Recipe

July 18, 2024

Stéphane Chicheri’s Almado-style Bread Salad

Recipe: Stéphane Chicheri

“This recipe is first and foremost an “anti-waste” dish, because it gives a second life to a tomato salad and old bread from the previous day. Over the years it has become a signature dish, combining authentic flavors of tomato, farmhouse bread, onion, garlic and basil. This summer creation can be served on its own, with a side dish, at room temperature or even hot.” – Stéphane Chicheri

Ingredients

Salad

  • 40 g crustless farmhouse bread
  • 50 g “wonky” tomatoes, stalks removed
  • 1 extra fresh spring onion
  • 1 pink garlic clove
  • 2 basil leaves
  • 1 dash of red wine vinegar
  • 20 ml of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Pesto

  • 10 g pine nuts
  • 1 pink garlic clove
  • basil
  • 1 handful of baby rocket leaves
  • lemon juice
  • 20 ml virgin olive oil
  • 10 ml vegetable stock
  • salt
  • Espelette pepper

Finishing Touches

  • 2 red mullet fillets
  • 2 small prawns
  • salt
  • Espelette pepper
  • cooking olive oil
  • 4 oyster leaves
  • 2 small cherry tomatoes
  • 4 Parmesan cheese shavings
  • balsamic vinegar reduction

Directions

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Salad

  1. Remove the crust and cut the stale bread into 1cm cubes, set aside. Roughly chop all the tomatoes – keep the skin and seeds.
  2. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and onion. Place these in a food processor with the remaining
  3. ingredients, except for the bread.
  4. Mix, check the seasoning and coat the bread cubes.
  5. Mix gently and refrigerate for one to several days.

Make Pesto

  1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, check the seasoning and set aside.

Make Seafood, Assemble and Serve

  • To serve, arrange the bread salad in a suitable container
  • Cook over a high heat, but be careful not to overcook the red mullet and prawns, keeping them translucent, and leave to rest for a few minutes
  • Roast the cherry tomatoes
  • Arrange the warm fish and shellfish on the fresh bread salad,  finish with the pesto, oyster leaves, Parmesan shavings, cherry tomatoes and a dash of balsamic

 

Author: Alexandra Whyte
Photographer:

Victor Bellot (Stephane's portrait)/Franck Beloncle (salad)