Tempura-Fried Baby Red Mullet with a Warm Tomato Vinaigrette

Difficulty:

1/5

Ease of Preparation: Moderate

Time of Preparation: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

8 baby red mullet
1 whole egg
¾ cup very cold water (175 millilitres)
125 grams flour (4 ounces)
Vegetable oil for frying

For the vinaigrette:

3 ripe yellow tomatoes
3 ripe red plum tomatoes
½ cup rice vinegar (125 millilitres)
Salt
1-cup olive oil (250 millilitres)

Method:

Preheat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Puree the yellow tomatoes in a blender. Add the rice vinegar and then the olive oil. Season the mixture and then pass it through a fine sieve. De-seed and dice the plum tomatoes and add the dice to the yellow tomato dressing. Put the dressing in a small saucepan and reheat over a low heat when ready to serve.

To make the tempura batter, beat the egg in a glass and add the cold water to make one full glass full of liquid. Add the flour and mix until it is incorporated but be careful not to overwork the mixture. There should still be lumps in the batter.

Trim the fins from the red mullet. Holding them by their tails, dip them in the tempura batter and then drop them immediately into the hot oil to fry for about 4 minutes, or until golden. Retrieve the fish with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately with the warm tomato vinaigrette with a couscous salad.