Courgette flower stuffed with deep-sea shrimp
Ingredients
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER PURÉE
- 600g cauliflower
- 180g butter
- salt, to taste
CHILE DE AGUA PEPPER EMULSION (GUACACHILE)
- 200g chile de agua (very hot green chilli)/another variety of hot green chilli
- 200ml smoked olive oil (available at cape-treasures.com)
- 100ml water
- 2g xanthan gum
- salt, to taste
SHRIMP MAYONNAISE
- 1 egg yolk
- 5ml (1 tsp) Dijon mustard
- salt, to taste
- 400ml vegetable oil
- 15ml (1 tbsp) orange juice
- 15ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice
SHRIMP OIL
- 1,1L vegetable oil
- 100g white onion, peeled and chopped
- 15ml (1 tbsp) garlic, finely chopped
- 10g chile de árbol seco (a small and potent Mexican chilli pepper, also known as bird’s beak or rat's tail chilli)/another variety of hot red chilli
- 500g shrimp’s shells
PARA EL MONTAJE
- 8 deep-sea shrimps
- 40ml salsa bruja (vinegar flavoured with onions, bay leaves, chillies, garlic, carrots and pepper)
- 40ml lemon juice
- ¼ (about 20g) red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- fine salt, to taste
- 8 baby marrow flowers
- lemon zest, to serve
- smoked salt, to taste
Instructions
For the purée, chargrill the cauliflower in a frying pan over low heat, until browned on all sides, about 1 hour. Blitz the cooked cauliflower along with the butter and salt in a Thermomix or powerful blender, 10 minutes or until it reaches a smooth consistency. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside.
For the guacachile, pan-fry the whole chillies in a splash of the smoked oil until the skin is golden and bursting. Allow to cool, then blitz with the remaining ingredients, until completely emulsified.
For the mayonnaise, place the egg yolk, mustard and salt in a mixing bowl. Using a balloon whisk, whisk the ingredients together while slowly adding the 400ml oil. Once emulsified, whisk in the orange juice and set aside.
For the shrimp oil, in a large pot, heat 500ml (2 cups) of the oil and infuse with the onion, garlic, chile de arbol and shrimp shells. Add the remaining oil and allow to boil. Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve. Reserve the oil in an airtight container in the fridge.
For the para el montaje, chop the shrimp finely, mix with 20ml of the chile de agua emulsion, salsa bruja, lemon juice, red onion and salt. Put this mixture in a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle.
Clean the baby marrow flowers by removing the pistil and soil and any hairy bits with a paring knife. Pipe the shrimp mixture into the flowers.
On a plate, pipe coins of different sizes cauliflower purée, chilli emulsion and shrimp mayonnaise. Place the stuffed baby marrow flowers alongside the coins. Garnish with the lemon zest grated over the shrimp mayonnaise. Finish it off with smoked salt over the cauliflower purée.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
