Mackerel with barbecued gazpacho consommé and basil
- Starter
- Challenging
- 10
- 1 hour 30 minutes
PT1H30M
Raw slices of mackerel bathe in a combination of basil oil, tomato seeds and a smoky gazpacho in this beautiful recipe from Hélène Darroze. On the side is a little tuile filled with mackerel and tomato, to add some welcome crunch. While there are many elements to this dish, the majority of the work is done in advance, leaving you to slice the fish and bring everything together just before serving.
Ingredients
Gazpacho
- 400g of bull's heart tomatoes
- 70g of piquillo peppers
- 50g of cucumber
- 20g of red onion
- 20g of basil
- 1/2 garlic clove
- sherry vinegar, to taste
- sea salt
- Espelette pepper
Tomato petals and powder
Basil oil
- 120g of grapeseed oil
- 80g of basil
Pastry tubes
- 4 sheets of feuille de brick pastry
- 20g of egg white
Mackerel
- 3 mackerel , large, filleted
- sea salt
- Espelette pepper
To finish
- sea salt
- olive oil
- purple basil leaf , finely julienned into strands
Equipment
- Barbecue
- Blender
- Muslin cloth
- Dehydrator
- 1.5cm metal pipes
Method
1
Prepare the gazpacho at least one day before you plan on serving the dish. Preheat a barbecue
2
Cut the tomatoes, onion, pepper and cucumber into 3cm pieces and cook on the barbecue (using a plancha or tray for them if the pieces are too small to sit on the grate) until well coloured and beginning to char. Set aside to cool
- 400g of bull's heart tomatoes
- 20g of red onion
- 50g of cucumber
- 70g of piquillo peppers
3
Add the vegetables to a blender with the remaining ingredients, blitz until smooth, then transfer to a muslin bag suspended over a bowl or jug. Leave the mixture to pass slowly through the cloth overnight in the fridge
- 20g of basil
- 1/2 garlic clove
- sherry vinegar, to taste
- sea salt
- Espelette pepper
4
The next day, transfer the collected liquid to a suitable container and freeze into a block. Once frozen, place in muslin cloth once more and allow the liquid to drip through, until only colourless ice is left. The defrosted liquid should be very clear and have a very strong flavour. Season to taste
5
To make the tomato petals, blanch the tomatoes briefly in boiling water, then drain and chill immediately in iced water. Peel away the skins and reserve them for the tomato powder. Cut the tomatoes neatly into quarters and remove the seeds and core. Reserve the quarters and seeds separately in the fridge for the garnish
6
Take the reserved tomato skins and spread out on a dehydrator mat. Allow to dehydrate at 50°C until completely crisp (about 12 hours)
7
Meanwhile, make the basil oil. Blitz the basil leaves and oil together in a blender until smooth, then transfer the blended pulp to a saucepan and cook over a high heat for 1-2 minutes, to evaporate any water. Immediately pass through a muslin cloth into a bowl set over ice
- 120g of grapeseed oil
- 80g of basil
8
Preheat an oven to 170°C/gas mark 3.5
9
To make the feuille de brick tubes, place one sheet of the pastry flat on a chopping board, brush with egg white and stick a second sheet on top. Cut into 8x4cm rectangles, then repeat this step with the remaining two sheets until you have a total of 10 rectangles
- 4 sheets of feuille de brick pastry
- 20g of egg white
10
Wrap each pastry rectangle around a lightly oiled metal tube or pipe (roughly 1-1.5cm in diameter) and bake in the oven until golden (around 8 minutes). Allow to cool, then very carefully remove the pastry tubes as they will be quite fragile. Set aside in an airtight container once cool
11
To prepare the mackerel, remove any excess fat from each fillet, then rinse under cold water. Using a pair of bone tweezers, remove the thin membrane-like skin on the outside of the fillets. Removing this should leave the coloured, patterned part of the skin still attached to the flesh
- 3 mackerel , large, filleted
12
Pin-bone each fillet carefully, then cut the fillets into 6mm-wide slices using a very sharp knife, reserving the tail piece and any offcuts to make a tartare for the pastry tubes. Set aside in the fridge
13
For the tartare, cut 10 of the reserved tomato petals into a small brunoise. Take the reserved mackerel trimmings and cut to the same size. Mix the two together and season with salt and olive oil
- sea salt
- olive oil
14
When the tomato skins are fully dehydrated, blitz into a powder using a spice grinder
15
To plate, lay 6 mackerel slices (seasoned with salt and Espelette pepper) flat onto the base of each bowl, and fill in the gaps with the reserved tomato seeds and basil oil. Separate the purple basil julienne into individual strands and arrange randomly on the plate around the mackerel. Pour in the strained gazpacho liquid and season the mackerel with Espelette pepper and a little salt. To finish, fill each pastry tube with a portion of the tartare and dust with the tomato powder. Serve immediately
- sea salt
- Espelette pepper
- purple basil leaf , finely julienned into strands
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Mackerel with barbecued gazpacho consommé and basil
