Alexandre Alves Pereira is one of the twelve S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy 2021 finalists for North West Europe Region. Discover the full recipe of his Signature Dish, Asparagus – Sardines – Ground ivy.
Asparagus – Sardines – Ground ivy
Ingredients
Sardine eggs: Average proportion
Sardines: 6 fillets (60g)
Cream: 100g
Raw cream Borniambuc: 50g
Sardine oil: ap
Salt: 50g
Sardine bones: 200g
Olive oil: 100g
Lemons: 150g juice
Xanthan gum: ap
Sardines: 20 fillets
Ground Ivy: 100g
Grape seed oil: 250g
Ground ivy oil: 80g
Asparagus juice: 240g
Lemon juice: 20g
Salt: ap
Xanthan gum: ap
Asparagus: 10
Sardine oil: ap
Salt: ap
Sardines: 400g
Peeled raw shrimp: 100g
Shallots: 200g
Olive oil: 140g
Dark soy sauce: 10g
Colatura: 20g
Fish fumet: 400g
Asparagus: 20g
Extra virgin olive oil
Fish stock: 310g
Agar agar: 2g
Gelatin: 3 sheets
Sardines: 240g
Anchovies: 10g
Fish fumet: 140g
Beech wood chips: 80g
Ground Ivy: leaves 50g
Oil for frying: 500g
Extra virgin olive oil: ap
Asparagus juice: 150g
Gelatin: 1,5 sheets
Sardine oil: to taste
Sardines: 20 fillets
Lemons: (zest): 1
Portuguese olive oil: 10cl
Asparagus powder: ap
Fleur de sel: to taste
Black pepper: to taste
Alexandre Alves Pereira' Signature Dish, Asparagus – Sardines – Ground ivy.
Tarama
Put the coarse salt with the sardine eggs and let sit for 20 minutes.
Rince the eggs with clear water.
Put the sardines, eggs and the liquid cream in a sauce pan.
Cook over low heat, for 5 minutes.
Strain through a sieve.
Add the raw cream and the sardine oil.
Sardine oil
Put the bones with olive oil in a frying pan.
Put into the oven at 180°C for 15min.
Pass through a sieve, and keep only the oil.
Lemon jelly
Squeeze the lemons and retrieve the juice.
Add the Xanthan to obtain the jelly texture.
Dried sardines
Remove the sardine fillets and put them in a dryer at 50°C for 72h.
For the raw asparagus
Slice the asparagus into pieces, slightly beveled.
Season with salt and sardine oil.
Ground ivy oil
Let the oil heat up to 60°C.
Put the ground ivy in the mixer bowl.
When oil is at 60°C, add the oil into the mixer bowl.
Mix for 1 minute Strain in a sieve, with Tork paper for 3 hours.
Asparagus juice
Slice the asparagus thinly and put the in the juicer.
Strain the juice.
Asparagus sauce
Mix together the lemon juice, asparagus juice and ground ivy oil.
Let set with the xanthan.
Fish fumet
Cook the bones with the onions and the shallots.
Add water to cover the ingredients.
Let simmer for 20 minutes.
Pass through a sieve.
Sardine stock
Cook together the sardines, shrimp and shallots.
Add the fish fumet, colatura and soy sauce.
Cook over low heat for 1h30.
Rosted green asparagus
Cook the asparagus with the olive oil in a pan, cover and place in the oven for 12min at 180°C.
Fish stock jelly
Put gelatine sheets in cold water
Add the agar-‐agar in the stock, bring the water to boil.
Remove from heat.
Drain the gelatine, add into the stock.
Put into a tray, creating a 1 to 2 mm layer of jelly.
Once set, cut the jelly as long as desired, wrap around the asparagus.
Sardines purée
Fillet the sardines.
Smoke the sardines with the beechwood chips for 20min.
Place the fumet, the anchovies and the smoked sardines in a mixer bowl.
Mix until it is a smooth purée.
Pass through a sieve.
Place the purée in a bottle for the presentation.
Ground ivy leaves
Take 10g of ground ivy leaves, fry them in the oil heated at 160°C.
Take the rest of the leaves, and gently cook them in some olive oil.
Asparagus jelly
Take some asparagus juice, and let boil.
Add gelatine.
Add the rest of the juice and season to taste.
Pour the jelly in the presentation bowl.
Raw sardines
Remove all bones from the sardine filets.
Slice the sardines crosswise.
Season the sardines with olive oil, salt, lemon zest, asparagus powder and ground pepper.
Preparation
First
Once the jelly has set, brush the top of the jelly with some sardine oil. Lay the seasoned sardines slices on top of the jelly.
Second
Spread the tarama on the dried sardines. Put the sliced and seasoned asparagus on the sardine. Put a dot of lemon jelly and lay a ground ivy flower on the lemon jelly dot.
Third
Put the asparagus with the sardine jelly in a plate. Put the sardine purée in dots on the plate. Add the cooked and fried ground ivy leaves, as well as some asparagus pistils. Put some asparagus sauce in a small pitcher for the presentation Pour the sauce when ready to eat.