Today we're making a delicious red mullet dish. It's a ceviche style cooked red mullet with barbecued watermelon, a lovage tuille and a lovage cream.
The barbequed watermelon
Start by cleaning one watermelon. Then cut it in big slices and transfer them on a plateau. Now season them with flaky salt and oil. Make sure everything is covered all around. After that heat up your barbeque till it’s around 250 degrees Celsius. Then put your watermelon on the barbeque and barbeque a nice cross pattern on both sides. Be careful because it’s super hot. Once that’s done let them cool down in your fridge. After that portion them into the desired size and keep the trimmings for later. Now cut them in thin slices. Then transfer onto a plateau and keep It in your fridge for later.
The ceviche marinade
2 | limes |
1 | lemon |
20 grams | ginger |
1 | lemongrass |
2 | lime leaves |
50 grams | dark ponzu |
4 grams | salt |
150 grams | watermelon trimmings |
10 grams | soy sauce |
Cut the limes in half and juice them for 50 grams of juice. Then cut the lemon in half and juice it as well for 50 grams of juice. Now chop the ginger and the lemon grass. Add it to the juice together with the lime leaves, the dark ponzu and the salt. Now bring this to a boil, then turn off the heat and let it marinade for 1 hour. After that pass it through a fine sieve. Then add the watermelon trimmings together with the soy sauce and blend it till completely smooth. Now let it freeze for at least 3 hours. After that let it defrost on a kitchen paper to clarify it. Do this in your fridge.
The lovage tuile
30 grams | lovage leaves |
150 grams | neutral oil |
Transfer the lovage leaves into a blender together with the neutral oil. Now blend this till the oil is 65 degrees Celsius. It will heat up from the friction. Once done let it drain on a sieve that lined with a kitchen paper. Do this in your fridge.
60 grams | egg white |
40 grams | lovage oil |
6 grams | salt |
8 grams | sugar |
50 grams | flour |
Pour the egg white in a blender, also add the lovage oil, the salt, the sugar and the flour. Now blend this till smooth. Once smooth spread it on a silicon mold. Now bake it at 150 degrees Celsius for around 8 minutes. Then gently remove when still hot and keep them dry and covered for later.
The lovage cream
sushi vinegar | |
20 grams | egg white |
2 grams | salt |
20 grams | ice cubes |
100 grams | lovage oil |
Transfer the sushi vinegar in a blender together with the egg white, the salt, the ice and the lovage oil. Then let this emulsify till it’s a smooth cream. Once done transfer it into a piping bottle and keep it in your fridge for later.
The red mullet
First make sure you have a nice thin and sharp knife. Then take the red mullet and use the back of your knife to remove all the scales. After that make a small incision in the belly to open it up and then remove all the intentions. Now put the mullet flat on your cutting board and insert your knife just below the head. Then twist the knife and cut the fillet of along the spin. Now cut the head off, turn the fish around and then cut the fillet on that side off as well. Once the red mullet is filleted remove the belly bones with your knife. Then use a bone tweezer to remove all the bones in the middle of the fillet. Especially be careful with the ones in the front. Then turn the fillet around and make super narrow cuts in the skin. Now add a drizzle of oil and season with some flaky salt. Then burn the skin for around 10 seconds a fillet. After that directly cool them down in your fridge. Once cold cut the fillets in half and pour your ceviche marinade in an oven dish. Put your fillets in the liquid and let them cook for 30 minutes in your fridge. Then gently take them out of the liquid and give the skin another go with the torch for an every crispier skin. Now we can start to plate, first put a couple of slices of the watermelon on the side. Put the red mullet on the other side. Season the top with some flaky salt. Then pipe the lovage cream on the watermelon and lay some salty leaves on top. I use sea aster, samphire and sea orach. Now put the lovage crisp on top and add a tablespoon or two of the ceviche marinade. Finish it off with a couple drop of the lovage oil and it’s ready to be served!