Spaghettone with Mullet Ragù

To prepare the spaghettone with mullet ragù, first, take care of cleaning the fish: scale the mullets under running water 1 and cut the fins with scissors, then dry them well and obtain the fillets 2 3.

Remove the liver portion and cut the bones into 2 pieces 4, then clean the head and rinse everything. Once you have separated the fish fillets from the head and bones 5, set the fillets aside and flour the rest in a bowl 6.

Heat the seed oil in a small pot and fry the fish scraps 7. When they are golden, drain 8 and transfer to frying paper 9.

Prepare the other ingredients for the cooking base: peel and coarsely chop the onion 10, celery 11, and carrots 12, then crush the unpeeled garlic clove.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half 13 and mix all the vegetables in a bowl. Brown the vegetables in a pot with a drizzle of oil 14, season with salt and pepper, then add the fried bones 15 and continue to brown.

When the base begins to stick, deglaze with white wine and let the alcohol evaporate completely, then add the tomato paste 16 and stir for 5 minutes. At this point, cover with water 17, flavor with the wild fennel and let cook for an hour and a half, uncovered 18.

After the cooking time, blend the base with an immersion blender 19 and strain it through a chinois 20 to achieve a smooth and homogeneous consistency 21.

While the base is cooking, you can start on the fennel cream: cut the fennel stalks and set aside the fronds 22, then divide the fennel into 4 wedges, remove the harder central part and chop the rest into pieces 23. Peel the potato and slice it thinly 34.

Finally, peel the onion and also slice it thinly 25. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pot and brown the onion for a couple of minutes 26, then add the fennel 27.

Add the potatoes 28 and brown everything for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. At this point, pour in the milk 29 and cover with water 30.

Let it cook for about 40 minutes 31. After this time, add the fennel fronds and blend with an immersion blender 32, then strain the resulting cream through a chinois 33.

Adjust the cream for salt and pepper, then add the fresh cream 34 and egg white 35 while mixing well with a whisk. Transfer the fennel cream into a siphon 36, screw it tight and charge it with gas, making sure to invert it while doing this.

Lastly, focus on the sauce: take the mullet fillets and remove the bones with tweezers 37, then remove the skin 38 and cut the flesh into cubes 39.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the spaghettoni 40. Meanwhile, add the mullet 41 and some fennel to a pan with hot oil 42.

Salt 43 and briefly brown over high heat, then add the mullet base 44. Cook everything for about 5 minutes 45.

Drain the spaghettoni very al dente and transfer them to the pan 46. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, adding a drizzle of oil 47, a grind of pepper, and, if necessary, a ladle of cooking water. Mix everything well 48.

Plate the pasta using a ring, then pour over the sauce 49 and finish with the fennel foam 50. Garnish with a few sprigs of wild fennel and a grind of pepper: your spaghettone with mullet ragù is ready to be served 51!