
This time was different – and it was mind blowing: a flash-fried white chocolate bread pudding.
“There is something so comforting about the simplest flavors taken to the highest level,” said Mike. “The white chocolate really is just elevating a little bit of that sweetness that you would get from the custard already. This is both crunchy and gooey, which I think is another time when cooking feels a little bit like wizardry. Hannah and I just decided: there is no doubt in our minds that the bread pudding is going to enter the Clean Plate Club.”
And, it was.
The Candied Yam
The Candied Yam is located at 733 Roland St, Salisbury, MD 21804. You can call them at 443-978-8061. If you go to check it out, tell the team that you saw them on Foodie Friday.
