Pino Cuttaia combines three punchy flavours of the sea in this creative starter, with fresh anchovies, squid ink and tuna bottarga complemented by lightly pickled onions, tomato and parsley.
To begin, prepare the pickled onions. Prepare a mixture made of 50% of white vinegar, 50% of seawater and stir in the sugar
sea water
white wine vinegar
1 tbsp of brown sugar
2
Cut the onions into rings – not too thinly – and marinate in the mixture for 3 hours
1 red onion
3
Clean the anchovies, cut them into strips then rinse under running water. Align on a plate and cover with a mixture of vinegar and seawater (half and half). Leave to marinate for 30 minutes
For the cuttlefish ink, place the bags of cuttlefish on a tray (covered with greaseproof paper) and dry in a convection oven at 60°C for 30 minutes. Pulverise before serving
For the bottarga mayonnaise, cut the bottarga into cubes and mix with the boiling water. Blend with a hand blender for 1 minute, then add the oil a little at a time until you obtain a smooth mayonnaise-like consistency. Pour into a piping bag and set aside
40g of tuna bottarga
35g of mineral water, boiling
75g of extra virgin olive oil
6
To serve, drain the anchovies and divide between plates. Cover with cling film and press to create an even layer of anchovies
7
Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the inside part with a spoon, placing it next to the anchovies. Add some onion rings and a pinch of chopped parsley
As a die hard Sicilian through and through, Pino Cuttaia’s cooking is a celebration of everything good about the island’s food. His personal interpretation of the region’s famous dishes has made his restaurant La Madia a bastion of Sicilian cuisine.
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