Pescavore Panzanella Salad - Cali Style

Recipe by Fin + Forage Head Chef, Colin Moody, CEC, PCII

Yield: 4 Servings

During a video project with Valentine Thomas and Pescavore Seafood, our head chef was able to whip up some incredible dishes.

We started Mezcal-Spiked Grilled Citrus Ponzu (Recipe) Rockfish Sashimi followed by this recipe: Pescavore Panzanella Salad - Cali Style Salad and finished with Crispy Skin Rockfish over Truffled Garden Carrot Coulis and Stone Fruit Salsa (Recipe). This catch and cook meal, accompanied by fantastic Dawn’s Dream Wine pairing, was absolutely one for the books.

Great friends, great food, great memories!

Ingredients:

• 4 Pescavore Strips, cut or ripped into ½” chunks

• 2-3 Heirloom or Local Garden Tomatoes, cut into 1” chunks (About 2 cups)

• 1 Ripe Avocado, Peeled, Seeded and Cut into ½” chunks

• ¼ Red Onion, Peeled and Sliced very thin

• 1-2 Pieces (1 cup) of Focaccia or your favorite bread, ripped or cut into ½” pieces and toasted lightly

• 10-12 Leaves of Fresh Basil, Thinly Sliced

• 2 Tbl Balsamic Pearls (recipe below), or 1.5 Tbl Balsamic Glaze

• ¼ Cup EVOO

• 1 tsp Rice Vinegar

• 1 Tbl Tangerine Oil (Optional), may sub 1 tsp orange zest

• 1/3 Cup Sea Lettuce, thinly sliced (optional)

• Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Balsamic Pearls (Optional - but Awesome!)

• 2 Cups Olive Oil, chilled for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator or 45 min in freezer

• 100 grams Balsamic Vinegar

• 1.5 grams Agar

Method:

Balsamic Pearls:

In a small pan over medium-low heat; dissolve the agar agar into the balsamic with a whisk, constantly stirring (about 1-2 minutes).  Remove from heat. Transfer to a plastic hypodermic or use a spoon to drop the balsamic-agar mixture onto the surface of the cold oil. Making sure each drop is separated from the others. Gently tap the side of the chilled oil to help the droplets sink to the bottom and chill into a sphere. When done, pour oil through a sieve to separate the pearls. Place pearls in a container and store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Oil can be reused for any purpose.

Salad:

Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss well, season to taste. Divide into desired portions.