Calamari + Watermelon

sebastian_palmigiani_21610

my inspiration came from an idea in food post

http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2011/07/the-broth-is-the-juice-of-a-watermelon-which-was-strained-and-then-thickened-with-xanthan-gum-we-seasoned-it-with-salt-agav.html

i wanted to use my new chamber vacuum (i got the minipack msv 20 due to space limitation). i compressed the watermelon with some watermelon + agave syrup. i then sauteed the watermelon and seasoned it fresh ground black pepper. there was also heated watermelon+xanthan+salt+agave+ponzu broth which went into the final dish.

the calamari was cooked sous vide for 10 minutes at 162 F as advised in the post. the squid was then sauteed with a little of watermelon juice, kombu water, and pieces of kombu.

the calamari had an al dente texture to it, not mushy at all. question: is that the right texture for this product?

the final dish had a base of thickened, warm watermelon broth topped with compressed watermelon cubes, calamari rings, kombu, olive oil, and maldon sallt. great combination with a sweet, salty, tangy flavor with a little bit of heat. the softness of the watermelon contrasted with the slight crunchyness of the calamari.

Chris_Young_80640

That sounds like a pretty nice texture. I wouldn't expect it to become mushy.