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Dish

Skipjack tuna fillet, onions and fennel with saffron, basil panisse and lemon emulsion

8 people

Recipe by the chef Dominique Frérard at the Les Trois Forts restaurant in Marseilles

Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence
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Ingredients
  • 8 x 130 g slices of skipjack tuna
  • 4 anchovy fillets in olive oil
  • 4 small bay leaves
  • 3 fennel bulbs
  • 3 onions
  • 2 lemons
  • 250 g unsalted butter
  • 250 g chickpea flour
  • 1 bunch of fresh basil
  • Olive oil
  • Saffron
  • Espelette pepper
  • Curry powder
  • 1 star anise
  • Salt, pepper
  • Water
Direction

Basil panisse
Put one litre of water in a saucepan, add salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the sifted chickpea flour. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook over a high heat for about ten minutes, stirring constantly to obtain a smooth, thick paste with no lumps. Add the basil. Pour the mixture into a rectangular mould. Smooth with a spatula to a thickness of 1.5 cm. Set aside in the refrigerator for one hour. Cut out 5cm x 10cm rectangles with a pastry cutter.

Fish and garnishes
Score the fish slices by making deep incisions on both sides with the tip of a knife. Insert the halved bay leaves on one side and the pieces of anchovy fillet on the other. Season each side with a pinch of Espelette pepper and curry powder, salt and pepper. Set aside in a cool place. In a shallow or high-sided frying pan, cook the fennel and chopped onions in olive oil. When cooked, add salt and pepper, star anise and two pinches of saffron. Keep warm.

The lemon emulsion
In a saucepan, add the juice of the squeezed lemons, then add the same volume of water, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then whisk in the softened butter until the water and lemon juice mixture has a syrupy consistency. Keep warm.

Cooking
Sear the seasoned skipjack tuna slices for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Lightly fry the panisse rectangles in olive oil.

How to serve

Arrange the onions and fennel on a plate with a round pastry cutter, the skipjack tuna fillet and the basil panisses. Top with the lemon emulsion.

Pairing Skipjack tuna fillet, onions & fennel with saffron, basil panisse and lemon emulsion
Pairing Skipjack tuna fillet, onions & fennel with saffron, basil panisse and lemon emulsion