Stone bass tartare with lemon, shrimp mayo and seaweed crackers

Not yet rated

This stunning stone bass tartare recipe sees the raw fish topped with a star-studded list of accompaniments. Mayonnaise flavoured with prawn shells, tangy lemon pulp, crispy brown shrimp, nutty buckwheat and pretty wasabi tobiko elevate the fish to Michelin-starred proportions. The seaweed cracker on the side offers the perfect textural contrast. Get started on this the day before and all you'll have to do before serving is assemble the dish.

First published in 2019

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Lemon pulp

Shrimp mayonnaise

seaweed crisp

  • 50g of tapioca pearls
  • 450ml of water
  • 10g of seaweed, mixed
  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Method

1
The day before you plan to serve the dish, make a shrimp oil. Place the prawn shells in a saucepan over a medium heat with a few drops of rapeseed oil. Fry until the shells are dark and pink, then crush with the end of a rolling pin. Add the tomato purée, cook out for a few more minutes, then add the 150g of rapeseed oil. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse overnight
2
Make the seaweed crisp mixture the day before, too. Bring the water to the boil and add the tapioca pearls with a pinch of salt. Leave to simmer for 40 minutes, then add the seaweed. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until smooth
  • 450ml of water
  • 50g of tapioca pearls
  • 10g of seaweed, mixed
3
Preheat the oven to 80°C or as low as it will go. Spread the mixture out onto a tray lined with baking paper – you want it to be around 1mm thick. Place the tray in the oven and leave to dry out overnight
4
Make the lemon pulp the day before, too. Bring a pot of water to the boil and blanch the lemon for 30 seconds, then remove and allow to cool slightly. Repeat this process 4 more times (this will remove the bitterness of the pith)
5
In a separate ovenproof pot, bring the water and sugar to the boil then add the lemon. Cover with aluminium foil and place in the oven to gently cook for 6–8 hours, or overnight
  • 100ml of water
  • 50g of sugar
6
The next day, remove the lemon and the seaweed crisp from the oven. Break the seaweed crisp into pieces and set aside. Remove the seeds from the lemon and transfer the mixture (including any liquid) to a blender. Blitz until smooth with a pinch of salt, then transfer to a squeezy bottle
7
Strain the shrimp oil and measure out 120g (any leftover can be used to dress other dishes). Place the egg yolks in a blender and blitz. With the motor still running, slowly drizzle in half the shrimp oil until emulsified, then add the lemon juice, espelette pepper and a pinch of salt. Drizzle in the remaining shrimp oil until a mayonnaise forms, then transfer to a squeezy bottle
8
Preheat a deep pan of oil or a deep-fat fryer to 200°C. Add the pieces of dried seaweed crisp and fry until puffed up and crisp (you may need to do this in batches). Drain on kitchen paper and set aside until ready to serve
  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
9
When ready to plate, heat a little oil in a frying pan over a high heat and add the brown shrimp. Cook until crisp, then drain and set aside
10
Finely dice the stone bass and toss with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Divide between 4 small tins or plates (you can use a chef ring to ensure a neat finish if you’re using plates). Pipe tiny dots of lemon pulp and shrimp mayo over the top. Garnish with the crispy brown shrimp, toasted buckwheat and small spoonfuls of wasabi tobiko. Serve with the seaweed crisps on the side
  • 320g of stone bass, you can also use bream or sea bass
  • sea salt
  • 60g of olive oil
  • 10g of wasabi tobiko
  • 10g of buckwheat, toasted

Pascal Aussignac left France with business partner Vincent Labeyrie to champion 'la cuisine de Gascogne' at his restaurant, Club Gascon, in 1998.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.

You may also like