Langoustine, koshihikari, dashi beurre blanc

by Christian Bau
Victor's Fine Dining, Germany
 

LANGOUSTINES
8 large langoustines royales (3/4 calibration, preferably from Le Guilvinec)
Salt & pepper, to taste

DASHI
8L water
160g Kombu algae for Dashi
160g bonito flakes
10 tbsp white soy sauce
10 tbsp rice vinegar
10 tbsp Mirin

DASHI BEURRE BLANC
250ml Champagne
750ml Dashi, plus 3 tbsp Dashi (see above)
200g butter (1:1 salt & sweet cream butter)
Bonito vinegar

MISO COATING
100g white miso paste
80ml Dashi beurre blanc
20ml traditional chicken stock

KOSHIHIKARI
200g Koshihikari rice
20g finely diced shallots
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt
30ml white wine
750ml traditional chicken stock
50g butter
20ml whipped cream
Pepper, to taste
Sugar, to taste

PICKLE STOCK
300ml water
150ml rice vinegar
50ml Mirin
15g salt
15g sugar
5 juniper berries
3 bay leaves
10 peppercorns

DAIKON OIL
120g daikon cress
60g parsley
200ml vegetable oil
3g salt

GARNISH
50g fried green rice flakes
8 bean blossoms
1 pack daikon cress
40ml daikon oil
300ml Dashi beurre blanc
 

1 — LANGOUSTINES
Remove the langoustine meat from the shell and lay it on a towel. Then carefully devein them. Add salt and pepper on both sides. Lay them on the grill for 30 seconds, shell-side first, so that the langoustines remain straight. Then turn them and cook on the other side for 45-60 seconds.

2 — DASHI
Heat the water to 80°C (176°F), add the Kombu algae and infuse for 1 hour. Remove the Kombu algae, add the bonito flakes to the water and leave to infuse again for 1 hour. Strain. Add white soy sauce, rice vinegar and Mirin. The amount is much larger than needed for the dish. However, Dashi cannot be prepared in small portions, otherwise the ratio is not right, which in turn affects the taste.

3 — DASHI BEURRE BLANC
Reduce the champagne by a third, pour 750ml of Dashi. Then reduce to 200ml. Mix in the butter and season with bonito vinegar and 3 tablespoons of Dashi.

4 — MISO COATING
Mix all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Brush the langoustine with the hot coating.

5 — KOSHIHIKARI
Rinse the rice under the cold tap for 30 seconds. Sauté the diced shallots in oil until translucent, then add the washed rice and a little salt. Add white wine and boil until the liquid has evaporated. Meanwhile, while constantly stirring, gradually add the hot chicken broth. Keep topping up and simmering until the rice is still slightly al dente. To finish, add cold butter and cream. Season with salt, sugar and pepper to taste.

6 — PICKLE STOCK
Bring all ingredients to a boil.

7 — DAIKON OIL
Collect freshly cut daikon cress. Roughly chop the parsley and mix with the cress, oil and salt in the Thermomix™ at 80°C (176°F). Then drain in a fine sieve and freeze. Carefully lift the solid oil from the frozen salt and store in a cold place.

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
Arrange the creamy Koshihikari lengthwise on a pre-warmed plate and place the langoustine on top. Sprinkle the rice flakes. Place the rolls around the langoustine and garnish with daikon cress and bean blossoms. Add the daikon oil and the hot Dashi beurre blanc and pour them around the langoustine, drop by drop.