On crudo: A lifelong salty fish obsession, and a recipe for a summer lunch
It's going to be hot and sunny this weekend - make crudo!
I’ve developed a bit of a thing for crudo. Raw fish whether it is sliced, pounded into very thin sheets, diced up into cubes for tartare, cured in a citrus marinade for ceviche or left to preserve in a salty sweet concoction, I’m most likely a fan.
I’ve been told by my parents that as a toddler I would pull the salmon gravlax out from the middle of a bagel, throwing the boiled wheel of wheat on the floor. I was apparently insistent on devouring the cured fish with no bready distractions, eyes lighting up with every bite into the briny capers that covered the salmon.
Probably like lots of young Jewish children (and to my dismay as a young adult who these days cannot stand the smell of herring), I remember standing in front of the kosher kiddish -post synagogue spreads- at our local synagogue, (elbow to elbow with the bubbas, zaides, saftas and sabas), filling my plate with forkfuls of pickled herring and smoked mackerel. From a young age the salty fish was clearly all I cared for. In homage to my love for foods from the sea I wanted to write to you about crudo/carpaccio/ceviche etc.
The thing that I love about crudo fish dishes is that they are super transformative given the weather, what’s in season etc. You can eat crudo in the summer months topped with salsa verde full of bountiful basil and juicy tomato liquid. While during colder seasons you can squeeze the juice of jewel like grapefruits over the fresh fish, topping the plate with blood oranges and finely sliced sorrel. The past couple of days were hot in Melbourne and today will be hotter. I stopped by my fish monger on Thursday and asked what was super fresh and could be eaten raw that day. He wrapped up two skinned fillets of John Dory assuring me in his thick Greek accent that it was perfect for crudo. I had a bulb of fennel, some thyme and chives in the fridge, mint in the garden and lots of oranges and lemons on the kitchen bench. That is what went into Thursday’s crudo.
Crudo is a simple yet exciting thing to make, best featured at a long lunch in the sun. Invite a few friends over, drag a table out into your garden, set it with goblets for chilled wine and a few fresh figs for snacking in between bites of the fish. To add to this lunch you could serve a big plate full of crunchy pan con tomate. Also I wouldn’t judge if you went all out and made a beautiful pasta with anchovies, garlic and chilli!
Crudo with citrus, fresh herbs, pimentón and marinated fennel - a rough recipe based on what I made for two people (it could also be enough for 3-4 people as a small stater)
What you will need -
For the quick fish cure:
2 super fresh fillets of fish (deboned and without the skin), I used John Dory but just ask your fishmonger what they have that is extremely fresh (sashimi grade - to eat raw), firm-textured, moist and with a mild, sweet flavour.
1 orange zested
1 lemon zested
A few twigs of thyme
Some fresh chives, sliced into rough pieces
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of fine sea salt
1 tablespoon crushed fennel seeds
1/2 tablespoon pimentón pepper
For the marinated fennel:
1 bulb of fennel, finely sliced into thin pieces
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
A few drops of sherry vinegar
The juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp Honey
Salt
Olive oil
To garnish:
Half a lemon and half an orange
Zest of a lemon and an orange
A few leaves of fresh mint, finely sliced
Flakey salt (I use Maldon) for serving
Beautiful quality extra virgin olive oil
Pimentón pepper
I like to quickly cure the fish in a salty-sweet situation for about 10 minutes to give it lots of flavour and a nice texture. I then rinse off the cure in cold iced water before slicing the fish.
This is the process -
In a container that you can store the fish comfortably in, mix the sugar and regular salt together with the orange and lemon zest, thyme leaves, chives, fennel seeds and 1/2 tbsp pimentón pepper until it smells fragrant and has taken on some colour.
Place the fish in the container and rub the cure all over it, making sure to cover every part of the fish as best you can.
Put the container into the fridge and let the fish sit for 10 minutes.
While the fish is curing, mix the vinegars, lemon juice, honey, olive oil and a nice pinch of salt in a bowl before adding in the fennel and giving everything a good mix. Let this marinate for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Create an ice water bath. Once the fish has been sitting for 10 minutes and a nice amount of liquid has started seeping from it, rinse off the salt/sugar cure by dipping the fish into the bath until it is clean and there is no salt/sugar granules left on the fish. Dry it off with some paper towels.
With a very sharp knife, slice the fish nice and thin, layering a plate with the pieces as you go. You can let the pieces of fish slightly overlap or you can lie them flat against the plate with some space in between each piece.
Squeeze over some juice from half a lemon and half an orange, grate over the zests of both.
Generously pour over a nice amount of the olive oil, making sure to cover any gaps in between the fish with the olive oil.
Sprinkle over some flakey salt, along with a nice amount of the pimentón pepper, followed by the finely chopped mint.
Finally, spread a handful of the marinated fennel over the top of the fish (flavour hint, for added zing you can pour a couple drops of the fennel marinade over the fish at this point too). Save the rest of the fennel + marinade to add to a salad during the week.
Enjoy this incredibly fresh dish, really quite fast to make too, which again is perfect for this weekends hot weather. X
Ps. Before you exit this page to run over to your own fishmonger I thought to tell you that I will be hosting another one of my Pop-Up Trattorias next Saturday the 27th February. Keep an eye out for more details and the link to book through my instagram account @ellies.table. I am still playing with the menu but on the topic of raw fish, I can say almost for certain that it will feature my fresh tuna and saffron aioli carpaccio with confited tomatoes and crispy fish skin crackling. A hint into how good it is - at the last Pop-Up there was a table of 4 who ordered three plates to start (and then another two plates at the end of their meal!). Excited to see you there. Ellie. X