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Recipe Detail Page
Fritto Misto
Spring 2012
One of the glories of food in Venice is the fritto misto served at many seafood restaurants.It was originally a dish designed to use up the little fish that were caught but deemed too small to sell; today it is more sophisticated. Shrimps, scallops, squid and other fish are part of the mix and it usually includes sardines as they are the typical fish of Venice. Depending on the restaurant, some fritto misto is floured and fried; other restaurants use a batter, which I prefer. This is a very light batter so that the taste of the seafood zings in your mouth. Serve it immediately after you fry it or, if you have no choice, keep it warm in a 200°F (100°C) oven until needed.
Approx. 4 cups (1 L) canola oil for deep frying
BATTER
1¼ cups (310 mL) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (60 mL) cornstarch
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
Pepper to taste
1½ cups (375 mL) very cold water
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 extra-large scallops
4 sardines
8 extra-large shrimp
3 squid cut in ¼- or ½-inch (5-mm or 1-cm) rings with tentacles
1 lemon cut in wedges
1 Preheat oven to 200°F (100°C).
2 Heat 3 inches (8 cm) oil over high heat in a wok or deep fryer. Heat until oil is 350°F (180°C) or until a cube of bread turns brown in 15 seconds.
3 Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl.
4 Pour water and oil into a large bowl; whisk in flour mixture to make a smooth batter.
5 Place 1 cup (250 mL) flour on a plate for dredging.
6 Season all the seafood with salt and pepper. Working with one kind of seafood at a time, dredge in flour and dip in batter to coat.
7 Working in batches, fry scallops and sardines for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned and just cooked through. Fry shrimp for 2 minutes or until pink and lightly curled. Fry squid for1 minute or until opaque. Remove all seafood from oil as it is cooked and let drain on paper towels. Place on a baking sheet and keep warm in oven.
8 Place seafood on a platter and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve with Italian Tartar Sauce (recipe follows).
Serves 4
ITALIAN TARTAR SAUCE
This zesty sauce is flavoured with basil and incorporates both anchovies and capers—typical ingredients used extensively in Italian cooking.
1 cup (250 mL) mayonnaise
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped gherkins
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped capers
2 finely chopped anchovy fillets
½ tsp (2 mL) chopped garlic
½ tsp (2 mL) chili flakes
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped basil
Salt to taste
1 Combine all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt to taste. Makes about 1¼ cups (310 mL)
