José's Fried Spatchcock with Smoked Paprika, Lemon Thyme and Olives
Born in the Philippines but moving to Canada as a young kid, like many Canadians José decided that Australia would be his foreign move. In 2013, he packed his bags and jumped straight into the heat of it with work at Glass Brasserie and Tetsuya’s before becoming head chef at Bell’s at Killcare under Stefano Mandredi.
José took off to Germany chasing down a Michelin star dream, opening Lakeside restaurant working under Cornelius Speinle at the Fontenay hotel in Hamburg where they were awarded 1 star in their first year.
Now head chef at Franca, José has kindly written us a dish that is a ‘simple treat to keep my soul warm and happy as we continue in this lockdown’.
The fried bird will be naturally rich balanced by the acidity of the olives, lemon and of course our delicate George Deschamps Chablis that José and us have chosen to pair with this dish.
Serves 2
- 1 organic and free range Spatchcock from your local poultry expert
- 6 egg yolks
- whole egg
- 500ml buttermilk
- 100ml Old Bones red hot sauce (Alternativley, any hot sauce that has the same acidity)
- 250g AP flour
- 10g Smoked paprika
- 1tsp Fine salt, 1tsp cracked black pepper
- 2sprigs Lemon thyme leaves
- 50g Pitted green olives
Butterfly the whole spatchcock or get your local butcher to do so for you.
Mix the yolks, whole egg, buttermilk, hot sauce and marinate the bird for 24 hours. Minimum 12 hours.
Pre heat the oil at 150 degrees in a pot wide enough for the butterflied bird and tall enough to have the oil and the bird laying flat half way up. (Tip: You will need just enough oil to cover the bird, depending on the size of the pot use.)
Mix the flour, 15g of paprika, salt and pepper. Pick up the spatchcock with one hand and dredge it with the flour mix using your dry hand. Do it once for light crispy batter or twice for a heavier version. Depends how you feel. Shake off the excess flour and carefully place the bird in the fryer flat, breast side up and away from you to avoid splashing the oil towards you. Spoon or ladle over hot oil on top of the bird if need be.
Flip the bird carefully every 2 minutes until nice and golden brown and the internal temperature of the breasts reach 72 degrees.
Lay on a drying rack and dust the rest of the smoked paprika on top evenly. Sprinkle picked lemon thyme leaves, salt and serve with a lemon slice and olives.