Prawn & scallop gribiche, lemon & dill potato cake, spiced beetroot gel, soft herb salad
Gribiche de crevettes et noix de St-Jacques, galette de pomme de terre, aneth et citron, gel à la betteraves et aux épices, salade de fenouil râpé et fines herbes
Ingredients
Prawn & scallop gribiche: 12 tiger prawns 16 scallops salt 30 ml olive oil 200 ml Gribiche sauce (page 200) Lemon & dill potato cakes: 6 large potatoes 2 onions, sliced 30 ml extra virgin olive oil zest of 2 lemons 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper salt ½ cup plain flour 4 eggs, beaten 2 cups panko breadcrumbs cottonseed oil, for shallow-frying Herb salad: 1 baby fennel bulb ¼ cup picked flat-leaf parsley leaves ⅛ cup picked dill leaves ⅛ cup picked chervil leaves Spiced beetroot gel: 1 kg beetroot, peeled and diced 2 garlic cloves 3 star anise 100 ml white wine vinegar salt 60 g brown sugar 10 g agar agar To serve: 8 Poached eggs (page 204) (optional)
Method
For the prawn and scallop gribiche, peel and devein the prawns and clean the scallops. Season the prawns and scallops, then coat them with the olive oil. In a frying pan over medium heat, cook the seafood for 1-2 minutes on each side. Set the seafood aside to cool, then dice the scallops into large pieces. Leave the prawns whole. In a bowl, combine the seafood with the gribiche sauce. For the lemon and dill potato cakes, preheat the oven to 170ºC. Wrap the whole potatoes in foil and bake them in the oven for about an hour. The potatoes are cooked when you can pass a skewer through them. Once cooled, peel the potatoes, then grate them into a mixing bowl. In a saucepan over low heat, slowly caramelise the onions in the oil, until they are a nice light brown colour. Add the onion to the grated potato, along with the lemon zest, dill, pepper and salt and form into patties. We like to use a 5 cm ring so you get a uniform shape. Refrigerate the patties until cold and set. Once cold, you can crumb the patties. First dip them in the flour, then the beaten egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Shallow-fry the patties in a deep saucepan over medium heat until both sides are a nice golden brown. For the herb salad, shave the fennel bulb, then combine it with the herbs. For the spiced beetroot gel, put the beetroot in a saucepan and cover with water. Add the garlic and star anise and simmer until the beetroot is tender. Once cooked, drain the beetroot and discard the water, garlic and star anise. Add the white wine vinegar and brown sugar and season to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beetroot is soft. Remove the pan from the heat and purée the mixture using a hand-held blender, until you have a silky smooth consistency. Return the pan to the heat, add the agar agar and mix well for a further 2 minutes. Allow to cool, then place the mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator to set. Once set and firm, use a hand-held blender or a jug blender to form the gel. To build the plate, place one to two potato cakes on the plate, top with the prawn and scallop gribiche, then two poached eggs (optional) and follow with the herb salad. Drizzle or pipe the beetroot gel around the plate.
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