We propose four recipes to prepare an exclusive fish menu Italian-style for your New Year's Eve dinner.
Antipasto - Tartare of pink prawns with blue coral sauce
This particular type of prawn (parapenaeus longirostris!) has magnificent blue coral, but of course, this tartare can be made with any fresh prawns you can find, and served without the blue sauce.
Ingredients
(serves four-six people)
1kg very fresh deepwater rose prawns
Extra virgin olive oil
Juice 1/2 lemon
Maldon salt
Fresh dill
Preparation
Clean and peel the prawns and put six of the best heads aside for decoration purposes. With a small spoon, remove the spectacular blue eggs from the prawns and don’t worry if small portions of the legs end up in the mix, as they will be removed during the next step. Push all the eggs through a fine sieve using the back of a spoon and reserve resulting blue sauce in the fridge. Cut the prawn meat into small dice and season with the tiniest drizzle of olive oil, the lemon juice and a very small pinch of salt.
Position a small round scone cutter (or similar) at the centre of each plate. Inside the form, place a teaspoon of the blue coral sauce, then set the diced, seasoned prawn on top. Remove the form and garnish each portion with one of the reserved prawn heads and a small sprig of fresh dill.
First Course - Lemon e shellfish risotto
Simple but sophisticated, this dish is perfect for a dinner party or an elegant supper.
Ingredients
(serves four-six people)
350g rice, preferably Vialone nano from Verona
300g red prawns
300g langoustines
250g each of celery, carrots and onions for stock
1 lemon
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
handful parsley, finely chopped
handful grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Peel and clean the prawns and the langoustines. Cut into small pieces and place in fridge. Put the remnants of the shellfish (heads, shells, claws etc.) into a pot with roughly chopped celery, carrots and onions and cover with water. Simmer for 30 – 40 minutes to make stock. Strain and keep warm. Peel the lemon, cut peel into julienne strips and blanch.
In a frying pan, fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until transparent. Add the parsley, then the prawns and langoustines and the lemon peel. Cook for a few minutes. Add the rice, toss well, and add the stock a ladleful at a time until the rice is cooked al dente, stirring constantly. Take off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and a drizzling of olive oil.
Garnish with a lemon leaf and, for special occasions, a langoustine.
Second Course - Four fish spiedini
Bianchetti are tiny baby fish like very small whitebait but if you prefer, you can substitute them with sliced baby calamari or some strips of white-fleshed fish like monkfish or bass.
Ingredients
(serves four people)
200g broccoli
4 tomatoes
50ml extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 glass dry white wine
350g spaghetti
100g very fresh whitebait
Salt and pepper
Preparation
Blanche the broccoli in boiling salted water and remove with a slotted spoon. Cut into small pieces. Plunge the tomatoes into the hot broccoli water for 30 seconds then remove. This process should make it easy to peel them. Once peeled, chop tomatoes into small pieces.
In a frying pan heat the olive oil, add the garlic, the parsley, the broccoli and the tomatoes. Sauté for 5 minutes then add the white wine and cook over a high heat until wine has evaporated. Salt to taste.
Cook the spaghetti in abundant salted water until almost cooked. Drain and add to the frying pan. Add half the whitebait and toss the contents of the pan together until well mixed.
To serve, arrange the spaghetti in nests in the centre of the plate and place a spoonful of the remaining uncooked whitebait on top. Finish with some freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. (N.B. If you substitute the whitebait with calamari or other fish, or simply want the whitebait cooked rather than raw, add them earlier in the cooking process when you’re sautéing the broccoli and tomatoes. Then continue as above.)
Dessert - Tobacco mousse with jelly and coffee sauce
What a wonderful, smoky, mysterious dessert this is. Quite extraordinary.
Ingredients
(serves six people)
For the mousse
100g sugar
3g pipe tobacco
9 egg yolks
200g double cream
175ml milk
325g whipping cream, whipped
4 leaves gelatine
For the coffee sauce
2 large espresso coffees
1tbsp rum
2tbsp sugar
25g dark chocolate
For the rum jelly
20ml rum
50g sugar
50ml water
3 leaves gelatine
For the garnish
50g shavings dark chocolate
Preparation
Whip together the sugar, tobacco, egg yolks, double cream and milk in a bowl and place over a bain marie. Cook until the liquid acquires a custardy consistency (that is, until it coats the back of a wooden spoon), then take off the heat and strain. After five minutes or so, add the gelatine that has been soaked for 15 minutes in a small bowl of cold water and stir until gelatine has dissolved. Allow mixture to cool somewhat, but do not allow to set (not more than about 1 hour). At this point gently fold in the 325ml whipped cream. Cover mixture and leave in fridge.
To make the rum jelly: heat the rum, sugar and water in a pan. Boil for a couple of minutes (being careful not to ignite!) then take off the heat. After five minutes or so, add the gelatine that has been soaked for 15 minutes in a small bowl of cold water, and stir until gelatine has dissolved. Pour mixture into a long, shallow container and place in fridge. When completely set, cut into small dice.
To make coffee sauce: place the coffee, sugar and rum in a small pan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate. Allow to cool.
To serve: spoon the mousse into a large piping bag and pipe into small glasses until about three quarters full. Drizzle with coffee sauce and garnish with shavings of dark chocolate. On top, place a spoonful of diced rum jelly. Serve immediately.
