Fritto Misto With Two Mustard Sauce Recipes

"FRITTO MISTO" MIXED FRIED SEAFOOD WITH TARTAR SAUCE

Steps:

• For the tartar sauce: Whisk together the mayonnaise, dill pickle and brine, Worcestershire, mustard, capers and brine, hot sauce, garlic, tarragon, basil stems and lime zest and juice in a medium bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside some in a ramekin.
• For the batter: Whisk together the flour, beer, sparkling water, vodka, paprika and baking soda in a medium bowl.
• For the frying: Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot fitted with a thermometer until it reaches 350 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with a cooling rack and set aside.
• Place each whole squid on a flat surface and run your knife gently down the length of the outside. Peel off the outer layer of skin and remove the piece of cartilage and anything inside the tube of the squid. Cut the tentacles from the body (below the eyes) and remove the sharp beak (which feels like a small gumball) in the center of each set of tentacles. Cut into 1/8-inch rounds. Dry the rings and tentacles on a sheet tray lined with paper towels.
• Fry the basil leaves until crispy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the oil, letting the excess drain off, and place on the cooling rack. Season with salt immediately. Fry the lemon slices until crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the excess oil, then place on paper towels and season immediately. Transfer the lemons and basil to a bowl. Replace the paper towels for the next batch.
• Place a hand strainer in the batter (to easily find pieces) and sprinkle the squid with salt. Starting with the tentacles, fully coat in the batter, then drop into the hot oil. Fry until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and salt. Repeat with the rings. Bring the oil back to 350 degrees F and dip the shrimp in the batter. Drop in small batches into the hot oil. Fry, turning on both sides with a slotted metal spoon until crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and salt.
• Transfer the tartar sauce ramekin to a medium serving bowl and arrange the fried lemons, basil leaves, squid and shrimp around it. Serve immediately.

FRITTO MISTO WITH TWO MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Sauce:
• Whisk together mustards, vinegar, mustard seeds, and shallots. Add salt, to taste.
• Batter:
• Grind the rice in a blender until very fine. In a bowl, stir together the ground rice, semolina, flour, salt, and pepper.
• Fritto Misto:
• Heat several inches of oil to 375 degrees F in a deep fryer or a wide, deep, heavy pot. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Slit the calamari bodies open so they lie flat. Place calamari (bodies and tentacles), mushrooms, fennel, and lemon in separate bowls. Toss each with enough buttermilk to moisten them. Dip the calamari generously in the rice batter, using enough to fully coat.
• Working in batches (it's important not to overcrowd the pot), fry until golden brown and crisp, and then transfer to a tray lined with paper towels. Season immediately with salt. Transfer to a low oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining calamari.
• Coat and fry the mushrooms, fennel, and lemon slices in the same way, working in batches and transferring them to the low oven as they are done.
• Put a generous pool of mustard sauce on each plate, then top with an assortment of fried squid, mushrooms, fennel, and lemon.