Shellfish & zucchinis sweet almond purée, curry-tarragon vinaigrette

Alban Chartron | 5/5/23

In his Maison Cachée (2 toques), Alban Chartron presents a simple dish of shellfish and zucchini, served with sweet almond purée and a curry-tarragon vinaigrette.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 1 h 10

Cooking time: 2 h 20

Sweet almond purée

25 cl organic almond milk
80 g organic blanched almond powder
3 g fine Guérande sea salt

Curry-tarragon vinaigrette

2.5 tbsp. olive oil
2.5 cl lemon juice
5 g Madras curry (Shira)
3 g honey
2 g fresh ginger
5 g tarragon
2 g lemongrass
4 g fine Guérande sea salt

Zucchinis & shellfish

250 g cockles
100 g razor clams
250 g mussels
300 g green zucchini
Olive oil (for cooking)
1 lemon
20 cl white wine
1 shallot

Dressing

Fresh seaweed
Dulse
Sea lettuce
Wakame
Basil leaves or others (tarragon, dill, fennel)
Salicornia

Chef's tip:

" You can eat this dish chilled on a midsummer lunchtime, or warm by reheating the shellfish and zucchini in the juice before serving. "

1 - Prepare the sweet almond pur&e acute;e: whisk together all the ingredients, then place in a bowl. Steam for 1 h in a Cocotte-Minute (or at 100°C in a steam oven), or cook on the stovetop at a gentle boil, stirring very regularly, for 1 to 2 h. Place in the bowl of a blender and blend at full speed to obtain a smooth, creamy purée.

2 - Prepare the curry-tarragon vinaigrette: wash the tarragon and remove the leaves. Peel and finely grate the ginger. Finely chop the lemongrass. Combine the ingredients in the bowl of a blender (or with an immersion blender), and blend (the tarragon should remain finely chopped, but not pureed).

3 - Prepare zucchini & shellfish: wash the shellfish very carefully in several baths of water, without mixing, and drain. Slice the shallot and zest the lemon.

- Wash and slice the zucchini, keeping one and cutting it into fine shavings for decoration. Brown the zucchinis in olive oil in a saucepan without browning, add the shallot and lemon zest, cover and leave to cook, keeping the zucchinis al dente.

- Place the shellfish in a saucepan and add the white wine. Cook over full heat to open them, stopping as soon as they open. Shell them, keeping a few shells for garnishing, and collect the cooking juices. Finely chop the razor clams and set aside in a cool place.

- Emulsify the shellfish juices with the lemon juice and olive oil, like a vinaigrette.

4 - Presentation : place a generous spoonful of almond purée in the bottom of a soup plate, making a circle around it (to retain the juices to come). Mix the shellfish and zucchini and season with the emulsified juice. Carefully arrange the zucchini sections, then intersperse a few shells, which you will then fill with the shellfish mixture. Plant a few shavings of raw zucchini for height, and arrange the various seaweeds, samphire and fresh herbs you have on hand like a bouquet. Serve the curry-tarragon vinaigrette in a sauceboat, or pour directly over the shellfish.

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