Citrus marinated fluke recipe

Ingredients

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) water
• 1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
• 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
• 3½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon squid ink
• 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper

• 2 ounces dry hijiki seaweed
• 1 cup (8 ounces) water

• 4 ounces cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped in several pieces
• 1 medium celery stalk, chopped in several pieces
• ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeño or serrano chile
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon yellow curry paste
• ½ cup (4 ounces) ice water
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper

To Prepare the Brittle
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with a non-stick liner or lightly oiled parchment paper.
2. Pour 1 tablespoon of water into a ramekin or other small dish and sprinkle the gelatin over it; let it stand several minutes.
3. Place the tapioca flour in a small heatproof bowl.
4. Warm the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar melts and becomes amber in color. Stir only if it is melting unevenly. Watching out for steam, add the remaining water and the squid ink to the sugar and bring the mixture back to a boil.
5. Pour a couple of tablespoons of the hot liquid into the tapioca flour, then quickly whisk it to remove any lumps. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring it back to a boil.
6. Whisk in the gelatin and water, cook 1 minute, then add the sesame seeds, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
7. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it to within 1–2 inches of the sheet’s edges. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until set and lightly crispy.
8. Cool the brittle on the baking sheet over a baking rack. It will become crisper as it sits.
To Prepare the Hijiki
9. Combine the seaweed with the water in a small saucepan. Bring it almost to a boil over high heat, then remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture sit until cool. Drain the liquid and refrigerate the seaweed in a covered bowl until needed.
To Prepare the Cucumber-Curry Broth
10. Place all the ingredients in the blender and puree. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
To Prepare the Melon
11. In a medium bowl, mix the melon with the simple syrup, tequila, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate covered bowl until needed.
To Prepare the Fluke
12. Mix together the marinade for the fluke. Stir together the oil, lime and orange juices, mustard, and honey. When combined, stir in the chives, lemon zest, and a good pinch each of salt and pepper.
13. Cut the fluke across the grain on the diagonal very thinly (between ⅛ and ¼ of an inch thick). This slicing will give the fish the most tender texture and lots of surface area. Try to get 20 slices.
14. Dunk the slices of fluke into the marinade to give them a little bath and coat evenly. Let them sit in it for a couple of minutes.
Putting It All Together
15. This dish looks great on oval plates if you have them. Curl the fluke slices around your finger and arrange them more or less standing up in a row, spaced across the center of each of 4 plates.
16. Drain the liquid from the melon slices and arrange the cubes in the gaps between the slices of fluke.
17. Scatter pieces of hijiki over and around the fish and melon. Add small spoonfuls of the cucumber-curry broth over and around the row of fish. Spoon a bit of the fluke marinade over or around the fish.
18. Break off pieces of the black sesame brittle and stand two or three on each plate, held up by the other ingredients.
19. Garnish with sprouts or greens and serve immediately.