Cappon Magro

By John, 19 March, 2015
Region
Italy
Description
Capon Maggro for a Birthday

This is a fabulous seafood antipasto: seafood on a pile of steamed vegetables with a piquant Genoese green sauce to hold it together. 

A Small Cappon Magro

The lower image is a small one made with only shrimp with steamed potatoes and pearl onions. See the first comment for two tips on how to make this delicious invention into a less intimidating affair.

Yield
36 Servings
Preparation time
2 hours
Ingredients
1 Slab of Country Bread (1/2-inch thick, Toasted)
12 Black Olives
2 Eggs (Hard-Cooked, Cut in wedges)
1 Piquant Green Sauce (see recipe)
1 Lobster (Cooked and sliced into generous medallions)
2 lb Mixed Cubed Fish (Salmon, Sea Scallops, Shrimp, etc)
1 Lemon (Juiced)
1⁄4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 lb Mixed, Cubed Vegetables (Steamed)
1 T Wine Vinegar
2 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 clv Garlic
2 Lobster Claws
Instructions
  1. Trim the crust from the bread, score it into wedges, and toast it until it is crisp.
  2. Cook the vegetables and put them in separate bowls. Dress with a little olive oil and salt as needed.
  3. Cube and poach the fish. Cook the shrimp. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil.
  4. Sear the scallops. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil.
  5. Put the bread on a large decorative platter big enough to hold it and the garnish.
  6. Rub the bread with a garlic clove, then brush it with a dressing of olive oil and wine vinegar.
  7. Brush the bread thinly with a little of the Piquant Green Sauce.
  8. Put a layer of potatoes on the bread base, and dress it with a few dabs of Piquant Green Sauce. Repeat with other vegetables in layers to build a pretty mound the size of a roast capon.
  9. Dab all over with the Piquant Green Sauce. Be generous.
  10. Use toothpicks to attach the fish, shrimp, and scallops all over the surface.
  11. Do the same with the lobster medallions.
  12. Dress with Piquant Green Sauce to balance the presentation visually.
  13. Garnish around the base with hard-cooked eggs and black olives. Add the lobster claw meat for dramatic effect.
  14. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Notes

I first made this for Annette's 65th Birthday Feast and it was so delicious that we did it again for a few other events, including Richmond's 70th Birthday Feast.

Consider doubling the sauce recipe - it is incredible!

Source
The Classic Food of Northern Italy