Yellowtail kingfish with ponzu & chicken skin! Ft. Andrea Mattasoglio

We’re going to vist the Dutch yellowtail kingfish farm together with Andrea Mattasoglio! We're then using the beautiful fish to make a delicious savory bite. It's a ponzu meringue with a ponzu jelly, torched Yellowtail belly, a chicken skin crispy and a lovage emulsion or mayonnaise.

The farm is located at the south-west of the Netherlands next to the Oosterschelde. The Oosterschelde is a nature reserve, making it one of the cleanest and safest waters in the world. The yellowtail fish are grown in this water and because the water is so pure they don’t need to use any antibiotics or vaccines to protect the fish. The water is constantly renewed. Every 15 minutes it’s completely renewed with new filtered Oosterschelde water. The wastewater is then treated with different steps before it returns back to the Oosterschelde to ensure that the farm has no biological impact on its natural surroundings. Janneke showed us the whole farm and it was super interesting to see! We saw every step from the beginning till the end. Unlike traditional cage farming, their farm is based on land. This makes it impossible for the fish to escape and endanger the natural surroundings. For Yellowtail kingfish sustainability is super important, almost all the energy comes from the wind and the sun. All of this together with the amazing texture and taste of the fish makes it a perfect local product.

How to fillet a yellowtail kingfish

Start by removing the scales. You can also leave them on if you’re not using the skin, but I always like removing them anyway because it makes the filleting a lot easier and you don’t need to worry about getting scales on your fillets. Now make an incision just behind the fin and cut along the bone of the head. Then directly twist your knife horizontal and cut along the spin all the way down to the tail. Repeat this and put some pressure on your knife to insure you don’t leave any fish on the bones. Now turn the fish around and repeat the same process that we just did, only now I like to remove the head first making the filleting a bit easier. Then remove the other fillet as well. Now keep the bones and head to make a delicious sauce. Then take one of the fillets and cut the belly bones off. After that use a bone tweezer to remove the remaining bones. You can also just cut them away if you use the top join and belly part for different preperations. Like we’re doing today. Then make a small incision at the tail side and use it to pull the skin tight. Now use a long knife to gently remove the skin. Keep the skin tight, otherwise you’ll remove too much fish as well. The loins you can portion into big pieces. In our next video we’ll show you how to use them. The bottom part of the fillet you can cut into thin slices. For this I use a long sharp knife. Now transfer it on a tray and keep it covered in your fridge for later.

The lovage powder

Spread 40 grams of lovage on a tray and dry it at 50 degrees Celsius till all the moisture has vaporized. Then transfer it into a blender and blend it into a fine powder. Now keep it dry and covered for later.

The lovage cream

40 grams	lovage leaves
200 grams	neutral oil (I use sunflower oil)

First pick enough lovage for 40 grams of leaves. The stems you can just dry with the remaining lovage for the powder. Now transfer the leaves into a blender and also add the sunflower oil. Then blend it till the oil is at 65 degrees Celsius. It will heat up from the friction. After that pour it on a sieve that’s lined with a kitchen paper and let it drain in your fridge.

40 grams	egg white
25 grams	sushi vinegar
40 grams	ice cubes
4 grams	salt
180 grams	cold lovage oil

Pour the egg white into the blender and also add the sushi vinegar, the ice cubes, the salt and the cold lovage oil we just made. Now blend it till the emulsion is fully emulsified. Then transfer it into a piping bottle and keep it in your fridge for later.

The chicken skin crispy

300 grams	water
120 grams	chicken skin

Pour the water into a pan and also add the chicken skin. Then boil it on a medium heat for 5 minutes.

100 grams	cooked chicken skin
150 grams	cooking liquid
45 grams	tapioca pearls or powder
2 grams	salt
3 grams	baking soda

When still hot transfer the cooked skin into a blender and also add the cooking liquid, the tapioca pearls or powder and the salt. Then blend it till completely smooth and the tapioca starts to thicken from the heat. After that add the baking soda and mix it till completely smooth. Then transfer it into a piping bag that’s fitted with a small round nozzle and pipe even dots on a tray that’s lined with a silicon sheet. Now put another sheet on top and bake them at 180 degrees Celsius for around 10 minutes till golden and crispy. Once golden gently remove the top sheet and keep the crispy’s dry and covered for later.

The ponzu

20 grams	kombu
120 grams	mirin
30 grams	rice vinegar
4 grams	bonito flakes
60 grams	lime juice
70 grams	soy sauce

Transfer the kombu into a saucepan and also add the mirin and the rice vinegar. Then bring this to a simmer on a medium heat. After that turn of the heat and add the bonito flakes. Then let it marinade for 10 minutes. Once that’s done pass it through a fine sieve and season it with the lime juice and the soy sauce. Mix it well and let it marinade in your fridge for at least 30 minutes.

The ponzu jelly

1 leaf or 1.6 grams	gelatin
100 grams	ponzu
50 grams	ginger syrup
50 grams	dark chicken stock
1.5 grams	agar powder

First soak the gelatin in cold water. Then pour the ponzu into a saucepan and also add the ginger syrup, the dark chicken stock and the agar powder. Now mix it well and then bring it to a boil for one minute. Meanwhile spray a thin layer of oil on some trays. Once it has boiled turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Then pour 60 grams of the hot jelly on each tray and when necessary spread it. Now let it cool down on a level surface and then let it set in your fridge for 30 minutes. After that cut it with the desired round cutter.

The savory ponzu meringues

80 grams	ponzu
20 grams	lime juice
100 grams	dark chicken stock
30 grams	albumina powder also known as egg white powder
90 grams	icing sugar

Pour the ponzu into a jar and also add the lime juice, the dark chicken stock, the albumina powder and the icing sugar. Blend this till completely smooth. Then pour it into a mixing bowl and beat it till it’s a fluffy meringue. This takes around 5 to 10 minutes. Once fluffy transfer it into a piping bag that’s fitted with a round nozzle and pipe small meringue on a silicon sheet. Now zest some lime zest on top and then dust a thin layer of the lovage powder we made before on top as well. Then dry them at 50 degrees Celsius for a couple of hours.

How to finish the amuse

First lay the yellowtail slices on a frozen tray and toast the top slightly with a blowtorch. The frozen tray will insure the fish stays raw on the bottom. Now season it with some flaky salt and lime zest. Then place a meringue upside down on a plate and put a ponzu jelly on top. Now lay the torched yellowtail on there and put the chicken skin crispies in between. Then pipe a couple dots of the lovage cream on top and decorate it with some lovage leaves and lungwort flowers.