Smoked Eel Mousse with Fig
Serves 6 (starter)
This recipe is from Fish Society member Ian Williams. His presentation is as exciting as the recipe (but Ian, you need to work on your photography!)
Ingredients
- 1 thick smoked eel fillet
- 3½oz (100g) mascarpone
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp natural Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- pinch cayenne
- pinch ground nutmeg
To serve
- 6 thin slices ciabatta
- olive oil for brushing
- 6 ripe figs
- 6 sprigs fresh dill
- Balsamic syrup
Method
- Roughly flake the eel and place in the small bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth. Add mascarpone and lemon juice and blend well. Remove to a small bowl and carefully fold in yoghurt, chives and seasoning.
- Cover and chill for at least four hours – or overnight – to allow the flavours to develop.
- Later... Use a pastry cutter to cut the ciabatta slices into neat rounds; brush both sides with olive oil and toast in a hot dry frying pan until beginning to char (about one minute). Set aside.
- Remove the hard stalks from the figs and cut into thin slices.
- Decorate each of six serving plates with a squiggle of balsamic syrup. Place a toasted ciabatta slice on each plate and use two dessert spoons to form quenelles of the mousse to sit on the ciabatta slices. Arrange the figs, decorate each quenelle with a sprig of dill and serve.
