These days there are so many great little restaurants
all over Mallorca where talented, young chefs have opened their own
establishments in far-flung villages such as LLubi, Selva, Caimari, Orient,
Llosesta and Mancor de la Vall as well as the Island's capital, Palma. They are the type of
restaurant where you can really feel the passion and see and enjoy all the
different styles and philosophies of each chef. They are not the faceless type
of restaurant opened out of vanity by people who can't even boil an egg and
have never even worked one day in our industry.
Restaurants and Chef’s that just follow the latest
trends or whatever “fusion” happens to be in fashion that week, weather its
“Peruvian-Japanese” or “Mediter-Asian” just bore me. The hardest thing for a
chef to achieve is some semblance of originality and to create your own style.
I firmly believe that chef-run and owned restaurants generally offer a more
intimate eating-out experience than mainstream, “commercial” restaurants
offering uninspiring menus that are supposed to appeal to everyone. I really
admire and find inspiring those that have developed their own style while
supporting local suppliers and showcasing all those wonderful, local
ingredients that we have to offer here on the Island.
One of those wonderful ingredients, Llampuga, is just
coming into season right now and you’ll find at the fish market.
"Llampuga" fish have a slightly oily
texture that I would describe somewhere as a cross between sea bass and tuna.
Be careful when cooking as it tends to dry out quickly when overcooked, and it
is best served a little pink in the middle.
For me, the best way to cook llampuga is to pan-fry
or grill large fillets and serve with a simple vinaigrette and a green salad or
“a la Mallorquina” style.
LLAMPUGA A LA MALLORQUINA
Ingredients: Serves
four
4 large fillets of llampuga (150g each)
12 new potatoes (boiled and sliced)
200g cleaned
spinach
400ml virgin olive oil
100ml sherry vinegar
500g tomatoes
(peeled and diced)
30g
sultanas
20g
pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 tbsp. Chopped parsley
Seasoning
In a small saucepan, heat and bring to the boil
the sherry vinegar. Add the sultanas and remove from the heat. Leave to cool
and soak-up the vinegar. Add the olive oil, pine nuts, diced tomatoes and
season to taste.
Heat a little olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying
pan; season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the
fillets, skin side down and cook for 1-2 minutes until the skin becomes crisp
and golden. Turn over and cook for a further minute.
Remove the fillets and place them in a hot oven to
finish cooking. Add the sliced potatoes to pan and warm them through with the
fresh spinach.
To finish:
Place a mound of sliced potatoes & spinach in
the middle of each plate, set the fillets on top skin side-up. Spoon over the sauce and serve.
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