Recipe by Paolo Barrale: Cod zeppole, carpione gel and tartare
Ingredients for 4 people
- 350g of cod fillet
- 125g of "00" flour
- 125g of rice flour
- 1 egg white
- 5g of salt
- 150cl of very cold sparkling water
- Peanut oil for frying
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 daikon (white radish)
For the carpione gel
- 100g of red vinegar
- 300cl of white wine
- 60g of sugar
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 peppercorns
- 10g of salt
- 20g of celery
- 60g of carrots
- 100g of red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 10g of ginger
- 4g of agar agar
Method - carpione
In a saucepan, combine the wine and vinegar with sugar and bring to a boil. Slice the cleaned vegetables (except bay leaves and peppercorns) and immerse them in the wine and vinegar mixture (they should stay there overnight).
Filter the liquid and weigh it; if the weight is less than 400g, add water. Add agar agar and bring to a boil for a few minutes. Let it cool.
When the mixture is cold, blend it with a hand blender until you obtain a pink-colored gel.
Method - cod
Clean the previously soaked cod fillet and divide it into 4 pieces. Prepare the vegetables and cut them into julienne strips. Place them in ice water before use.
Prepare the tempura batter separately by combining rice flour, "00" flour, egg white, water, and a pinch of salt.
Finally, lightly coat the fillets in the batter and fry them in oil at 170 °C.
If desired, you can further divide the 4 portions of the fillet into smaller pieces, depending on the size you want for the fritters.
Plating
Arrange the fritters on the plate with the carpione gel and the drained julienned vegetables, lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Photographs by Lemon Studio