Marinated Sardine with Almond Gazpacho Sorbet
Put your chef hat on and jump into the challenge! The combination of sardines, pistachio vinagrette and almod gazpacho sorbet is unusual though all the tastes are familiar to the Spanish palette.
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EmailIngredients:
Sardines
1 kg (2 lb) fresh sardines, filleted
600 ml (20 fl oz) wine vinegar
150 ml (5 fl oz) water
60g (2 oz) sea-salt
3-4 tbsp angel hair pumpkin jam
olive oil, for shallow-frying
large pinch of Maldon salt flakes
10 ml (2 tsp) sherry vinegar
Pastry
500g (1 lb) patisserie flour
20g (just over 1/2 oz) fresh yeast, dissolved in warm water
5g (1/8 oz) fine cooking salt
200 ml (7 fl oz) cold water
25 ml (3/4 fl oz)l extra-virgin olive oil
Vinaigrette
7g (1/4 oz) skinned green pistacios, chopped
30 ml (2 Tbs) home-made thick tomato and onion sofrito
60 ml (4 Tbs) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp chopped spring onion
For the almond gazpacho sorbet
250g (8 oz) shelled and skinned almonds
2 garlic cloves, green shoots removed
2 thick slices of country bread, crusts removed, soaked in cold water and squeezed dry
300 ml (10 fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil, 0.4 acidity
50 ml (just over 1 1/2 fl oz) grapeseed oil
150 ml (5 fl oz) cold water
sherry vinegar, to taste
salt, to taste
Procedure:
- Chop the spring onions
- Buy or make tomato and onion sofrito (either with fresh or canned tomato, 1 onion, 1 tsp sugar, oil, boil for a long time until it becomes thick and sweet)
Preheat the oven to 170° C
1. Work the water, oil and fresh yeast into the flour by hand or with a mixer and knead the dough until it is elastic and smooth. Let rise in a warm place (40° C, 80° F) for 30 minutes.
2. Knead again and roll out thinly into a large rectangle to fit a baking sheet (use any remaining pastry for a second sheet). Cover with a damp cloth to avoid drying out and leave to rise again at (40° C, 80° F), for 20-30 minutes.
3. Spread a thin layer of pumpkin jam over the centre, leaving the edges as a border, and bake in a warm oven (170° C, 340° F) for 8 minutes or until just golden. Cool.
4. Marinate the sardines in the vinegar, water and salt for 10 minutes, or until just white on top.
5. Dry them well on kitchen paper towel, fry quickly in olive oil to leave the centre slightly raw and cut them across into slices revealing the white centre.
6. Mix all the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
7. Mince or grind the raw almonds, garlic and dampened bread dough for the gazpacho, whisking in the olive and grapeseed oil as if for a mayonnaise.
8. Dilute to a gazpacho-like consistency (like thickened milk) and add salt and vinegar. Keep very cold. (Make into ice-cream using an ice cream machine; it should be set but creamy at the time of eating.)
9. Lay the sardine slices over the pastry and dress them with a little sherry vinegar and Maldon salt.
10. Serve sliced, on plates with a ring of the vinaigrette around it. Spoon a small scoop of gazpacho sorbet on top.
