Plated Perfection: Mackerel, Shrimp & Shallots
Words by
Badeggs
With Spring comes a need for fresh flavors and delicate dishes to welcome sunny days and new life. Badeggs has been enjoying experimenting with microgreens that bring bold flavors in small bites and best of all grow year-round. Here they’ve used Borage, Shiso and Chives but if you have a strong growing game, feel free to play around and use your own. This seafood medley with mackeral, shrimp and shallots is just the thing to get you in the Mediterranean mood while you wait for seaside summer escapes.

photo © Badeggs, Simone Nocetti
Mackerel, Shrimp & Shallots with tasty Microgreens
Serves: 4 people
Time: 30 minutes
Time: 30 minutes
What you can grow
Microgreens: Borage, Chives and Shiso
12 to 14 hours of Bulbo light per day
Ingredients
1 whole mackerel, about 500 g
16 red prawns from Sicily, about 350 g
6 shallots, very small
Half beet
30 g of ginger
1 lime
Extra virgin olive oil
Cloves
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Salt and smoked salt
Lapsang Souchong tea powder
Microgreens: Borage, Chives and Shiso
12 to 14 hours of Bulbo light per day
Ingredients
1 whole mackerel, about 500 g
16 red prawns from Sicily, about 350 g
6 shallots, very small
Half beet
30 g of ginger
1 lime
Extra virgin olive oil
Cloves
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Salt and smoked salt
Lapsang Souchong tea powder

photo © Badeggs, Simone Nocetti
Thinly slice the beet. Dehydrate (in a ventilated oven at 70-80° or in a dehydrator) and then blend. Sift into a fine powder.
Peel the shallots, leaving them whole, and boil them for about 15 minutes in a sugar water solution with a couple of whole cloves (six parts water, one part sugar).
Peel the shallots, leaving them whole, and boil them for about 15 minutes in a sugar water solution with a couple of whole cloves (six parts water, one part sugar).
Clean the shrimp, removing the heads to use later. Dress the shrimp with oil, smoked salt, lime zest and some Borage microgreens.
Blend the shrimp heads (remove the eyes first), grated ginger and some chive microgreens with an immersion blender, adding oil bit by bit until you have a nice paste. Filter using a Chinese colander.
Fillet the Mackerel removing the spine and the fins and cut each fillet into six strips. Dress them on the flesh side with oil, salt and tea powder.
Blend the shrimp heads (remove the eyes first), grated ginger and some chive microgreens with an immersion blender, adding oil bit by bit until you have a nice paste. Filter using a Chinese colander.
Fillet the Mackerel removing the spine and the fins and cut each fillet into six strips. Dress them on the flesh side with oil, salt and tea powder.
















photo © Badeggs, Simone Nocetti
Cut the shallots in half, salt them, and saute them (cut side down) with a bit of oil until they turn golden.
Singe the mackerel with a kitchen torch for a few seconds on the skin side.
Singe the mackerel with a kitchen torch for a few seconds on the skin side.
Plate by putting down a base of the shrimp head paste and then the mackerel strips on top (with skin side up) and then the shallots and shrimp. Decorate with the beet powder and shiso microgreens.

photo © Badeggs, Simone Nocetti
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We are an Italian design company producing LED lights for indoor gardening. Inspired by nature and built with the best technology, our carefully-crafted lights allow plants to thrive all year round.