Escabeche-Style Fish | Enrico Crippa

Ingredients for 4 People

For the Fish

• 500 g of fresh mackerel
• Salt to taste
• Oil to taste
• Fennel pollen powder to taste
• Sugar to taste

For the Onion Glaze Base in Escapeche

• 200 g of white onion
• 200 g of Escapeche base
• 50 ml of water
• Olive oil to taste
• 35 g of dried sultana raisins (soaked in water for 12 hours)

For the Onion Glaze in Escapeche

• 200 g of the onion glaze base in escapeche
• 1.4 g of kappa carrageenan

For Plating

• Parsley puree (lightly seasoned with salt and oil) to taste
• Squid ink to taste
• Saffron-infused water to taste
• Puffed quinoa to taste
• 4 edible gold leaves
• 4 salted nori seaweed sheets (3 cm x 3 cm in size)

Preparation

For the Fish

Rinse the mackerel thoroughly, fillet it, and remove the bones carefully. Coarsely chop the mackerel fillets.

Place the chopped mackerel in a bowl and season with salt, oil, sugar, and fennel pollen powder.

After seasoning, make mackerel meatballs, using plastic wrap to help shape them. Each meatball should weigh about 40 g. Let them rest in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Steam them in an oven at 65°C for 8-10 minutes. Once cooked, rapidly cool the meatballs to -20°C. When completely cold, carefully remove the plastic wrap and skewer them with a pin, keeping them at -20°C.

For the Onion Glaze Base in Escapeche

Wash, peel, and thinly slice the onions. Cook them in a skillet with a little extra virgin olive oil, lightly salting them, until softened but not colored. Add the escabeche base and water.

When the onions are well cooked, blend them with the slightly squeezed sultana raisins. Strain through a fine sieve and set aside.

For the Onion Glaze in Escabeche

In a pot, combine 200 g of the onion glaze base in escabeche with 1.4 g of kappa carrageenan and bring to a boil.

For Glazing the Meatballs

Reheat the glaze, warming it just enough to make it fluid, and gently dip the meatballs into it to cover them completely. Place the meatballs on a tray, allow the glaze to set, and repeat the glazing process a second time.

Plating

On a rimless plate, spray some squid ink and saffron-infused water. Drip some parsley puree and lay the glazed fish on top, placing it on a bed of puffed quinoa.

Top with an edible gold leaf and a piece of salted nori seaweed.

Reporter Gourmet- The Editorial Team 
Photos by Lido Vannucchi