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AT PAGE 48

Fish, love and fantasy

The cooking techniques and

equipment currently available to the

chefs allow them to interpret fish

products with great creativity

By Elena Consonni

Groupers and cuttlefish, mussels

and crustaceans... the variety in the

fish sector is almost endless and

cooking techniques are many to bring

out the best of the quality product,

respecting the consistency and taste

and – above all – guaranteeing the

assurance for those who eat. This

aspect is essential especially for raw,

or lightly cooked product, for which it

is compulsory to blast chill, or rapidly

freeze in an apparatus dedicated to

this purpose (the blast chiller, in fact)

in accordance with the law. But the

awareness of an attentive chef goes

even beyond the legal obligations.

“I chill all the fish that passes

through my kitchen - says Francesco

Pucci, chef of the restaurant “Taverna

La Riggiola” of Naples and specialised

in Ayurvedic cuisine, vice president

of the delegation Calabria of APCI,

professional association of Italian

cooks - except shellfish. For 10 years

now I’ve used the blast chiller to

pre-treat all that I can prepare raw or

cooked at temperatures below those

of sanitary safety.”

The practice adopted by Pucci is this:

he first vacuum-packs the fish, then

brings the temperature down to -25°c

and performs the complete cycle

against Anisakis. “At that point - he

emphasizes - I am at ease. When I

defreeze, I do not use cold running

water or even hot as many do, but

I let it thaw for a day in the lower

part of the refrigerator in a slow and

natural way, without stressing the

pulp. In this way, when I open the

vacuum, there’s no water loss, even

though it has been through a freezing

process. There is a gradual transition

from -20 °c/-18 °c to +4 °c of the

refrigerator. Anisakis is the enemy

of those who prepare raw fish. And

this also applies to the marinade,

because the marinade has no effect

on the safety of the fish. On the menu

we have a smoked and marinated

mackerel. The creation of this product

takes a week: I take the mackerel, I

clean it and I’ll chill it, after 36 hours

I’ll defrost it at its own pace, I put it

in the marinade for 36 hours, then

I smoke it and leave it to settle for

another 24 hours. All said and done it

takes 7 days, but that’s OK, because

I have to give the utmost ease to the

customer.”

IMMERSION COOKING

Another beloved technique of

Francesco Pucci is oil-cooking, with

the fish dipped in oil at 65 °c. “This

for me is the optimal temperature

- he continues - as above 65 °c the

proteins coagulate and change their

nature and because between 70 and

130 °c the oil tends to

penetrate into the fibres of the fish

and soak it, ruining the quality. Under

70 °c, instead, it protects it as a film

by transmitting the heat for induction

and the fish is not oily. Above 130 °c,

instead, “frying” begins.

This technique is suitable for many

fish: amberjack, grouper, even the

shrimp, which becomes a cream, and

the same effect can be replicated

vacuum-packed, which amplifies all

the flavours. A marinade can improve

the shelf life. “With balanced salts

(coarse and fine salt, cane and refined

sugar) – he stresses – it breaks down

the bacterial load and it is possible

to keep the fish longer». The times,

however, are not always comparable

to those of meat: in the case of an

octopus (which at low temperature

cooks for three and a half hours) the

shelf life with vacuum-packing and

chilling reaches 90 days; fish with

more delicate meats, cooked at 50 °c,

have much lower storage times. “

Oil cooking is part of the confit

technique, which is immersed in a

grease or liquid. “I also use almond

extract or coconut milk – says Pucci

– at 70 °c and with a double probe

control not only the temperature of

the liquid but also that of the food. My

ideal temperature is 58 °c at the heart. “

OVEN, FRYING PAN AND GRILL

In the Taverna La Riggiola restaurant,

the oven is used mainly for gratin. “I

set it at 150 °c mixed - explains Pucci

- and use it for meaty fish fillets, from

10-15 kilos, covered by

flavoured breadcrumbs. Also in this

case i check the temperature at the

heart. When it arrives at about 58 °c

I remove the fillet from the oven, so

that the texture does not remain dry».

To make the fish crisp, especially the

skin, Pucci uses the frying pan. For

mullet or small-sized fillets he uses a

technique that he loves borrowed from

the one used for orange duck. “I leave

the mullet to marinate a few hours

with Sorrento lemon peels and a Cetara

anchovy sauce - he tells us - then I lay

them on an open grill, open like a book

with the back facing upwards. I leave

the skin and, deliberately, some scales,

pour the hot oil at 150 °c on the back

with the ladle. The heat of the oil, in

this way, is not immediately in contact

with the pulp: the skin protects and

transmits the heat by induction». The

barbecue also finds its place in the

kitchen of Francesco Pucci. “I use it at

MAGAZINE

Francesco Pucci