Eel tempura with smoked lardo sauce, vinegar jelly and onion ice cream
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Francesco Bracali harnesses the firm flesh of the eel in this tempura recipe, matching it with a light and crispy batter which is deep-fried to crunchy perfection. Served with a heady smoked lardo sauce and the refreshing hit of a red onion and orange ice cream, this intricate dish shows off a complex balance of flavour and texture.
First published in 2016
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Eel
Red onion ice cream
- 300g of red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 orange
- 60g of caster sugar
- 50g of white wine vinegar
- 75g of cream
- olive oil, for frying
- salt
Polenta and sesame crisp
- 150g of polenta
- 5 tbsp of black sesame seeds
- 400g of water
- vegetable oil, for frying
Vinegar jelly
- 200g of water
- 100g of sugar
- 100g of white wine vinegar
- 3.8g of agar agar
Smoked lardo sauce
Tempura batter
- 1 egg
- 200g of plain flour, kept cold in the fridge, plus extra for dusting
- 250ml of sparkling water, kept cold in the fridge
- vegetable oil, for frying
- salt
To serve
- 1 courgette, finely diced
- 1 handful of raisins, cut in half lengthways
- 6 slices of guanciale
- balsamic vinegar
- edible flowers, (optional)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Blender
- Pacojet
- Steam oven
- Dehydrator
- Deep-fryer
Method
1
Begin by preparing the red onion ice cream. Peel the whole orange with a sharp knife, making sure the peel is clean of any of the bitter white pith. Discard the orange and julienne the peel
- 1 orange
2
Bring a small pan of water to the boil and blanch the strips of peel for a few seconds. Drain, then repeat twice more to soften and remove any residual bitterness from the peel
3
Add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan and place over a medium heat. Sauté the sliced onion for 5 minutes until softened, then add the sugar and allow to caremelise. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and cover with a lid. Turn the heat down low and cook for 20 minutes
- olive oil, for frying
- 300g of red onion, thinly sliced
- 60g of caster sugar
- 50g of white wine vinegar
4
Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the orange strips and cream. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until smooth. Pass through a sieve into a Pacojet container and place in the freezer overnight
- 75g of cream
5
To prepare the eel, remove the head with a sharp knife and place the eel on its side. Cut along the backbone and slice down the centre of the eel (parallel to the backbone) to portion into 2 fillets
- 1 eel, about 700g, skinned, gutted and cleaned
6
Preheat a steam oven to 80°C
8
For the polenta and sesame crisp, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl to create a paste. Thinly spread spoonfuls of the mixture out across a silicone baking mat (or a tray lined with baking paper) to a thickness of 2mm
- 150g of polenta
- 5 tbsp of black sesame seeds
- 400g of water
9
Place the tray in a dehydrator set to 70°C and allow to dry out for 2 hours
10
Meanwhile, make the vinegar jelly. Add the sugar and 100g of the water to a pan and place over a medium heat. Stir together and cook for a few minutes to create a syrup, then add the vinegar and remaining 100g of water and whisk in the agar agar
- 200g of water
- 100g of sugar
- 100g of white wine vinegar
- 3.8g of agar agar
11
Bring the mixture up to the boil, whisking continuously, then remove from the heat and pour into a tray to create a thin layer, about 2mm thick. Transfer to the fridge and allow to set
12
For the smoked lardo sauce, add the chopped garlic, shallots and rosemary to a pan with a little olive oil. Place over a medium heat and sauté for a few minutes until the vegetables are softened
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp of chopped rosemary
- extra virgin olive oil
14
Bring everything up to the boil and remove the pan from the heat. Blend together to combine, then pass through a sieve to ensure the sauce is completely smooth. Season to taste and keep warm until ready to serve
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
15
When the polenta crisps are fully dried, peel off the baking tray and break into pieces. Pour 1cm of oil into a deep pan and place over a high heat. When very hot, quickly fry the pieces of polenta until they puff up and become crisp. Drain any excess oil on kitchen paper and set aside
- vegetable oil, for frying
16
After steaming, allow the eel fillets to cool and use tweezers to remove any visible bones. Cut the fillets into 12 equal-sized rectangles and set aside ready for the tempura batter
17
Preheat a deep fryer to 180°C
18
To make the tempura, mix together the egg, cold flour and sparkling water to make a lumpy batter. Roll the eel portions in a little flour then dunk in the batter, ensuring they are evenly coated
- 1 egg
- 200g of plain flour, kept cold in the fridge, plus extra for dusting
- 250ml of sparkling water, kept cold in the fridge
19
Once fully coated in batter fry the eel pieces for a few minutes until golden and crisp. Place the fried fillets on kitchen paper to drain any excess oil and season with salt
- vegetable oil, for frying
- salt
20
To prepare the garnish, heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and add the diced courgette. Sauté for a few minutes until softened slightly but still a vibrant green, then stir through the sliced raisins and set aside
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 courgette, finely diced
- 1 handful of raisins, cut in half lengthways
21
Heat a large, dry frying pan over a low heat and stretch out the slices of guanciale across the pan. Place a layer of baking paper over the top, weighing it down with something heavy to keep the slices flat as they cook
- 6 slices of guanciale
22
Once crisp on the bottom, turn the slices over and repeat on the other side. Remove and drain any excess oil on kitchen paper
23
Just before serving, churn the onion ice cream in the Pacjet until set and smooth
24
To serve, pour some of the smoked lardo sauce into each serving dish then create a line of the courgettes and raisins alongside. Place 2 pieces of the tempura eel on the sauce, then cut rectangles from the set vinegar jelly and balance on top
25
Finish with a scoop of the onion ice cream and a piece of crispy guanciale. Add a polenta crisp to the plate and garnish with dots of balsamic vinegar and edible flowers
- balsamic vinegar
- edible flowers, (optional)
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