Stuffed Red Mullet With Parmesan & Artichoke

Stuffed red mullet with a Parmesan purée, caramelised artichokes and green olive powder

Main
challenging
4
4 hours, plus two weeks for lemon to confit and 4 hours for olives to dehydrate

PT4H

Daniel Clifford stuffs the red mullet with Spanish ham and the coastal herb sea purslane, before binding the fish with meat glue. Other elements of this stunning dish include a green olive powder, Parmesan purée and caramelised artichokes. This recipe scored a perfect 10 on Great British Menu 2012.

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Ingredients

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Metric

Imperial

Confit Buddha's hand

100g of sugar
100ml of water
100ml of white wine vinegar
1 Buddha's hand

Dried olives

100g of green olives

Red mullet

2 red mullet
16 sprigs of sea purslane
8 slices of Ibérico ham, finely diced
10g of meat glue, transglutaminase enzyme
50g of Sosa Airbag Farina
12 slices of green olive
lemon juice
sea salt

Sherry jelly

120ml of sherry vinegar
100ml of water
13g of agar agar

Green olive purée

200g of pitted green olives
1g of Sosa Gelespessa
salt
lemon juice

Parmesan purée

100g of Désirée potatoes
100g of Parmesan
100ml of créme fraiche
1 dash of lemon juice

Baby artichokes

4 baby artichokes
1 garlic clove
10ml of olive oil
2ml of rice wine vinegar
1 sprig of fresh thyme

Beurre noisette

150g of butter
1/2 lemon, juiced

Globe artichoke crisps

1 globe artichoke

To garnish

2 slices of Ibérico ham
2 tbsp of Parmesan, grated
1 handful of sea purslane

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Mandoline
Dehydrator
Sous vide equipment
Squeezy bottle
Blender
Ice
Thermometer

2 weeks before you plan to serve the dish begin making the confit Buddha's hand, as it needs time to pickle. Bring the sugar, water and vinegar to the boil and transfer to a clean, sterilised, sealable jar. Finely slice the Buddha's hand on a mandoline or meat slicer and drop into the pickling liquid. Seal the jar and leave for at least 2 weeks

100ml of white wine vinegar
100g of sugar
100ml of water
1 Buddha's hand

When you plan to serve, begin by making the dried olives. Preheat a dehydrator to 60°C

Cut the four sides away from the olive, cutting around the stone, then dice each piece into six. Dry in the dehydrator for 4 hours, or until dry

100g of green olives

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

Scale and wash the fish well. Fillet, pin bone and wash the fillets and then leave to dry thoroughly in a cloth. Cut along the length of the fillet from the tail to the head to separate the skin, leaving the flesh connected to the skin at the top end

2 red mullet

In the opening, running down the blood line, lay the sea purslane, Iberico ham, 4 slices of the confit Buddha's hand and the olive slices, then dust with meat glue and fold the skin back over. Leave to set for up to 2 hours in the fridge

16 sprigs of sea purslane
8 slices of Ibérico ham, finely diced
10g of meat glue, transglutaminase enzyme
12 slices of green olive

Prepare your sherry jellies. In a small pan, warm the sherry vinegar and water, then whisk in the agar. Once fully dissolved, pour into a container and refrigerate for 1 hour, until set. Slice the jelly into ribbons, ready to serve

120ml of sherry vinegar
13g of agar agar
100ml of water

Next make your green olive purée. Place the olives in a pan and add water until just covered. Bring to the the boil, cook for 8 minutes, then blend with the Gelespessa until you have a smooth purée. Pass through a fine sieve and chill. Season with salt and lemon juice, then place in a squeezy bottle

lemon juice
200g of pitted green olives
1g of Sosa Gelespessa
salt

Next prepare the Parmesan purée. Preheat a water bath to 62°C

Peel and chop the potatoes and place in a vacuum bag. Cook in the water bath for 1 hour, then refresh in iced water. Finish cooking the potatoes in boiling water until soft. Drain, then place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pass the purée through a fine sieve and season with lemon juice

100ml of créme fraiche
100g of Désirée potatoes
100g of Parmesan
1 dash of lemon juice

For the baby artichokes, peel and turn the artichokes, crush the garlic and put all the ingredients into a vacuum pack bag. Steam at 100°C for 25–35 minutes, or until tender

1 sprig of fresh thyme
4 baby artichokes
1 garlic clove
10ml of olive oil
2ml of rice wine vinegar

To prepare the globe artichoke crisps, preheat a pan of olive oil to 160°C

Remove the outer layer of the artichoke, leaving just the heart, then remove the furry middle with a spoon. Using a mandoline, finely slice the artichoke 1mm thick. Fry in the olive oil until golden and crisp

1 globe artichoke

To cook the fish, place the fillets skin-side down onto the Airbag Farina and cook in a pan until crisp and golden. Finish in the oven, then season the underside of the fillets with lemon juice and sea salt

Heat the butter in a pan until it reaches a dark golden brown colour and has a nutty aroma. Garnish the fish with this beurre noisette and a squeeze of lemon juice

1/2 lemon, juiced
150g of butter

To serve, spread the Parmesan purée on the plate, carve the fish and place to one side. Place the artichoke crisps and baby artichokes on top of the purée, and add a few dots of the olive purée, a few slices of confit lemon, and a few ribbons of the sherry jelly. Shred the Ibérico ham and scatter across the plate, along with some of the sea purslane. Scatter some Parmesan, and finally, sprinkle the dried olive over the plate

1 handful of sea purslane
2 slices of Ibérico ham
2 tbsp of Parmesan, grated

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Daniel Clifford

A broad range of experience in some of the top kitchens in the UK and France along with hefty doses of innovation, dedication and originality have led Daniel Clifford’s style to be widely praised.