John Torode's fritto misto
The final installment of John Torode's Jurassic Coast adventure sees him riding the Seaton Tram before visiting one of the oldest businesses in the world - which still mills flour in the same way as it did a thousand years ago.
John concludes his adventure by using the flour to create a batter for some delicious fritto misto.
Fritto misto
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
For the batter
100g wholemeal flour
100g corn flour
1 tsp baking powder or bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
500ml cider
1 large potato, peeled and sliced into 1 cm thick disks
2 litres vegetable or corn oil
20g wholemeal flour and 20g cornflour, mixed together for dusting
200g monkfish, cut into strips
200g hake, cut into strips
6 small scallops, cut into half
2 medium squid tubes, cut into rings 3cms thick
3 lemons
Tartare sauce
250ml mayonnaise
1 shallot, finely chopped
25g gherkins, chopped
10g capers, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped chervil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Method
1. About an hour in advance, make the batter - it will settle but then can be stirred up when you are ready to fry: mix together the flour, corn flour, baking powder or bicarb and salt in a large bowl, then gradually add enough cider to make a creamy batter
2. Place the potatoes under running water for 5 minutes to wash off some of the starch. Pat dry with paper towel or a cloth and place them to one side.
3. Fill a deep pan, or deep fat fryer, one third full with vegetable oil and heat to 180C and have ready a plate with paper to drain the fried fish. You will be frying the seafood in batches so set out all the food and start the process, the potatoes go first and they need to be returned to the hot oil at the end to finish the cooking process.
4. Dust the potato in the dry flour and cornflour mixture and then in the batter, gently place in the hot oil and fry for a good 4 minutes until they start to float. Remove from the hot oil and let the oil come back up to temperature before frying the fish.
5. Dust the fish in the dry flour and cornflour mixture, then fry in batches - the squid will take about 4 minutes, and the fish and scallops 3 minutes each, finally fry the potatoes again for a few minutes
6. Mix together the shallots, capers, gherkins, parsley, chervil and mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. Serve with the fritto misto.