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Cappon Magro

Summary

Yield
Servings
SourceThe Classic Food of Northern Italy
Prep time2 hours
RegionItaly

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.

Ingredients

1eaSlab of Country Bread (1/2-inch thick, Toasted)
1clvGarlic
2TExtra-Virgin Olive Oil
1TWine Vinegar
2lbMixed, Cubed Vegetables (Steamed)
1⁄4cExtra Virgin Olive Oil
1eaLemon (Juiced)
2lbMixed Cubed Fish (Salmon, Sea Scallops, Shrimp, etc)
1eaLobster (Cooked and sliced into generous medallions)
2eaEggs (Hard-Cooked, Cut in wedges)
12eaBlack Olives
2eaLobster Claws
1eaPiquant Green Sauce (see recipe)

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!

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  • By John at 03/18/2015 - 20:30
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a simpler Cappon Magro

I have been wanting to make this again for a long time, but I never had the time. Then I had two Brilliant Ideas (tm):

  • Simplifying the final product: It doesn't have to be so Renaissance-ornate (although that's awesome) - I used only potatoes and a few steamed pearl onions for the base veggies, and only shrimp for the seafood. It's not so intimidating, and not so time-consuming.
  • Making the components over time for later assembly: I made the Piquant Green Sauce ahead of time, and put it away. I cooked the potatoes and cut them and put them away. I toasted the bread and froze it. Then today at lunchtime it was just a matter of assembly.

These two compromises turned the palatial feast dish into a delightful weeknight dinner. I will make the fancy one again, but I will probably make this version five times as often.

  • By John at 03/18/2015 - 20:29
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