Modernist Recipes DB

Fish in a cloud

Adapted from Neil Perry, Balance and Harmony

Fish surrounded by a crispy crust and just underneath a soft egg cloud. When we first tried this recipe we were surprised by the technique, and now it is one of our favourites. We have used flathead fish in our recipe; though this can easily be adapted to halibut or other fish suitable for frying, as well as prawns (shrimp). Try it with a lamb cutlet! Anything you use, this recipe is worth a try.

Time

20 minutes total: 15 minutes attended, 5 minutes unattended

Storage notes

must be eaten immediately; does not keep 

Difficulty

moderate 

Yield

320 g (servings 2 )

Ingredients
Weight
Volume
Procedure
A
Sea salt
3 g
½ tsp
Shaoxing rice wine
5 g
1 tsp
Sesame oil
4.5 g
1 tsp
1
Combine in a bowl.
B
Flathead, or other fish suitable for deep frying, such as halibut
320 g
1 large fillet
2
Cut crosswise into 1" / 2.5 cm strips.
3
Toss in marinade mixture A and leave to marinade for 5 minutes. Proceed with step 4 while marinating.
C
Egg whites
100 g
3 large
4
Beat to soft peaks.
D
Plain flour
4.6 g
2 tsp
Corn flour (cornstarch)
4.6 g
2 tsp
5
Add to egg white mixture C.
6
Beat until smooth with stiff peaks.
7
Dip each piece of fish into the egg white mixture D until evenly coated.
E
Panko breadcrumbs
60 g
1 cup
8
Sprinkle each piece of fish evenly with breadcrumbs.
F
Neutral oil
as needed
9
Heat oil to 180°C / 356°F.
0
Cook the fish to a core temperature of 55°C / 131°F, about 3 minutes. The crust should be a lovely golden colour. You may need to work in batches.
-
Drain the cooked fish on a wire rack set over a baking tray and blot excess oil with paper towel.

Original: 2009. Adapted: 2013.

Making ahead

Prepare the marinade and keep in the fridge until required. Peel and de-vein the prawns, if using.

Food pairings

Fresh chilli sauce or spicy mayonnaise.

Drink pairings

Cold filtered beer.

Nutrition
Serving size 160 g; calories 216.7 kcal, kilojoules 906.9 kJ, protein 30.8 g, carbohydrates 15.5 g, sugar 1.5 g, fat 2.9 g, saturated fat 0.5 g, unsaturated fat 1.6 g, trans fat 0 g, fiber 1 g, cholesterol 192.9 mg,

Type deep fried

Author

Yield

g

Servings

Serving size 160 g

Serve

Per
serve
Energy (kcal)216.7
Energy (kJ)906.9
Protein (g)30.8
Fat (g)2.9
Carbs (g)15.5
Sugars (g)1.5
Fiber (g)1
Sodium (mg)677.3
Cholesterol (mg)192.9

Full details