Squid Ink Tempura Battered Sea Bream, Crushed Minted Garden Peas & Homemade Tartare Sauce
A striking dish to confuse and astound your guests! Super quick, simple and effective. This dish works brilliantly as a starter for your dinner party.
This recipe will make enough for 2 starter sized dishes or perfect as a sharing side! Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 5 minutes.
Ingredients:
1ltr vegetable oil, for frying
2 fillets of sea bream, skinned and cut into slices
2tsp squid ink
55g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
55g cornflour
100ml sparkling water, ice cold
100g garden peas, fresh or frozen
60ml vegetable stock
½ white onion, finely diced
5 large mint leaves
2 egg yolks
15ml white wine vinegar
½tsp Dijon mustard
50ml olive oil, plus a little extra
2 medium gherkins, finely chopped
½ tin of brown anchovies, finely chopped
15g capers, finely chopped
A little parsley, finely chopped
zest and juice of ½ lemon
rock salt, for seasoning
cracked black pepper, for seasoning
Method:
For the Tartare Sauce
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and a little seasoning. Beat this mixture vigorously with a whisk until thoroughly mixed.
Whisking all of the time, gradually add the olive oil. The mixture will thicken into the consistency of a mayonnaise.
Next, add gherkins, anchovies, capers, parsley, lemon juice and zest to the mayonnaise. Season to taste and set to once side.
For the crushed garden peas
In a saucepan over a medium, heat a little olive oil and add the white onion. Fry gently until soft.
Add the vegetable stock to the onions and bring to the boil.
Once boiling, lower the heat and add in the peas.
When it begins to boil again, remove from the heat, add the mint leaves and pulse with a stick blender - the finished product shouldn't be completely smooth, its best left with some texture.
For the sea bream
Pre-heat your deep fat fryer to 170°C (alternatively, you can heat your oil on a medium heat in a pan on the hob - ensure the pan is not filled to the top, leave at least a 2 inch gap, heat to 170°C - if you're unable to accurately measure the temperature, heat for 5 minutes and try a small piece of fish once prepared to test the oil. It is hot enough when the fish has bubbles rapidly forming around it)
In a bowl, add your squid ink, plain flour and cornflour. Mix with a spoon until combined into a paste.
Using a whisk to keep the mixture moving throughout, gradually add the sparkling water (you may not need all of the water, stop when you reach the desired consistency). Whisk constantly until similar to a thin pancake batter.
Gently toss your fish slices in plain flour until lightly covered.
Dip your fish into the batter and shake off any excess then gently place into the fryer (place into the oil as close to the surface of the oil as you can to reduce any splash)
Cook for approximately 4 minutes - the fish will float and have a crispy outer. Once cooked, remove gently and drain on some kitchen paper. Season with a little rock salt and serve.
