Aishling Moore: How to make a Caesar salad — with brussels sprouts and fish

These are far from the waterlogged sprouts I was raised on.

I’ve omitted the parmesan and croutons from my version and opted to add a little more of the ocean. Picture: Chani Anderson

Brussels sprouts are the vegetable I’ll eat most of during the month of December. My advice for sumptuous sprouts is to cook them quick on a very high heat or don’t cook them at all. In my house, they’ll be shaved raw into salads, chopped into pasta sauces, tossed in a wok with lots of garlic, ginger, and a splash of Shaoxing wine. Far from the waterlogged sprouts I was raised on.

I always find it effective to serve a divisive ingredient such as a sprout with a crowd pleasing accompaniment. So, this weekend I’m serving the last of these little cabbages with a rich Caesar emulsion.

If you’d rather steer clear of any more sprouts this year, serve this salad warm with roasted sprouting broccoli, cauliflower or blackened wedges of sweetheart cabbage or cold with chopped kale, baby gem and romaine lettuces.

It’s commonplace to find Caesar salads on menus nowadays with chicken and bacon included, but the original Caesar — which hails from Tijuana, Mexico — was without both comprising of romaine lettuce leaves and croutons tossed in a rich dressing made from egg yolk, olive oil, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Dijon mustard, parmesan, and black pepper.

I’ve omitted the parmesan and croutons from my version and opted to add a little more of the ocean. These tempura-fried boquerón’s are the perfect garnish for this dish, doing the job of both the croutons for crunch and parmesan for added savouriness.

Boquerones are filleted and cured anchovies, which are then bathed in a vinegar solution before being marinated in olive oil, garlic, and herbs. More delicate in flavour than a salted anchovy, they are a bright inclusion to any salad as they are drained from their marinade. Trust me, battered and fried these vinegared little fish are utterly addictive.

Brussels Sprout Caesar with Fried Boquerónes

recipe by:Aishling Moore

My advice for sumptuous sprouts is to cook them quick on a very high heat or don’t cook them at all.

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• For the sprouts

• 1kg Brussels sprouts

• 2tb golden rapeseed oil

• Sea salt

• For the Caesar dressing

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 lemon

• 1tb Dijon mustard

• 1tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 35g anchovies (drained and finely chopped)

• 3 egg yolks

• 165ml golden rapeseed oil

• Black pepper

• For the fried Boquerónes

• 85g plain flour

• 150ml sparkling water

• Pinch of salt

• 80g boquerones (drained)

Method

1. To make the dressing, place the garlic, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies and egg yolk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk for 1 minute.

2. Using a measuring jug, begin to slowly add the rapeseed oil in, drop-by-drop. Whisk until the mixture is fully combined before adding any more oil.

3. Once all the oil has been added and you have an emulsified sauce, taste to adjust and finish with black pepper.

4. Set aside.

5. Trim the base of each sprout and cut each sprout in half. Reserve any undamaged leaves and set aside.

6. Preheat an oven to 210°C/gas mark 6.

7. Dress the sprouts in rapeseed oil and season with salt.

8. Place the sprouts in an even layer across a large baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes until charred. Remove from the oven, add the reserved sprout leaves and toss to coat.

9. Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180°C/gas mark 4 for the boquerones.

10. To make the batter, add 70g of the plain flour to a small mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and slowly add the sparkling water to the bowl, whisking all the time to achieve a lump-free batter.

11. On a small plate or tray, place the remaining 15g of flour.Working one-by-one, dust the boquerones in the flour until fully coated. Shake off the excess flour and add these to the batter.

12. Using a pair of small kitchen tongs or a fork, delicately fetch the anchovies from the batter and place in the hot oil.

13. Fry for 1 minute until the batter is golden brown and crisp.

14. Drain on kitchen paper and season.

15. To assemble, toss the sprouts in the dressing just before serving and scatter with the crispy fried fish.

Fish tales

Patience is essential when making the Caesar dressing, so take your time when adding oil to the egg yolk mixture. As you slowly add more of the oil, the emulsion will become stronger and you’ll be able to add more oil at a time.

The dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Dusting the boquerónes in flour is a key step to allowing the batter to stick to the tiny fish fillets.

Fry the boquerónes in batches to avoid over-filling your fryer.

If you don’t have a deep-fryer a thermometer is essential. Use a heavy-based pot or casserole dish and fill it no more than halfway with oil.