For a brilliant curveball, sandwich an anchovy fillet in the middle of two sage leaves. Squash together and stick it with a little batter, before dipping in the batter and frying until light golden. Give it a go!
30 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 6
About the recipe
Think of this like an Italian version of tempura. Served as a starter or a nice little aperitivo with a glass of wine and some people that you love, it’s a thing of joy. Use this as a principle recipe – make it your own by swapping in your favourite fish and surf the seasons when it comes to the veg. And I’ve given you three simple ways to jazz up shop-bought mayo, so choose your favourite, or make all three!
Ingredients
1 bunch of asparagus
1 courgette
6 courgette flowers
1 fresh red chilli
1 lemon
1 fresh bunch of mixed soft herbs, such as basil, parsley, sage, mint, marjoram (30g)
4 small chard leaves
4 raw shell-on king prawns, from sustainable sources
4 x 80g sardines, scaled, gutted, gills removed (ask your fishmonger), from sustainable sources
4 small red mullet fillets, scaled, pin-boned, from sustainable sources
BATTER
500ml sunflower oil
100g plain flour, plus extra for coating
100g cornflour
200ml chilled sparkling water
CHOOSE YOUR MAYO:
GARLIC MAYO
1 heaped tablespoon mayonnaise
extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
BASIL MAYO
1 heaped tablespoon mayonnaise
extra virgin olive oil
a few sprigs of basil
HARISSA MAYO
1 heaped tablespoon mayonnaise
extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon harissa or rose harissa
Top Tip
To achieve a beautifully crisp batter, I’ve got three top tips: make the batter just before you fry, make sure that the water you’re using is very cold, and try not to overmix it (don’t worry if you’ve got a few lumps – it’ll add extra crunch).
Method
- Spoon the mayo into a serving bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. For a garlic mayo, peel and smash up the garlic clove in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt, then stir it into the bowl. For a basil mayo, pick the basil leaves and smash up in a pestle and mortar, then stir into the bowl. For a harissa mayo, stir the harissa into the bowl.
- To prepare the veg, halve the asparagus spears lengthways, and either cut the courgette into batons or discs, leaving the flowers whole. Trim and halve the chilli, then deseed and quarter it lengthways. Very thinly slice half the lemon into rounds. Keep the herb sprigs whole and the chard leaves attached to their stems.
- Peel the king prawns, leaving the heads and tails intact, then run a small sharp knife down the back of each to butterfly it, also removing the vein.
- Pour the vegetable oil into a large sturdy pan and put it on a high heat. You want it to reach about 180ºC. If you don’t have a thermometer, use a little piece of potato as your gauge. When it rises to the top and turns crisp and golden, you’ll know the oil is hot enough. Please make sure you are paying attention to what you’re doing and don’t have any kids running around, because hot oil is dangerous.
- Pile both flours into a large bowl with a pinch of salt, then pour in the sparkling water. Use a whisk or a fork to gently mix until you get the consistency of double cream, adding an extra splash of water, if needed – it should thickly coat the back of a spoon (see top tip).
- Remove the potato, if you’ve used it, then coat each piece of seafood in flour and dip them into the batter, letting any excess drip off. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to lower each one slowly into the hot oil, making sure you don’t overcrowd the pan, or the temperature of the oil will drop – you’ll need to fry in batches. Deep-fry the sardines for 3½ minutes, the red mullet for 3 minutes and the prawns for 2 minutes, turning to cook them evenly until they’re a beautiful light golden colour. Remove them to a large serving plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
- Dip the veg, lemon slices, herb sprigs and chard leaves into the batter (there’s no need to coat them with flour), let any excess drip off, then fry in batches until lightly golden, and remove to the plate.
- Sprinkle the fritto misto from a height with a pinch of salt, then serve with the flavoured mayo and lemon wedges, for squeezing over.
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