FRUITS DE MER
Serves 6
The basics of this dish are quintessential Charlie Trotter: perfectly cooked seafood and fresh tomato water. Beyond that, it gets a little experimental. The noodle has the taste and texture of a scallop. Inspired by chef Wylie Dufresne’s work with the zero carb noodle, this scallop noodle is made by pureeing fresh scallops in a food processor, then binding the protein together with a natural enzyme known as Activa RM. The scallops are then sliced into noodles that magically hold their shape.
The key to this dish is to cook the seafood separately and reserve the broth, combining it with the tomato water at the last minute to create a tomato-shellfish broth. The seafood really shines here, so it must be fresh and cooked perfectly. There’s a touch of spice and warmth that make this dish a wonderful comfort food.
SCALLOP NOODLE:
600 grams unsalted butter
300 grams diver scallops
4 grams salt
6 grams Activa RM (see Sources, here)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
400 grams tomatoes
TOMATO WATER:
400 grams tomatoes
TOMATO BROTH:
15 grams shallot, minced
10 grams garlic, minced
150 grams Tomato Water
0.75 gram salt
SHELLFISH BROTH:
30 mussels
20 littleneck clams
20 grams canola oil, divided
600 grams Champagne, divided
SHRIMP:
150 grams shrimp, shelled, deveined, and diced
Salt for seasoning
10 grams canola oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
OLD BAY CROUTONS:
100 grams French baguette, cut into ¼-inch dice
25 grams unsalted butter
15 grams canola oil
10 grams Old Bay seasoning
TO FINISH:
30 grams fresh lemon juice
10 grams minced parsley
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Vacuum sealer
SCALLOP NOODLE:
Dice the butter and put it in a small saucepot set over medium heat. Melt the butter and allow the liquefied butter to come to a simmer. Cook the butter until the foam clears and the bubbling slows, about 30 minutes. The liquid will be a clear yellow, allowing you to see the milk solids slowly browning at the bottom of the pan. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and strain the clarified butter, discarding the solids. Weigh out 500 grams for this recipe and keep any extra for another use.
Put the scallops and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times until the scallops are smooth. Add the Activa RM and pulse a few more times. Remove the scallop mousse from the food processor and transfer to a bowl. Add the lemon zest and use a rubber spatula to combine. Weigh out 150 grams of the scallop mousse and place inside a vacuum bag. Spread the mousse out in an even layer, then seal. Let the noodle set up in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Use a knife to cut a ¼-inch frame around the edge of the bag to remove the mousse. Transfer the mousse to a cutting board. Use a knife to cut noodles about 8 inches long and ¼ inch wide.
Put 500 grams of the clarified butter in a medium saucepot over low heat. Place 6 noodles at a time in the butter and poach them for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the noodles from the butter and keep warm until ready to plate.
TOMATO WATER:
Add the tomatoes to a food processor and pulse until broken up. Place cheesecloth over the mouth of a small container and transfer the contents of the food processor to the cheesecloth, squeezing all the water out of the tomatoes and into the container. Let the tomatoes drain over the container for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Discard the cheesecloth and crushed tomatoes and reserve 150 grams of the liquid.
TOMATO BROTH:
Sweat the shallot and garlic in a small saucepot for 2 minutes over low heat. Add the reserved Tomato Water and simmer for 5 minutes. Season the liquid with salt and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Keep warm until ready to plate.
SHELLFISH BROTH:
If necessary, remove the beard from each mussel using a paring knife. Soak the mussels and clams in cold running water to purge any sand. Find and remove any dead mussels—the ones whose shells have already opened up. Remove the shellfish from the water and dry with a paper towel. Put 10 grams of canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mussels to the hot pan and add 300 grams of Champagne. Cover the sauté pan with a lid and let the mussels steam open. Once they are open, strain the mussels from the pan and reserve the broth for plating. Repeat the same process with the clams, reserving the broth for plating. Remove the meat from the shells and keep the clams and mussels separate. Keep warm until ready to plate.
SHRIMP:
Season the shrimp with salt. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, pour in the canola oil and add the clove of garlic. Heat the oil for 1 to 2 minutes to infuse it with the garlic. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and opaque. Remove the shrimp from the sauté pan and keep warm until ready to plate.
OLD BAY CROUTONS:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Melt the butter in a small saucepot. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Put the diced bread in a mixing bowl. Add the oil and butter and toss to coat the bread. Add the Old Bay and salt and toss to coat again. Spread the croutons out on the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to plate.
TO FINISH:
Combine 120 grams of the Tomato Broth and 300 grams of combined Shellfish Broth in a large saucepan set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and add the lemon juice. Stir to combine and then put the mussels, clams, and shrimp in the pot.
Put 6 warm Scallop Noodles in each of 6 soup bowls. Ladle 7 grams of broth over the noodles in each bowl and place 3 mussels, 2 clams, and 10 grams of shrimp in each bowl. Garnish with 5 or 6 Old Bay Croutons and 1 to 2 grams of minced parsley. Serve immediately.
