Carrots with smoked trout, mozzarella, wakame seaweed and beetroot emulsion

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This dish from Michael WIgnall requires cooking sous-vide and a fair amount of prep. It is well worth the effort, with the delicious and complex blend of smoky trout, charred carrots and earthy beetroot coming together brilliantly in the final dish.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Chargrilled carrots

Smoked trout

Buffalo mozzarella

Dashi stock

  • 1.5l water
  • 50g of kombu
  • 25g of bonito flakes
  • 60ml of light soy sauce
  • 30ml of mirin
  • 30ml of rice wine vinegar

Wakame

  • 45g of dried wakame
  • salt
  • extra virgin olive oil

Beetroot emulsion

Baked beetroot

To plate

  • 1 punnet micro parsley cress

Equipment

  • Sous vide or water bath
  • Sugar thermometer
  • Muslin cloth
  • Juicer
  • Blender
  • Vac pac maker
  • Small, medium and large vac pac bags
  • Smoker

Method

1
For the carrots, wash and peel the large carrots. Juice in a fruit juicer and pass through a muslin cloth
2
Wash and peel the baby carrots, arranging them in size order
3
Place the baby carrots into medium vac-pac bags with the salt. The small ones together, medium ones together and the large ones together
4
Pour carrot juice into each bag. Cook in a water bath at 82°C for at least 45 minutes
5
The small carrots will be ready first. Take one out and taste it to check if it is cooked. It should be tender and sweet. Allow the larger ones more time and repeat the checking process
6
When all carrots are cooked, remove from the bags and drain off any excess liquid
7
Coat with oil and chargrill in a hot grill pan for 1 minute on each side
  • 20ml of olive oil
8
When grilled, cut the ends off neatly so each carrot will stand up on the plate. Transfer to a cling-filmed tray and keep refrigerated until serving
9
For the smoked trout, combine the sugar and salt. Sprinkle a tray with the mixture and lay the trout fillets on top. Cover with the salt mix and leave, covered in the fridge for 1 hour to cure
10
Rinse the fillets in ice water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Place onto the wire rack of a smoker
11
Spread the hay on the bottom of the smoker and place onto the heat. When smoke appears, put the upper layer of the smoker on with the fish inside and cover with the lid
  • 2 handfuls of hay
12
Smoke for 5-10 minutes, checking after 5 minutes
13
The fish should be medium rare and flake easily. Remove from the smoker. Peel away the skin and using a sharp knife, push away the blood line
14
Flake each trout fillet into 4 pieces. Transfer to a cling-filmed plate and refrigerate until serving
15
Remove the mozzarella from the liquid and put onto a plate lined with a J-cloth. Cover with another piece of J-cloth and another plate, upside down
16
Wrap with cling film and leave in the fridge for 1 hour
17
This process will squeeze excess liquid out of the cheese. Tear the cheese into 16 pieces. Transfer to a cling-filmed plate and refrigerate until serving
18
For the dashi stock, put the water and konbu into a pan and bring to 90ºC
19
Do not boil it or the stock will become cloudy. Remove from the heat, and add the bonito flakes. Leave to infuse for 3 minutes. Strain
  • 25g of bonito flakes
20
Add the soy, mirin and vinegar, then strain through a fine cloth to give a crystal clear consommé
21
To make the wakame, bring the dashi stock to 90ºC in a pan
22
Pour it over the wakame and cover with cling film. Leave for 30 minutes to rehydrate. Season and dress with extra virgin olive oil for serving
  • 45g of dried wakame
  • salt
  • extra virgin olive oil
23
For the beetroot emulsion, peel the beetroot and cut into small pieces. Juice in a fruit juicer and pass the juice though a muslin cloth
24
Transfer 200ml of beetroot juice to a small pan and reduce to 50ml. Add the vinegar and reduce to 40ml
  • 40ml of Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
25
In a liquidizer, combine the reduced beetroot syrup and egg yolk. Slowly drizzle in the oil. The mixture will emulsify and thicken. Keep in a container in the fridge until serving
26
For the baked beetroot, heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4
27
Dress the baby beetroot with the remaining olive oil. Keep at room temperature until serving
28
To serve, using a pastry brush, paint the beetroot emulsion onto the plate
29
Add two pieces of torn buffalo mozzarella and two pieces of flaked smoked trout
30
Spread the wet salt over the base of the tray. Line with aluminium foil. Place the whole, unpeeled beetroot onto the foil, then season with salt, pepper, thyme and most of the olive oil
31
Place another layer of foil over and fold the sides so that the beetroot are enclosed inside like a pillow. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from the foil and peel while still warm
32
Stand up 5 chargrilled carrots on each plate. Sprinkle some wakame around and add two baby beetroot, standing them up. Garnish with parsley cress
  • 1 punnet micro parsley cress

Michael Wignall could have been a professional BMX biker. It was a fortunate day for foodies everywhere when he decided instead to work under legendary Northern chef Paul Heathcote.

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