SURF AND TURF
Serves 6
This is perhaps the most umami-focused dish we’ve served at Moto. Everything on this plate bursts with rich flavor. Duck tongues are infused with sesame oil and cooked in a sous vide bath, then seared to a crisp. Then mahi mahi is poached in oil and seasoned with lemon. Leafy kale, maitake mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms are fried and served alongside a crispy mushroom paper and shaved black truffle. Kombu powder enhances the flavors of this underwater scene. When eaten together, all of the components of this dish take on a wonderful complexity that you could never experience when eating each one on its own.
Duck tongues are lovely—I could eat a whole pile of them. What makes them so interesting is their texture, which is almost crunchy.
DUCK TONGUES:
180 grams duck tongues (see Sources, here)
30 grams sesame oil
20 grams all-purpose flour
10 grams canola oil
1 gram salt
MUSHROOM STOCK:
10 grams canola oil
100 grams maitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
100 grams king trumpet mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
50 grams shallot, sliced
20 grams garlic, sliced
5 grams thyme leaves
800 grams water
MUSHROOM PAPER:
100 grams cremini mushrooms, cleaned
½ shallot, sliced
1½ garlic cloves, sliced
30 grams thyme sprigs
10 grams canola oil
Salt for seasoning
Mushroom Stock
2 grams xanthan gum (see Sources, here)
Aged sherry vinegar for seasoning
KOMBU POWDER:
50 grams dried kombu
100 grams canola oil
100 grams tapioca maltodextrin (see Sources, here)
CREMINI MUSHROOM PUREE:
25 grams unsalted butter
250 grams cremini mushroom tops, quartered
75 grams shallot, sliced
70 grams Mushroom Stock
Aged sherry vinegar for seasoning
Salt for seasoning
TOSAKA SEAWEED:
30 grams dried red Tosaka seaweed (see Sources, here)
30 grams dried white Tosaka seaweed (see Sources, here)
30 grams dried green Tosaka seaweed (see Sources, here)
300 grams warm water
POACHED MAHI MAHI:
900 grams canola oil
180 grams mahi mahi fillet
Salt for seasoning
Fresh lemon juice to taste
CRISPY MUSHROOMS:
Canola oil for frying
50 grams enoki mushrooms
50 grams maitake mushrooms
Salt for seasoning
FRIED KALE:
Canola oil for frying
100 grams fresh kale
Salt for seasoning
TO FINISH:
12 grams black truffle
40 grams sea beans (see Sources, here)
20 grams sea cress (see Sources, here)
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Sous vide circulator
Vacuum sealer
Dehydrator (optional)
DUCK TONGUES:
Preheat a circulating water bath to 195°F.
Put the duck tongues and sesame oil in a vacuum bag and seal on the highest setting of your vacuum machine. Cook the duck tongues in the water bath for 4 hours, until tender. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Remove the cartilage from the tongues and discard. Pat the tongues dry and then dust them with the flour, flipping them over to coat completely. Line a plate with paper towels. Put the canola oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil is hot and has just begun to smoke, sear the tongues for 1 minute on each side, or until they are golden brown and crispy. Transfer to the prepared plate, sprinkle with the salt, and keep warm until ready to serve.
MUSHROOM STOCK:
Put the canola oil in a large saucepot set over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add the thyme and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Reserve the Mushroom Stock in a covered container in the refrigerator until needed.
MUSHROOM PAPER:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Quarter the cremini mushrooms. Put the mushrooms, shallot, garlic, and thyme in a large mixing bowl, add the canola oil, and toss the ingredients so that they are lightly covered in oil. Season with salt to taste. Spread the seasoned mushrooms on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven, discard the thyme, and transfer the mushroom mixture to a blender. Add enough Mushroom Stock to cover the mushrooms halfway, and puree on low speed, slowly increasing the speed to high, until the puree is smooth. Add the xanthan gum and puree for 1 minute. Season with sherry vinegar and salt to taste. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve. Line a dehydrator tray or sheet pan with a silicone mat and spread the mushroom puree on the mat so that it is in an even layer, approximately ‰ inch thick. Dehydrate for 2 hours at 140°F or in your oven at the lowest setting until completely dry. Remove from the dehydrator or oven and use an offset spatula to release the paper from the silicone mat. Break into 1 to 2-inch pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
KOMBU POWDER:
Put the kombu in a medium baking dish and pour the oil over it. Let soak for 1 hour at room temperature and then strain off the oil. Put the tapioca maltodextrin in a food processor and turn on. Slowly drizzle the kombu oil into the powder until it is all incorporated. Reserve the Kombu Powder in a covered container at room temperature until ready to serve.
CREMINI MUSHROOM PUREE:
Put the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Once the butter melts and begins to sizzle, add the mushrooms and shallot and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and golden brown. Transfer the mixture to a blender and set the sauté pan back over low heat. Add 70 grams of the Mushroom Stock to the pan and stir to loosen any cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the Mushroom Stock into the blender with the mushrooms and puree until smooth. Season with sherry vinegar and salt to taste. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and keep warm in a small pot until ready to serve.
TOSAKA SEAWEED:
Put the Tosaka seaweeds in a medium bowl and pour the warm water over them. Cover and steep at room temperature for 10 minutes, or until the seaweed becomes soft and pliable. Strain the water out and reserve the seaweed until ready to plate.
POACHED MAHI MAHI:
Put the canola oil in a medium saucepot set over low heat and heat to 120°F. Cut the fish into six 30-gram portions. Season the fish with salt and let rest for 10 minutes. Slide the fish gently into the oil and cook for 7 minutes, until the fish is just set and cooked through. Set a wire rack on a sheet pan. Remove the fish from the oil, set it on the prepared rack, and season with lemon juice to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.
CRISPY MUSHROOMS:
Preheat a deep fat fryer or pot of oil on the stove to 325°F.
Use a knife to remove the roots of the enoki mushrooms. Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Fry the enoki and maitake mushrooms in batches for 1 minute, until golden and crispy, and transfer to the prepared sheet pan. Season with salt and reserve until ready to serve.
FRIED KALE:
Preheat a deep fat fryer or pot of oil on the stove to 375°F.
Wash and stem the kale. Pat the leaves dry. Tear the kale into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Fry the kale for 1 minute or until crispy. Transfer the crispy kale to the prepared sheet pan, season with salt, and reserve until ready to plate.
TO FINISH:
Put a 30-gram dollop of Cremini Mushroom Puree in the center of each plate. Top with 20 grams of Kombu Powder. Add 10 grams of Crispy Kale, 10 grams of Mushroom Paper, 20 grams of Crispy Mushrooms, and 10 grams of Tosaka Seaweed, arranging them in and around the Cremini Mushroom Puree so that they appear to be growing organically out of the plate. Add 1 portion of Poached Mahi Mahi and 3 or 4 Duck Tongues to each plate. Shave 2 grams of black truffle over each scene. Garnish with raw sea beans and sea cress. Serve immediately.
