Swordfish cutlet with puntarelle salad

To make the swordfish cutlet with puntarelle salad, start with the side dish: first, separate the green shoots 1 and set them aside in a bowl with ice water, then remove the base's end. Divide the head in half 2 and use a mandoline to slice it thinly 3.

Also add the rest of the puntarelle to the bowl with ice water 4 and let them soak for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the citronette: pour the extra virgin olive oil into a bowl along with the mustard 5 and honey 6, then salt and pepper.

Add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice 7 and emulsify with an immersion blender 8, then taste and decide if you need to adjust the flavor and consistency with the remaining lemon juice 9.

Move on to the orange: grate the zest being careful not to include the white part 10, then peel the orange down to the flesh 11 and cut into the flesh to extract only the segments 12.

Squeeze the orange scraps to obtain the juice 13, then cut the flesh segments into 3 or 4 parts 14. Add the orange flesh and zest to the bowl with the juice 15 and set aside.

For the lemon mayonnaise: place the egg yolks in a bowl, then add the zest 16 and lemon juice 17 and whisk quickly with electric beaters to prevent the lemon's acidity from cooking the eggs 18.

At this point, salt and pepper 19, then turn the beaters to medium speed again and pour in the seed oil in a thin stream 20. Taste and adjust if necessary with salt, pepper, and lemon. You should achieve a firm yet still soft consistency 21. Refrigerate the mayonnaise until serving time; for convenience, you can transfer it into a piping bag without a tip.

Now you can prepare the swordfish cutlet, starting with the breading: put the rice flour in a bowl, then beat the eggs in a second bowl after seasoning with salt and pepper 22. Roughly crush the corn flakes with your hands and add them to a third bowl with the panko, mixing well. Cut the swordfish into 4 steaks each weighing about 3.5-5 oz, using a smooth-bladed knife 23.

First, pass the steaks in the rice flour, removing the excess 25, then in the eggs 26, and finally in the panko and corn flakes mixture, pressing well to adhere 27. For an even crunchier breading, repeat the egg and panko-corn flakes mixture step once more.

Once all the cutlets are breaded, place them in the refrigerator for a few minutes so the breading doesn't come off 31. After this time, heat the seed oil to a temperature of 347°-356°F and fry one cutlet at a time for about 3 minutes; use a spider to keep the cutlet immersed in the oil without touching the pan's base 29. When the surface is crispy and golden, drain 30 and transfer to absorbent paper or for frying.

Salt 31 and pepper the fried cutlets, then let them rest for a few minutes. In the meantime, drain the puntarelle 32 and dress them with the citronette 33.

You are ready to plate: divide the swordfish cutlet in half by first making an incision with a serrated knife and continue the cut with a smooth-bladed knife 34. Squeeze a couple of dots of mayonnaise at the center of the plate and place the halved cutlet on top with the cut side facing up, lightly salt, and garnish with more mayonnaise 36.

Add the puntarelle salad on top, making sure to include both the white and green parts 37. Finish with the orange 38, a grind of pepper, and a drizzle of oil. Your swordfish cutlet with puntarelle salad is ready to be served 39!