‘Sushi’, Rare:                      109ºF for 10 to 30 Minutes (42.8ºC)
‘Sushi’, Medium Rare:      122ºF for 10 to 30 Minutes (50.0ºC)
Medium Rare:                    132ºF for 10 to 30 Minutes (55.6ºC)

 

1) Ham and Mackerel Sous Vide Sandwich with caper vinaigrette and lemon confit 糖漬檸檬

Serves 2

• 2 filets                         Spanish mackerel (about 1 lb)
• 2 slices                        Serrano ham
• 4 thin slices                brioche 奶油麵包
• 1 teaspoons                capers     酸豆  (vinaigrette)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon              minced flat-leaf parsley  (vinaigrette)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon              minced shallot          (vinaigrette)
• 3/4 tablespoons         extra virgin olive oil  (vinaigrette)
  
• 1                                  lemon  (lemon confit)
  
• 1/4 cup                       water  (lemon confit)
  
• 1/4 cup                       sugar  (lemon confit)
  
• Kosher salt   (vinaigrette)
  
• Clarified butter  (15 g butter + 1/2 tsp oliver oil)
  

 

1.  Water bath temperature    60 deg C
Cooking time:  12-14 min

2.  Sprinkle each side of the filets with the kosher salt, let rest at room temperature for 4-5 minutes and then pat dry.

3.  Lay 1 strip of Serrano ham on one of the filets, enough to cover the flesh of the fish and to overlap the edges a little.  Lay another filet, flesh side down, on top of the ham.  Repeat with the other filets, making two separate sandwiches of fish and ham

4.  Seal the “sandwiches” in the vacuum bag and refrigerate for 2 hours.  The longer you can refrigerate, the better, so the proteins stick together as much as possible.

5.  Remove the bag from refrigerator and leave it to room temperature.  Place the bag in the hot water bath for 12-14 minutes.  After finishing sous vide cooking remove the bag from the hot water bath and either drop it in refrigerate for later use, or remove the fish from the bag for immediate service.  If refrigerated, bring the bag to room temperature before the final steps.

6.  Cut each mackerel into 3 equal portions.  Lay out 6 slices of the pressed brioche and top with the mackerel, like an open face sandwich.  Trim the brioche slices so that they are even with the edges of the fish.

7.  Heat clarified butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Lay each open face sandwich in the pan and sauté for 2 minutes, pressing down slightly to stick the fish to the bread.  As each piece browns on the bottom, remove from the pan, lay another piece of brioche in its place, and invert the fish onto it.  You should now have 2 pieces of bread on each piece, browned side up.  Sauté for an additional 2 minutes and remove from the pan.

8.  For the lemon confit: Cut the lemons into supremes (it is a segment of the lemon flesh with all of the peel, pith, and membranes removed).  Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and stir while bringing to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer until the liquid thickens a little.  Pour the liquid over the lemon supremes and set aside to cool.

9.  For the vinaigrette: Combine the shallots, parsley, capers, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Set aside until plating.

10.  Drizzle each plate with the vinaigrette, add a few lemon supremes and a portion of mackerel, and serve.

 

capers with chopped olives
shollots with red onion
3 to 4 shallots, use 1 medium onion plus 1 minced garlic clove.

 

 

 

How to Supreme a Lemon segment    

 

 

2) Venetian marinated Mackerel sous-vide

 

 

For 2 servings as antipasti 開胃菜

• Fillets of 1 fresh mackerel, about 200 grams [Ask your fishmonger to fillet the mackerel and to remove the skin
• 1                               large onions
• 150 ml                    dry white wine
• 60 ml                      good quality white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp                    olive oil
• 2 Tbsp                    white raisins       
  
• 1 Tbsp                    pine nuts
• 1                               bay leaf
• ground cinnamon
• salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2                           lemon
• flatleaf parsley

 

Step 1: marinade preparation
Start with the marinade.  Soak the raisins for 10 minutes in warm water.  Roast the pine nuts for 10 minutes in the oven at 150C/300F.  Slice the onions.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a frying pan.  Cook the onions over low heat until golden, around 10 minutes.  For a sweeter flavor you could cook as long as 2 hours!

Add vinegar, wine, raisins (drained), pine nuts and bay leaf.  Simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.

Season white salt, freshly ground white pepper and cinnamon.  Let cool.

Step 2: mackerel preparation
Each fillet will still have vertical bones in the middle.  With a short knife, cut in a straight line along both sides of that layer of bones to remove it (as shown).

Season the mackerel fillets with salt and freshly ground white pepper.  Seal in a plastic bag and cook in water bath for 15 minutes at 50C/122F.  Remove the plastic bag from water bath and cool it in ice water.

Step 3: marinate mackerel
Marinate mackerel in a wide shallow dish in a single layer.  Put half the onions on the bottom, then a layer of fish and end with the remaining onions.  Add all of the moisture from the marinade as well.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Cover and refrigerate for 6-24 hours.

Step 4: serve
Take the dish out of the refrigerator about an hour before serving to let the fish coming to room temperature.

Serve the fish with the onions and marinade, on top with a slice of lemon.

 

Because of the sweet, it’s good with a complex round white that it is dry but not bone-dry.  Grape varieties such as pinot bianco/blanc/weissburgunder, pinot grigio/gris/grauburgunder or dry muscat from Alto Adige, Alsace or Germany could all work out really well.