Shrimp, cuttlefish ink, asparagus and baby tomato confit

GIUDA BALLERINO, Roma

Chef Andrea Fusco

Ingredients (serves 4)

- 800g giant red shrimp

- 20g cuttlefish ink

- 150g potatoes

- 16 asparagus spears

- 150g vegetable stock

- 200g baby tomatoes (grape or similar)

- 5g chopped shallots

- 1 clove of garlic

- 1 bay leaf

- 40g extra virgin olive oil

- 20g butter

- 5g salt

- 1 lemon

- 4 sprigs of basil

Method

Clean the shrimp, removing their outer shell, heads and central veins; place in a bowl with 20g of extra virgin olive oil, 5g of salt, a grind of black pepper and the grated rind of half a lemon; cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Clean the potatoes and cut into chunks. Place a knob of butter, the chopped shallots, clove of garlic and bay leaf in a saucepan, tip in the roughly diced potatoes and roast slightly; add salt and pepper, cover with the vegetable stock and add the finishing touch: cuttlefish ink. Cook for 6/7 minutes, blend the mixture and keep it warm.

Wash and trim the asparagus spears; snap them at their softest point and remove the stringy end with a potato peeler. Blanch for about 2 minutes in boiling water with plenty of salt added. Cool under running water.

Blend the baby tomatoes and bring them to a slight boil, filter them with a fine sieve and adjust salt to taste; add a drop of oil and two basil leaves. Allow the resulting mixture to cool.

Spoon a little cuttlefish ink sauce into the centre of the plate, sit the shrimp on top and finish by dotting the tomato sauce and basil leaves around the plate.