Vietnamese-Style Fish Soup
Kristen created this dish for MasterChef UK ™ Series 22. Her squid 'noodles', set gently in a water bath then frozen and sliced wafer-thin, were called a stroke of genius for their tender, delicate texture. The chilled tomato, dill and chilli broth had the elegance of a cold consomme, with a bright kick of spice and lovely notes of dill. Lightly kombu-cured sea bass, jammy stewed-down tomatoes and crisp shallots were lifted by a masterful sweet-sour-chilli accent.
- Time: 360 min
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHILLED TOMATO, DILL & CHILLI BROTH
- / 900 g ripe vine or plum tomatoes, very ripe
- small bunch / 20 g fresh dill, stalks for the broth
- red chilli, deseeded
- / 15 ml fish sauce , plus extra to season
- / 15 ml rice vinegar
- / 4 g caster sugar, to balance
- / 3 g fine sea salt, to taste
- FOR THE KOMBU-CURED SEA BASS
- / 12 g caster sugar, for the light cure
- / 12 g fine sea salt, for the light cure
- / 200 g sea bass fillet, skinned, pin-boned and sashimi-grade
- sheets / ~10 g dried kombu, wiped with a little rice vinegar to soften
- FOR THE SQUID 'NOODLES'
- large / ~300 g cleaned squid tubes, sashimi-fresh, opened flat into sheets
- / 15 ml neutral or light olive oil, to dress
- fine sea salt
- FOR THE PICKLED CUCUMBER
- / 45 ml rice vinegar
- / 12 g caster sugar
- cucumber, deseeded and finely diced
- FOR THE MARINATED TOMATOES
- / 150 g cherry or datterini tomatoes, peeled
- / 15 ml olive oil
- garlic, lightly crushed
- A few drops fish sauce
- each caster sugar and fine sea salt
- FOR THE DILL OIL
- loosely packed / 30 g fresh dill fronds, reserved from above plus extra
- / 120 ml neutral oil, grapeseed or sunflower
- FOR THE CRISPY SHALLOTS
- banana shallots, very thinly sliced
- / 8 g rice flour, optional, for extra crispness
- / 240 ml neutral oil, for shallow frying
- TO FINISH
- / 15 ml lime juice
- / 10 ml fish sauce
- / 8 g caster sugar
- red chilli, finely chopped
- Micro herbs / dill fronds, to garnish