What would you be as a cook without salt? Without a small amount of sodium chloride? Nothing, defacto. Salt simply belongs in every dish. And ideally also as a finishing salt on the dish.
When I was asked to develop a recipe for Falksalt Lime the other day, I was excited – but also had to think about what makes a recipe that wants to emphasize a salt and bring it into focus….
But actually the direction was clear very quickly: fish. It goes perfectly with the lemony salt. Recently this has been named Limone and, like the other Falksalt products, is now available in small, handy packaging units. Very practical! Fish, lime salt and in addition best seasonal, fresh and crunchy products. That’s the idea. A little less salt in the preparation, so that the finishing salt can develop its effect as a small explosion of flavor. Ideally combined with a partially used strong sauce – and an intense oil. So you can combine wildly back and forth on the plate and discover all the flavor combinations and deliberately taste out the saltier parts.
ABOUT FALKSALT
Falksalt’s salts have been at the top of my spice drawer for a while now, in several variations. The sea salt crystals in pyramid form are significantly larger than other salts – mild and intense at the same time. The fine crystals are harvested in Cyprus with a lot of passion and experience by salt gardeners. The Cypriot salt garden, where the FingerSalt is scooped by hand, is strongly inspired by the process of creation in nature. In the north of Cyprus many energies come together and with all their power they form the typical crystals – a natural phenomenon that can be found exclusively on this part of the coast. The salty seawater is hurled with great force by constant waves to the rocky coast, where it dries within a very short time from the burning down sun. As a result, the salt sticks to the rocks and is formed into these small, pearly salt pyramids by the wind in interaction with the sun.
The salt workers, working in a long tradition, with a lot of experience and tact, use this process for the production. The salt is carefully scooped by hand. The herb or fruit additions must be folded in carefully so as not to break the delicate salt pyramids. By the way, all items can also be ordered directly online!
MY RECIPE WITH FALKSALT
For the lime salt, I came up with a dish based around the pulpo. Slowly cooked sous-vide and then grilled quickly and extremely hot on the Beefer. Served with a mashed cauliflower and a few slices of grilled cauliflower. They give a great smoky and very strong aroma. And as another, autumn vegetables, another cabbage. In three variations: Tenderly cooked Brussels sprouts, sautéed leaves, and paper-thin slices of raw Brussels sprouts for that extra dose of freshness. And for the crunch, a popcorn made from quinoa. Unfortunately, I forgot where I first ate this the other day (and then saved it directly to my inspiration list). But it is great. Crunchy, quite intense roasted flavors and, in keeping with this recipe – and thanks to the preparation in fish stock – also with light marine flavors. Served with a sauce made from the reduction of squid with a hint of Pernod. Quickly mixed with plenty of butter to a light foam. And, very finely dosed, a fresh coriander oil. Lightly emuglated and tied to hold its position on the plate in small round dots. And, of course, Falksalt lime. In quite large flakes, only minimally crushed, draped on top of the pulpo and between the cabbage. This way, the salt not only comes into its own in terms of taste, it also crunches really nicely and thus always comes to the fore and combines the components.
INGREDIENTS LIST
(for 4 starters)
4 small fresh squid, ready to cook
1 small cauliflower
400gr crispy Brussels sprouts
1/2 cup quinoa
1 bunch lemon thyme
2 bunch coriander
1EL coriander seeds
100ml olive oil
1 glass white wine
8cl glass of Pernod
250ml fish stock
100gr butter
1 lemon
1/2 clove garlic
Salt
Pepper
Chili
Falksalt lime salt
Zubreitung
In the first step, gently simmer 1/2 cup of quinoa together with the fish stock for 20 minutes first, then let it sit for 10 minutes without heat. If necessary, drain quinoa through a sieve and spread out on a baking sheet to dry at 90 degrees for about 45 minutes. Alternatively, allow to dry through in the dehydrator. Just before serving, toast the dried quinoa in a very hot pan until it pops loudly and turns a rich brown. Remove from the pan just before it gets a little too dark (this may well take a few tries, as this is a narrow degree to burn).
Now vacuum the squid together with some butter and a sprig of lemon thyme.
Cook sous-vide at 78 degrees for three hours – alternatively, simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
Then collect the stock and reduce it together with the white wine and Pernod. Cut off the arms of the squid and grill briefly but at maximum heat (I used the Beefer, about 45 seconds per side. However, a conventional grill or grill pan should also work).
Divide the cauliflower into florets, simmer 3/4 of them with a little water for 20 minutes, then blend with a little butter using a blender to a tender puree. Pass through a sieve, season with salt and nutmeg. Slice the remaining rosettes very thinly and fry until crispy with a little oil.
Lightly toast the coriander seeds in a pan. Together with the two bunches of fresh coriander, half a clove of garlic, 100ml of discreet olive oil and the juice of half a lemon, chop well in the Thermomix (or another food processor) and blend. Then strain through a sieve. Add 20ml white wine and 4cl Pernod. Season with salt and a little chili. If desired, bind with a little xanthan gum (in this case, blend again with a hand blender to create a creamy texture that can be used to set more stable “drops”).
Wash the Brussels sprouts, remove outer leaves. Cook two thirds in a little water for about 15 minutes, it should still be very firm to the bite. Carefully separate the leaves from half of the remaining Brussels sprouts and toss in a little hot olive oil and lightly salt just before serving. Slice the remaining half paper-thin.
Finally, add the reduction of the squid fund to taste, assemble with a little butter and a blender and whip until frothy.
First, spread the cauliflower puree on the plates, scatter a few leaves of the Brussels sprouts on top and grate the raw Brussels sprouts on top. Then add plenty of popped quina on top or alongside. Place the squid arms and finally add some stock and the coriander oil on top. Now add the Falk Lime Salt to finish on the squid and between the Brussels sprouts.
Tip: The SousVide Supreme Demi
Exact temperature between 30 and 999 degrees, accurate to 0.5 degrees. High quality workmanship and also suitable for smaller kitchens. Clear instructions and very easy to use. Already from 280€.
