Fritto Misto Modena Recipes

FRITO MISTO

Steps:

• Preheat a fryer or steep-sided pan, with 1-inch of canola oil, to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the seafood, egg whites and caperberries. Blend the cornstarch and flours together in a deep bowl. In a mesh basket add the fish, making sure to shake off the excess egg whites. Add the fish to the flour mixture, coating thoroughly. Carefully transfer the fish to the fryer basket and submerge them in the hot oil. Let cook, shaking the basket every so often, so that they will not stick together, until golden brown and crispy. Be careful of the splattering oil.
• Drain on paper towels and season with sea salt. Transfer the fish to a serving platter and garnish with lemon wedges.

FRITTO MISTO RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat about 2-inches of oil to 350 F.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk in the club soda slowly, careful not to overmix. The mixture will be slightly lumpy.
• Dip a quarter of the vegetables, seafood, lemon, and herbs into the batter, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Fry, turning to cook evenly and separating as needed in the oil, until lightly golden, about 2 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined wire rack and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve hot.

VEGETABLE FRITTO MISTO WITH LEMON MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• For the fritto misto: In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about 1/3 of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 1 minute.) Dredge the cauliflower, green beans, fennel, garbanzo beans, and lemon slices in the flour. Fry the dredged ingredients for 1 to 3 minutes until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.
• For the lemon mayonnaise: In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise and lemon juice together until smooth. Pour into a small dipping or serving bowl.
• Arrange the fritto misto on a platter and serve with the lemon mayonnaise.

FRITTO MISTO

Steps:

• Prepare the batter. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour the olive oil and gradually beat in the water to make a smooth, thick batter. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before using, beat the egg whites until firm. Lightly fold the beaten egg whites into the batter.
• Preheat the oil to 375 degrees F.
• Thoroughly wash all the seafood in water. Drain. Dip the assorted seafood and vegetables in the prepared batter and shake off any excess batter. Cook in hot oil and fry until crisp and golden. Lift out and drain on paper towels.
• Fry the basil, sage and parsley, then drain. Sprinkle fried seafood with salt and divide onto 4 serving plates. Garnish with the fried herbs and lemon wedges. Serve immediately with Sauce Tartare.
• Combine the hard-boiled egg, capers, cornichon, anchovies, chives and parsley with the mayonnaise.
• Fold in the whipped cream. Chill and use as needed.
• Yield: 2 cups
• Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen" Houghton Mifflin, 1981.

FRITTO MISTO

Steps:

• For the sauce: Combine the basil, pistachios, olive oil, lemon zest and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until roughly pureed. Remove the contents to a small bowl and stir in the mayonnaise and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season with the salt.
• For the seafood: Fill a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with 3 inches of oil and heat to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch, polenta, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Working in batches, dredge the shrimp and calamari in the flour mixture and add to the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan and drop the temperature. Fry until light golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a spider to remove the seafood to a paper towel-lined tray and season with a pinch of salt. Continue with the remaining shrimp and calamari. Serve hot alongside the pesto dipping sauce and lots of lemon wedges.

FRITTO MISTO

Steps:

• In large shallow skillet over moderately high heat, heat 3 inches of oil until thermometer registers 350°F.
• Transfer flour to large plate. Sprinkle all seafood liberally with salt and pepper. Working in batches and returning oil to 350°F between batches, dredge seafood in flour, shaking to remove excess, and fry until golden and cooked through, about 20 seconds per side for whole fish and shrimp, 15 seconds per side for scallops and calamari. Using slotted spoon, remove as done and drain on paper towel-lined plate.
• Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately with tartar sauce.

FRITTO MISTO

Steps:

• Put at least 3 inches of oil in a large, deep saucepan; a larger pan with more oil will allow you to cook more at once. Turn the heat to high and keep it there until the temperature reaches 350°F (a pinch of flour will sizzle). Then adjust the heat as necessary to maintain this temperature. While the oil is heating, prepare the vegetables.
• Make the batter: Combine 1 cup of the flour, the baking powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl; mix lightly with a fork. Mix together the egg and wine, then stir the mixture into the batter until smooth; the mixture should be just about the consistency of pancake batter.
• Dredge each piece of food lightly in the remaining flour, then dip into the batter and add to the oil. Do not crowd the food; you will have to cook in batches. Cooking time will be just as long as it takes for the pieces to become an appealing shade of gold, just 5 minutes or so.
• Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with coarse salt, and serve immediately, with lemon wedges or aïoli.

FRITTO MISTO DI MARE

Steps:

• Make the batter: Put flour and salt in a small bowl and gradually whisk in wine to obtain a smooth, lump-free mixture. Rest 30 minutes. Add seltzer just before frying.
• Near the stove, put the seasoned dredging flour in a shallow bowl. Place finished batter next to it and an empty plate next to that. Put fish and other ingredients for frying nearby.
• Put oil in a large wok or a wide, deep pot and fasten a candy thermometer to the side. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
• Working in small batches, dip a few pieces of shrimp, squid, scallop, mussels, white bait, sliced lemon and scallion first into the seasoned flour to coat lightly, then into the batter. Put battered pieces on the empty plate.
• Slip a few pieces into the hot oil and fry 3 to 4 minutes, until golden. Remove with tongs or wire spider and drain on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Hold fried food in a warm oven while continuing to fry. Make sure to regulate heat below wok to keep oil at correct temperature (adding too many pieces to the oil will cause it to cool.) Rid oil of debris between batches with a fine meshed skimmer.
• As soon as you have enough to serve, pile it onto a warmed platter. Sprinkle with sea salt (and crushed red pepper if desired). Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Continue to fry in small batches.