Merluza Negra, Artichoke Cream, Olive Powder, Sea Air

Merluza negra fish cooked sous vide with artichoke hearts cream, sea air and black olive powder. This recipe is from molecular gastronomy Chef Gonzalo Aramburu with step by step instructions adapted by us.

Ingredients (4 tasting size servings)

- 400 g (14 oz) merluza negra (Chilean sea bass)

- 2 artichoke hearts

- 50 ml (1.7 oz) cream

- 70 g (2.5 oz) black olives

- 300 g (10.6 oz) clams

- parsley, chopped

- 200 ml (6.7 oz) dry white wine

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 g soy lecithin powder

- salt and pepper

- olive oil

- micro greens for garnish

Preparation

Artichoke Cream

1- Place the artichoke hearts in a vacuum bag and season with salt, pepper and olive oil. If you are using a clamp-style vacuum sealer instead of a chamber style, you may want to freeze the oil first.

2- Cook the artichoke hearts for 20 min in a sous vide water bath at 80 °C (176 °F).

3- Blend the artichoke hearts with a little cream until you obtain a thick cream. Reserve.

Black Olive Powder

1- Dry the olives with paper towels and place them in dehydrator tray lined with mesh screen and dehydrate at 65 ˚C (150 ˚F) for 24 hours or until crunchy.

2- Grind dried olives coarsely using a food processor.

Sea Air

1- Bring wine, onion and parsley to boil.

2- Add the clams and cook until they open, strain the juice and measure what is left.

3- Use 1 g of lecithin powder for every 125 ml and blend it in well in a high container wide enough to collect the air (about 25 cm). Strain the mixture and keep until needed.

Merluza Negra

1- Place the merluza negra in a vacuum bag and season with salt and olive oil. If you are using a clamp-style vacuum sealer instead of a chamber style, you may want to freeze the oil first.

2- Cook the merluza negra for 40 minutes in a sous vide water bath at 60 °C (140 °F).

3- Sear the fish on hot pan for 30 seconds each side.

Assemble and Serve

1- Spread some artichoke cream across the plate.

2- Place a small spoon of black olive powder on the thin end of the artichoke cream on the plate.

3- Place a portion of merluza negra on top of the artichoke cream and black olive powder.

4- Produce the sea air by lifting the immersion blender to the upper part of the liquid surface to incorporate as much air as possible so that foam forms on the surface. Once you have enough foam on the surface, let it rest of 1 minute so that the foam sets and the excess of liquid is eliminated.

5- Spoon some sea foam on top of the fish.

6- Garnish with a few micro green leaves.