Sicilian raw and cooked red prawns, crispy amaranth, Taggiasca olive oil and beetroot sorbet
Item 1 of 1
- 10
- 2 hours
This elegant starter from Andrea Berton uses one of the Mediterranean's most prized ingredients – red prawns. Try and source Taggiasca olive oil if you can as this small Italian olive brings a mild, sweet fruitiness to the starter evocative of the sunnier climates in which it is grown.
First published in 2016
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Prawns
- 20 red prawns, 70–80g
Beetroot sorbet
- 500g of beetroot juice
- 500g of blood orange juice
- 250g of orange juice
- 60g of egg white
TPT syrup
- 65g of water
- 43g of glucose
- 30g of sugar
Amaranth
- 125g of amaranth grain
- 500ml of vegetable stock
- 1l extra virgin olive oil, preferably Taggiasca olive
Shellfish jelly
- 20 red prawns, weighing 80g
- 150g of spring onions, finely sliced
- 30g of fennel fronds, chopped
- 10g of marjoram leaves, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1kg tomatoes, roughly diced
- 30ml of extra virgin olive oil, preferably Taggiasca olive
- 100g of prawn roe
- 10g of iota carrageenan
Extra virgin olive oil emulsion
- 100g of water
- 1g of sucrose ester
- 2 gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water
- 150g of extra virgin olive oil, preferably Taggiasca olive
- 2g of glice
- 3g of flaky sea salt
To serve
- lemon balm cress
- 1 dash of extra virgin olive oil, prefereably Taggiasca olive
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Pacojet
- Dehydrator
- Thermometer
- 8cm cutter
- Blender
- Muslin cloth
Method
1
For the beetroot sorbet, begin by mixing all the juices and egg whites together
- 500g of beetroot juice
- 500g of blood orange juice
- 250g of orange juice
- 60g of egg white
2
Prepare a TPT syrup by mixing the water, sugar and glucose in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Take off the heat, leave to cool and whisk into the combined juice mixture. Pour the resultant mixture into a Pacojet container and freeze overnight
- 65g of water
- 43g of glucose
- 30g of sugar
3
Preheat the oven or dehydrator to 80°C
4
For the amaranth crumble, place the amaranth grains and vegetable stock in a pan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and leave to cook for 30 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes
- 125g of amaranth grain
- 500ml of vegetable stock
5
Drain the amaranth grains and spread into an even layer on some greaseproof paper. Cut out 10 discs with the cutter (reserving the trimmings for later) and place in an oven or dehydrator to dry for 3 hours
6
For the shellfish jelly, remove the head, tail and shell from the red prawns, then remove the intestinal tract from the back of the prawn using a toothpick
- 20 red prawns, weighing 80g
7
Make a prawn bisque by sautéing the prawn heads in the oil, then add in the spring onions, fennel fronds, marjoram, garlic and tomatoes and sweat gently for a few minutes
- 150g of spring onions, finely sliced
- 30g of fennel fronds, chopped
- 10g of marjoram leaves, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1kg tomatoes, roughly diced
- 30ml of extra virgin olive oil, preferably Taggiasca olive
8
Cover the bisque ingredients with cold water and bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes
9
Remove the pan from the heat and pass the bisque through a fine sieve
10
Blend the prawn roe with 200g of the sieved bisque, then pour in the remaining liquid
- 100g of prawn roe
11
Clarify the bisque by placing it in a pan over a high heat to bring it to a boil. When it starts boiling, turn the heat down and leave to simmer for approximately 1 hour and skim off any impurities from the surface with a spoon
12
Pass the bisque through a fine muslin cloth. Whisk in 5g of iota carrageenan per litre of bisque and leave to cool
- 10g of iota carrageenan
13
For the extra virgin olive oil emulsion, start by mixing together the water, sucrose ester and soaked gelatine leaves
- 100g of water
- 1g of sucrose ester
- 2 gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water
14
In a separate bowl mix together the oil, glice and salt together and gradually pour into the previous mixture whilst blending to form a consistency similar to that of mayonnaise
- 2g of glice
- 3g of flaky sea salt
- 150g of extra virgin olive oil, preferably Taggiasca olive
15
Just before serving, heat the oil in a saucepan to 180°C. Roughly break up and fry the amaranth disc trimmings in the pan, then crumble onto kitchen paper to dry
- 1l extra virgin olive oil, preferably Taggiasca olive
16
Now fry the discs in the oil until they curl up and place on kitchen paper to dry
17
For the grilled prawns, remove the head, tail and shell and then remove the intestinal tract using a toothpick as before. Grill the red prawns in a hot grill pan for approximately 1 minute
- 20 red prawns, 70–80g
18
Meanwhile, blitz the sorbet in the Pacojet just before serving
19
Place two dollops of shellfish jelly on each plate, drizzle with olive oil and then place two grilled red prawns on top (with the grilled part underneath)
- 1 dash of extra virgin olive oil, prefereably Taggiasca olive
20
Sprinkle on a circle of the amaranth crumble and quenelle some beetroot sorbet on top. Rest a disc filled with olive oil foam on top and finish with a garnish of lemon balm cress
- lemon balm cress
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