Wild-caught Australian Coral Trout - Chef Recipe by Dario Manca

Ingredients

1 whole coral trout about 1.5 kg, gutted, descalled into 2 fillets
150 g fine cooking salt
150 g caster sugar
Zest of 1 grapefruit, keep flesh
2.5 g dried star anise
2.5g dried fennel seeds
2.5 g black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Chilli oil:

50 g long red chillies, deseeded and stem removed
20 g tomato paste
150 g grapeseed oil

Puffed barley

50 g dried barley6 grain
1.5 L unsalted water
4-5 cups vegetable oil

Prosciutto sauce:

150 g prosciutto
60 g unsalted butter
200 g banana shallots, thinly sliced
25 g garlic, crushed
50mL dry white wine
15 cardamom pods
300mL chicken stock
300mL pure cream
70 g burnt butter
Pinch xantham gun

Method

Curing the trout:

Begin the night before. Finely grind the fennel seeds, pepper & star anise, & combine with the sugar, salt & grapefruit zest. Sprinkle about half of this mixture over a tray to create an even layer onto which then place the trout fillets, ensuring the down-facing side of the fish is well-coated.

Pack the remaining half of the mixture over the top-side of the fillets. Allow fillets to cure in this mixture for 20-25 minutes in the fridge. Rinse the fillets clean & thoroughly pat-dry. Place dried fillets on a tray skin-side up & allow to dry, uncovered, overnight in the fridge (approximately 8-10 hours).

Puffed barley:

In a small saucepan, simmer barley in water for 40 minutes. Then strain & spread barley over grease-proof-paper-lined tray/s. Dry in either a dehydrator or in an oven at 60 C overnight (approximately 8-10 hours) until completely dry. Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan to 190-200 C & fry the barley briefly, removing when ‘puffed.’ Spread barley over absorbent paper to drain & allow to cool. Use straight away or store in air-tight container until required.

Chilli oil:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor then pour into small oven-proof dish. Place into a preheated 140 C oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. This aims to evaporate all water out of the liquid mixture, leaving behind a deep red oil. Strain the oil through a fine cloth to remove any remaining sediment. Use straight away or store in the fridge if made in advance, ensure warm prior to serving.

Prosciutto sauce:

To make burnt butter: heat unsalted butter in a small saucepan to 140cC - it will be aggressively foaming /boiling & smelling ‘nutty’. Remove from heat, add juice of 1/2 lemon & allow to rest while the main sauce component is made.

To make rest of sauce: melt the 60 g of unsalted butter (note: not burnt butter previously made) in a large saucepan on medium heat until starting to gently bubbling, fry prosciutto until turning golden & the edges caramelising. Mix in the cardamon pods, then reduce to low heat & very gently sauté for 10 minutes, stirring intermittently.

Add shallots & garlic, continue to cook on low heat until they’ve turned ‘blonde'. Add white wine to deglaze the saucepan & 5 minutes later, add stock & cream. Gently simmer until the liquid volume has reduced by 30%. Strain through a sieve into a fresh saucepan. Add salt to suit your taste. Add into this sauce mixture the 70 g of previously-made liquid burnt butter. Blend with a stick-blender whilst adding the pinch of xantham gum to create the end result - a smooth, glossy, creamy liquid sauce. Keep warm.

Pre-warm your serving dishes - bowls with a shallow reservoir are best.

Preheat fan-forced oven to 175 C. Cut the 2 larger trout fillets into 3 pieces each, making 6 pieces in total. Prior to panfrying, sprinkle the skin sparingly with salt flakes. In a pre-heated frypan (preferably a cast-iron or heavy-based pan), heat the vegetable oil to about 150-160 C & place trout fillets skin-side-down (as you would a steak, don’t over-crowd the pan).

Immediately press, with moderate pressure, the fillets into the pan’s base for 15-20 seconds using a steak-weight (or bottom of another saucepan pot). Remove the weight & allow fillets to gently fry for approximately 4 minutes (depending on thickness) until the skin turns crispy, golden & comes loose from pan surface easily. Remove fillets from pan & arrange on a baking tray skin-side up.

Oven-bake for 2-3 minutes.

Within the centre of your serving dishes, arrange 4-5 segments of grapefruit. Pour over the prosciutto sauce, trickle with drops of chilli oil & sprinkle with puffed barley. Place the trout fillet, skin-side up, at the centre. Garnish with fennel fronds & serve.

Recipe provided by Attimi by Dario Manca