Storing the melon in a sealed bag has a magic effect on the flavour. Go all out with the cheffy touches here with lime foam, deep-fried wild rice popcorn and edible nasturtium leaves.
Ingredients
- For the melon and red mullet
-
- 1 piel de sapo
melon, peeled, seeds removed and cut into slices - 2 tbsp
olive oil - 2 tbsp unsalted
butter - 2 fillets
red mullet
- 1 piel de sapo
- For the ginger pickle
-
- 3 tbsp
rapeseed oil - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 2 tsp
sesame seeds - 200g/7oz root
ginger, thinly sliced - 1 green
chilli, slit open - 1 tsp red
chilli powder salt - 100g/3½oz
tamarind paste - 100g/3½oz
palm sugar - pinch
asafoetida - 1 dried red
chilli - ½ tsp
mustard seeds - 5-6
curry leaves
- 3 tbsp
- For the nasturtium leaves, wild rice and kaffir lime foam
-
- vegetable
oil, for deep fat frying - 50g/1¾oz
wild rice salt, to taste - 200ml/7fl oz full-fat
milk - 4
lime leaves, finely chopped - 1 tsp lecithin
- handful of
nasturtium leaves
- vegetable
Preparation method
-
Place the melon in a vacuum pack plastic bag and seal. Leave in the fridge for 48 hours.
-
Remove the melon from the bag and fry in a little oil until golden-brown.
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For the ginger pickle, heat two tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan, fry the cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes, and then add the sesame seeds, ginger, green chilli and chilli powder. Season with a little salt.
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Stir for 2-3 minutes and then cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and let the mixture cook slowly for 40-45 minutes, or until the ginger is almost cooked.
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Let the mixture cool, then transfer to a food processor. Add the tamarind paste, palm sugar, asafoetida, dried chilli, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Blend to a fine paste.
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For the rice, heat a deep fat fryer to 210C/410F, or heat the oil in a deep pan. (Caution: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
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Carefully add the rice to the oil. It will burst and float to the top. When they have stopped popping, remove them from the oil and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Season with sea salt.
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Pour the milk into a saucepan with the lime leaves and lecithin and bring just to a simmer. Blend with a hand-held blender to create a foam.
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Heat a little olive oil and butter in a frying pan and once hot add the red mullet skin-side down. Cook for 1-2 minutes and turn the fish over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to rest.
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To serve, place the ginger pickle on the plate, and top with the red mullet, with the fried melon. Garnish with the nasturtium leaves, popped wild rice and the lime foam.