Frito Misto Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat a fryer or steep-sided pan, with 1-inch of canola oil, to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the seafood, egg whites and caperberries. Blend the cornstarch and flours together in a deep bowl. In a mesh basket add the fish, making sure to shake off the excess egg whites. Add the fish to the flour mixture, coating thoroughly. Carefully transfer the fish to the fryer basket and submerge them in the hot oil. Let cook, shaking the basket every so often, so that they will not stick together, until golden brown and crispy. Be careful of the splattering oil.
• Drain on paper towels and season with sea salt. Transfer the fish to a serving platter and garnish with lemon wedges.

Steps:

• Heat the oil: Fill a large, heavy-based saucepan about halfway with oil. Begin to heat the oil over medium heat but don't let it get ripping until you have everything else ready to go. Prepare the squid and vegetables: Separate the bodies and the tentacles of the squid. If the squid are big, cut the tentacles in half. Cut the squid bodies open so they lie flat, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick, 1 1/2-inch-long strips. Soak the squid in the milk while you prepare the rest of the fritto misto. Trim the artichoke stems and remove the outer leaves. Slice them very thinly through the stem end. (If you have true baby artichokes, you don't have to worry about the choke; if you can only find large artichokes, remove the spiny choke before slicing.) Trim the ends off the zucchini and slice lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick, then cut into 1 1/2-inch-long sticks.
• Set up your fry station: On a sheet pan or large platter, combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Have the sliced lemon, garlic, parsley and rosemary prepared and nearby. Line a platter with paper towels or parchment paper. Increase the heat of the oil until it reaches 375 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.
• Meanwhile, drain the squid; toss the squid, artichokes and zucchini in the flour. Shake the baking sheet back and forth to coat the ingredients. Once the oil is up to temperature, add about one-third of the floured goods, plus a few of the lemon and garlic slices, and let cook for about 1 minute. Add about a third of the rosemary and the parsley and continue to cook until the vegetables and squid are a light golden brown, another 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spider or a Chinese strainer (or as a last resort, a slotted spoon), transfer the fried foods to the lined platter to drain. Season with more salt and chopped parsley and serve with the lemon wedges. This is best served hot, so let your guests dig in while you begin cooking the next batch. Photograph by David Malosh

Steps:

• Skewer 1 bocconcini and 1 salami on each of 4 skewers. Skewer 1 chicken liver and 1 onion on each of the remaining 4 skewers.
• Make a dredge of 1 cup rice flour, oregano, parsley and some salt and pepper.
• Make a batter by combining the remaining 1 cup rice flour with the all-purpose flour, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Pour in the club soda a little bit at a time and whisk until the batter is just slightly loosened and the whisk won't stand up. Keep on an ice bath.
• Fill a Dutch oven just under halfway with oil and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F. Working in batches, dip each skewer, and then the peppers and zucchini, in the batter and fry until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, season with salt and a spray of lemon juice. Pile onto plates and devour.

Steps:

• In large shallow skillet over moderately high heat, heat 3 inches of oil until thermometer registers 350°F.
• Transfer flour to large plate. Sprinkle all seafood liberally with salt and pepper. Working in batches and returning oil to 350°F between batches, dredge seafood in flour, shaking to remove excess, and fry until golden and cooked through, about 20 seconds per side for whole fish and shrimp, 15 seconds per side for scallops and calamari. Using slotted spoon, remove as done and drain on paper towel-lined plate.
• Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately with tartar sauce.

Steps:

• Pour the oil into a heavy, deep-sided skillet or deep fryer; place over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Pour buttermilk into a medium bowl.
• To prepare artichokes, snap off tough outer leaves. Slice off the upper two-thirds of each bulb, and discard. Use a vegetable peeler to remove green outer layer from around heart. Dip in buttermilk, and scoop out choke with a spoon. Thinly slice crosswise. Place in the buttermilk.
• Add the fennel and lemons, and stir to coat evenly. Place flour in a separate dish. Season generously with salt and pepper; whisk to combine.
• Remove vegetables and lemon slices, one piece at a time, from buttermilk, shaking off excess. Dredge in flour, and carefully transfer to the hot oil, 6 to 7 pieces at a time. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Dip parsley in buttermilk, and then in flour to coat. Carefully transfer to the hot oil, and fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds. As each batch is finished, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Prepare the batter. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour the olive oil and gradually beat in the water to make a smooth, thick batter. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before using, beat the egg whites until firm. Lightly fold the beaten egg whites into the batter.
• Preheat the oil to 375 degrees F.
• Thoroughly wash all the seafood in water. Drain. Dip the assorted seafood and vegetables in the prepared batter and shake off any excess batter. Cook in hot oil and fry until crisp and golden. Lift out and drain on paper towels.
• Fry the basil, sage and parsley, then drain. Sprinkle fried seafood with salt and divide onto 4 serving plates. Garnish with the fried herbs and lemon wedges. Serve immediately with Sauce Tartare.
• Combine the hard-boiled egg, capers, cornichon, anchovies, chives and parsley with the mayonnaise.
• Fold in the whipped cream. Chill and use as needed.
• Yield: 2 cups
• Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen" Houghton Mifflin, 1981.

Steps:

• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F.
• Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the water to make a thin batter. Dip the green beans, zucchini and lemons in the batter and carefully place them in the saucepan. Fry the vegetables until lightly browned, 1 to 3 minutes. Drain the vegetables on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with salt. Serve the vegetables warm.

Steps:

• Put at least 3 inches of oil in a large, deep saucepan; a larger pan with more oil will allow you to cook more at once. Turn the heat to high and keep it there until the temperature reaches 350°F (a pinch of flour will sizzle). Then adjust the heat as necessary to maintain this temperature. While the oil is heating, prepare the vegetables.
• Make the batter: Combine 1 cup of the flour, the baking powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl; mix lightly with a fork. Mix together the egg and wine, then stir the mixture into the batter until smooth; the mixture should be just about the consistency of pancake batter.
• Dredge each piece of food lightly in the remaining flour, then dip into the batter and add to the oil. Do not crowd the food; you will have to cook in batches. Cooking time will be just as long as it takes for the pieces to become an appealing shade of gold, just 5 minutes or so.
• Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with coarse salt, and serve immediately, with lemon wedges or aïoli.