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The Dish: Peter Serpico

The Dish: Chef Peter Serpico
The Dish: Chef Peter Serpico 03:52

Born in South Korea, chef Peter Serpico was adopted at two years old by an American couple and grew up in suburban Maryland. After culinary school, he had the good fortune to meet his mentor, New York star chef David Chang, and become head chef at Chang's acclaimed Momofuku Ko. His work there won him a James Beard Award. 

In 2013, he stepped out on his own and opened Serpico in Philadelphia. The namesake restaurant won instant acclaim as one of the city's best, with a modern American menu in a comfortable neighborhood setting.

Here are some of Serpico's signature recipes: 

Crab boil

Ingredients

New potatoes (2 or 3 per person depending on their size, cut in half-inch slices)

Salt

Crab boil seasoning (we found Zatarain's liquid, but I'd recommend the dry) 

Live blue crabs (2 or 3 per person)

Corn (an ear per person, halved) 

Kielbasa or other smoked sausage (1/4 to 1/2 pound per person)

Plenty of butter for dipping

Newspapers for covering the table   

Little forks or skewers and claw crackers to get at the crab meat (we used rocks and wood skewers)

Directions

1. Put the potatoes in an appropriately sized pot. Add the potatoes; they should cover the bottom of the pot. Cover them with water by about an inch. Add crab boil seasonings and a few four finger pinches of salt. Put your crabs, corn and kielbasa into the pot with a cover. Put the pot over high heat. Pay attention to when the water reaches a boil; when it does, reduce the heat to medium high. Cook for another 12 to 18 minutes or until the crabs are steamed through.

2. Hold the lid the pot ajar and dump the water, keeping the food in the pot. Upend the pot in the center of a table covered with newspaper.

Short ribs

Ingredients

 ⅓ cup soy sauce  

⅓ cup brown sugar 

⅓ cup rice wine 

1 tablespoon sesame oil 

2 teaspoons black pepper 

¼ teaspoon cayenne or gochujang 

1 medium onion, peeled and quartered 

8 garlic cloves, peeled 

1 small Asian pear, peeled, cored and quartered (or use an ordinary pear or tart apple) 

1-inch chunk of ginger, peeled 

2 teaspoons sesame seeds 

Lettuce leaves 

Sliced red or green hot pepper, optional 

Ssamjang (spicy Korean soybean paste), for dipping, optional 

Steamed rice, optional 

Directions

1. Rinse short ribs in cold water, pat dry and place in a wide shallow bowl. In another bowl, mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, sesame oil, black pepper and cayenne.

2. Put onion, garlic, pear and ginger in the work bowl of a food processor. Grind ingredients to a smooth purée, then add to soy sauce mixture. Add sesame seeds. Thin with ¼ cup water. Pour marinade over short ribs and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Bring to room temperature, drain and discard marinade.

3. Cook short ribs on a hot grill or under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until nicely browned but juicy. Pile grilled meat on a platter and serve immediately with lettuce leaves on the side. Accompany with sliced hot peppers, ssamjang and steamed rice, if desired. 

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