Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
Hibiscus Fluid Gel:
- ½ ounce (14 g) hibiscus flowers
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 2/3 ounces (47 g) sugar
- 2 cups (470 ml) boiling water
- 1% agar agar by weight
Pumpkin Seed Crust:
- ½ cup (120 ml) panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup (60 ml) pumpkin seeds, toasted and ground
- ½ scotch bonnet chili, deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped (rasp)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground allspice
- 6 tablespoons (90 ml) butter, soft
Curry Pumpkin Puree:
- 1 buttercup pumpkin, peeled and cubed
- 1 ½ quarts (1.5 L) chicken stock
- ½ scotch bonnet
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) cold butter
- ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml) Caribbean curry powder
- Salt
For the Snapper:
- 4 snapper fillets, skin on and pin bones removed
- Salt and pepper
- Pumpkin Seed Crust
Edible flowers, to garnish
Method:
For the Hibiscus Fluid Gel:
Make a tea by combining hibiscus flowers, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves to a heatproof dish or saucepan. Add boiling water and allow to steep for 45 minutes.
Strain, reserving the tea and discarding the solids.
Weigh strained tea on a digital scale to calculate and weigh out the amount of agar agar needed – for the easiest math, use metric units and weigh out 1 gram of agar powder for every 100 grams of tea.
Add strained tea to a saucepan and bring to a boil. When boiling, add agar agar powder. Whisk well and continue to boil for 1 minute, until clear.
Pour the tea-agar agar mixture into a wide dish and chill for at least 4 hours, until set and firm.
Add the set jelly into a blender and blend on low. Slowly increase the speed to high and continue blending until a shiny, smooth fluid gel forms.
Transfer the fluid gel to a squeeze bottle and reserve for plating. Refrigerate if not using right away.
For the Pumpkin Seed Crust:
In a bowl, mix panko, pumpkin seeds, scotch bonnet, thyme, allspice, garlic, and butter, combining by hand to form a dough.
Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll the dough out very thin (1/4-inch/6 mm), then chill completely, about 2 hours.
Before plating, cut the dough into the shapes of the fillets.
Pumpkin Puree:
In a medium pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil.
Add the cubes of pumpkin and return to a boil, then add the scotch bonnet pepper and thyme and boil for 12 minutes.
Remove the scotch bonnet and discard, and continue cooking for 20-25 minutes, until the pumpkin is very soft.
Remove and discard the thyme.
Strain, reserving the pumpkin. If desired, reserve the cooking liquid for another use, such as a soup.
Transfer the cooked pumpkin to the blender, add the curry powder and blend on high until smooth.
Add in the butter and continue blending until a uniform, glossy puree has formed.
Season with salt. Reserve and keep warm for plating.
For the Snapper:
Preheat an oven to 425 F (220 C).
Season the fish with salt and pepper. Carefully top the skin side of the fillets with the reserved, prepared, Pumpkin Seed Crusts.
Transfer fillets to a pan and bake for 7-8 minutes, until cooked through and crusty.
To Serve:
Dress the left side of a plate with a series of artfully arranged dots of the hibiscus fluid gel.
Add a spoonful of the warm pumpkin puree to the right side of the plate. Lay crusted fillet on left. Garnish with edible flowers.