Recipe by Felice Lo Basso: Marinated mackerel with garlic, oil, and chili pepper served with cucumber gazpacho
Ingredients for 4 people
For the marinated mackerel
- 2 mackerels
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 5 liters of still water
- 250 ml of rice vinegar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 shallots
- Herbs and spices (juniper berries, whole peppercorns, garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary, sage) 500 g of brown sugar
- 600 g of fine salt
For the fake mozzarella garlic
- 250 g buffalo mozzarella
- 150 g of semi-whipped cream
- 12 g of fish glue
- 10 ml of milk
- 3 g of kappa
- Salt to taste
For the fake chili pepper
- 400 g of cherry tomatoes
- 2 shallots
- 1 chili pepper
- 4 g of agar agar
For the cucumber gazpacho
- 4 cucumbers
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 green apple
- ½ lemon
Method
For the Mackerel
Eviscerate the mackerels thoroughly, remove the bones, and clean them from seawater. Meanwhile, mix salt, sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest. Then let it rest for 2-3 hours. Reduce 50% of the water with vinegar and herbs, adjusting the salt. Warm the mixture to a temperature of about 40°C and immerse the mackerels, letting them marinate for about 30 minutes. Store them under oil in a cool place.
For the fake mozzarella garlic
Blend the mozzarella with 80 ml of the reserved water. Then strain and add the previously softened and heated fish glue. Let it rest for a few minutes, then semi-whip the cream and add it to the mozzarella mixture, stirring from bottom to top. Adjust salt and pepper and transfer to garlic-shaped molds. Freeze in the negative. Then, in a saucepan, heat the mozzarella water with a splash of milk and a teaspoon of kappa to 70°C. Using a toothpick, dip the fake garlic into the mozzarella and kappa water.
Plate Composition
Compose the dish as shown in the cover photo.