Grilled Meli Melo of Seafood with Soy Beurre Blanc
Submitted by cus
Grilled meli melo of seafood: salmon, sea bass, swordfish, shrimp, and scallops plated over crispy fried leeks and drizzled with a soy-spiked French beurre blanc. Fine-dining fusion on a plate.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
25 minREADY
35 min“Meli melo” is French for “mishmash," but don’t let the humble name fool you, this is a restaurant-level seafood plate. Five kinds of seafood (salmon, sea bass, swordfish, shrimp, and scallops) grilled briefly to preserve their individual character, arranged over a tangled nest of crispy fried leeks, and finished with a silky soy beurre blanc.
The beurre blanc is the centrepiece. This classic French butter sauce gets an East-meets-West twist from a tablespoon of soy sauce at the end, giving it deeper umami and a slight amber colour. Building the sauce is a 45-to-60-minute patience exercise: reduce white wine with aromatics to a cup, puree, then whisk in cold butter piece by piece over low heat. Too hot and the butter splits. Too cool and it won’t emulsify.
The fried leek garnish isn’t optional decoration, it’s the textural anchor. Julienned white leeks fried at 350°F (175°C) until golden deliver a shattering crunch that contrasts with the tender seafood and silky sauce.
Each seafood type needs its own grill time because densities vary. Salmon, sea bass, and swordfish get two to three minutes per side, shrimp and scallops just one to two. Overcooked scallops are the most common mistake, they go from sweet to rubbery in 30 seconds.
Chef Tips
- Dry all seafood thoroughly on paper towels before grilling, wet surfaces steam rather than sear.
- Keep whisking the butter into the beurre blanc continuously, a moment’s pause can break the sauce.
- If the sauce starts to split, whisk in a tablespoon of cold water or cream to re-emulsify.
- Drain the fried leeks on a cooling rack, not paper towels, to keep them crisp.
Variations
- Swap soy for tamari to make the sauce gluten-free.
- Add a teaspoon of grated ginger to the beurre blanc reduction for more Asian flavour.
- Substitute halibut or cod for sea bass if it’s out of season or overfished.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large saucepan place the vegetable oil and heat it on medium high until it is hot (350?F). Add the leeks and fry them for 3 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Drain the leeks on paper towels. Set them aside and keep them warm.
Brush the seafood pieces with the olive oil. Grill (or broil) the salmon, swordfish, and sea bass for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they are just done. Cut each piece of fish crosswise into 3 pieces.
Grill the shrimp and scallops for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are just done.
On each of six individual serving plates place the fried leeks. Place 1 piece of each kind of fish on top. Add 2 of the shrimps and 2 of the scallops. Drizzle on the Soy Beurre Blanc.
Soy Beurre Blanc: In a medium saucepan place the 2 tablespoons of butter and heat it on medium until it has melted. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté the vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they are tender.
Add the white wine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the ingredients for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup.
Place the mixture in a food processor and purée it. Return the purée to the saucepan. While whisking constantly over low heat, add the pieces of butter one at a time. Add the soy sauce and stir it in.
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