Guest Chef #31 ➺ Remy Davis
Charred Baby Cos, Manchego & Anchovy Salad
Remy Davis turned up to Elkano—one of Spain’s most revered Michelin-starred restaurants—without a booking, scored a cancellation and ate a grilled turbot so good he decided he had to work there. So he did. The Sydney chef packed a bag and spent the next year working his way onto the grill, learning to cook whole fish over blistering coals with the freshest fish straight from the sea and a very watchful eye.
Since then, he’s fired up kitchens from London to Paris, and now he’s gracing our very own Sometimes Always bench.
Char, salt, anchovy and plenty of umami—there’s a lot going on here. We went for wines with freshness, salinity and a little savoury edge; enough cut for the manchego, and enough texture to make friends with the grill.
Ingredients & Method
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Salad
4 baby cos lettuce hearts
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
8–12 good-quality anchovy fillets
80 g Manchego
1 small bunch chives, finely sliced
1 lemon
Flaked salt, to finish
Muscatel Dressing
80 ml good-quality extra virgin olive oil
25 ml Muscatel vinegar (or good-quality white wine vinegar)
1 small garlic clove, very finely minced
Pinch of sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Seasoned Breadcrumbs
60 g panko breadcrumbs or roughly blitzed stale sourdough
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
INGREDIENTS
Salad
4 baby cos lettuce hearts
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
8–12 good-quality anchovy fillets
80 g Manchego
1 small bunch chives, finely sliced
1 lemon
Flaked salt, to finish
Muscatel Dressing
80 ml good-quality extra virgin olive oil
25 ml Muscatel vinegar (or good-quality white wine vinegar)
1 small garlic clove, very finely minced
Pinch of sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Seasoned Breadcrumbs
60 g panko breadcrumbs or roughly blitzed stale sourdough
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
METHOD
Make the dressing
Combine the olive oil, Muscatel vinegar and finely minced garlic. Season with salt and cracked pepper and whisk well. Taste and adjust with a little more vinegar if needed. You want it bright and acidic enough to cut through the Manchego and anchovies.
Make the breadcrumbs
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring regularly, until evenly golden and crisp. Remove from the heat and toss through the parsley and lemon zest. Season with salt and cracked black pepper. Set aside.
Char the cos
Wash the baby cos hearts and dry them thoroughly. Cut each heart in half lengthways, keeping the core intact so the leaves hold together. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place cut-side down over a very hot grill and cook until well charred while the centre remains crisp and fresh. If you don’t have a grill, carefully char the cut side over a gas burner or use a very hot cast-iron pan.
Assemble
Arrange the charred cos hearts cut-side up on a serving plate. Spoon the Muscatel dressing generously over the lettuce, making sure some works its way between the layers of leaves. Scatter generously with the seasoned breadcrumbs. Using a Microplane, finely grate plenty of Manchego directly over the top, followed by a little fresh lemon zest. Finish with the sliced chives and lay the anchovy fillets over the cos. Add a final drizzle of dressing, flake salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
Serve immediately while the cos is still warm from the grill and the breadcrumbs are crisp.
Make the dressing
Combine the olive oil, Muscatel vinegar and finely minced garlic. Season with salt and cracked pepper and whisk well. Taste and adjust with a little more vinegar if needed. You want it bright and acidic enough to cut through the Manchego and anchovies.
Make the breadcrumbs
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring regularly, until evenly golden and crisp. Remove from the heat and toss through the parsley and lemon zest. Season with salt and cracked black pepper. Set aside.
Char the cos
Wash the baby cos hearts and dry them thoroughly. Cut each heart in half lengthways, keeping the core intact so the leaves hold together. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place cut-side down over a very hot grill and cook until well charred while the centre remains crisp and fresh. If you don’t have a grill, carefully char the cut side over a gas burner or use a very hot cast-iron pan.
Assemble
Arrange the charred cos hearts cut-side up on a serving plate. Spoon the Muscatel dressing generously over the lettuce, making sure some works its way between the layers of leaves. Scatter generously with the seasoned breadcrumbs. Using a Microplane, finely grate plenty of Manchego directly over the top, followed by a little fresh lemon zest. Finish with the sliced chives and lay the anchovy fillets over the cos. Add a final drizzle of dressing, flake salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
Serve immediately while the cos is still warm from the grill and the breadcrumbs are crisp.