An Elegant and Refined Appetizer
A few weeks ago you read on these pages the recipe for a croton with intense flavor and appeal based on Candy Salmon. The Grill Inspiration of today wants to be the natural counterpart of that appetizer. It is a finger grill made from croaker, a very high-quality sea fish, with lean meats and an elegant and delicate taste, which then pays more to refined plates. Our challenge here is to make it an aperitif, then make it lucious and usable respecting the raw material, exalting without overcome on it.
The idea is to create golden croaker cubes resting on the side of skin made crispy, with a fine top of toasted almonds, butter, lime, mint and thyme. In the mouth the remains the taste of the fish but just enriched with fresh and aromatic notes on the one hand and with a crispy element on the other. All in a single, easy cooking.
Technically this is not anything particularly adventurous: we’ll use a direct cooking at moderate temperatures, with lid. Through a film of oil on the skin we’ll transmit the heat of the device, sautéing on itself. The convection of the lid will help us instead to create the oven effect browning the meat and toasting the top of almonds.
Ingredients (appetizer for 6 people):
1/2 Croaker with skin
200 gr. Butter
40 gr. Almond Flakes
3 Garlic cloves
3 Thyme sprigs
4 or 5 Parsley tuft
10 Mint leaves
2 Limes peal
2 teaspoon od corn starch
Realization:
- The croaker is a fish not constantly availabile of common fishmongers country desks. E ‘therefore very likely that you’ll have to order it and then buy it whole and not filleted. We’ll have to create a recipe in which you can also eat the skin. E ‘therefore necessary to peel it. If you’ve never done, it is very simple: there are special tools on the market but alternatively you can safely use a knife with which to scrape the skin from the tail to the head under running water in a sink. You will see how easily small transparent scales will fall, leaving the fish skin soft and velvety to the touch. The next step is of course filleting the croaker obtaining two thick fillets, of course, leaving the skin on, then cut them into pieces of about 3 cm x 2 cm.
- In a blender combine the leaves of mint, thyme ones, the parsley, the naked garlic cloves and Lime peel, chopping everything to a smooth paste. In case you do not particularly enjoy it, the amount of garlic can be safely reduced to two or even to one clove. Add the chopped matter to the butter that you will let soften at room temperature for about an hour, mixing until completely homogeneous. Reshaped the butter into a cylinder with the help of a sheet of oven paper and place it in the freezer to harden for a few minutes.
- With a drop of water dissolve the cornstarch and soiled the top side of the bites of croaker before sprinkle the almonds over. Let the cornstarch to dry for a few minutes so that it becomes sticky and helps to retain the almonds. Meanwhile heat a cooking device of your liking at moderate heat, so to stabilize with the lid closed at around 170 ° C.
- Put oil on a coffee saucer, take each bite of croaker, lean over the side of the skin and place it on a baking tray. Then remove the butter from the freezer and put a bow of it on each bite. then place the baking tray on direct cooking with the lid closed. You will be surprised of the perfume that in a few minutes it will spread everywhere. The fish will cook very quickly, then wait just long enough to make the butter toast the almonds until golden bites surface. It will take no more than 10 minutes anyway. Remove from baking with the help of a spatula to maintain the integrity of crispy skin. Before serving, you can give a further sprinkling of lime zest.
Pairings:
As usual, when we talk about Finger Grills it is difficult to give any universal pairing, because they are often part of more complex buffet. In general, if we talk about Wine, I would pair a magnificent Franciacorta in the case it is part of larger course and a Falanghina if it is the main dish.
If instead we talk about Beer I would not move away from a nice craft raw Lager.
