Last week baby gem lettuces were on the menu. It sounded wrong, but last week Gordon said they were great so I gave them a go.
How do you fry something that's mostly water?
I dropped a couple of leaves into a pan of hot olive oil for all of 5 seconds. Just like Gordon did. But when I retrieved them they were just lettuce leaves soaked in olive oil. They weren't just wilted, they were sodden, and not terribly nice.
Has anybody else tried this, and if so have you had success?
Originally posted by poached_lamb: Last week baby gem lettuces were on the menu. It sounded wrong, but last week Gordon said they were great so I gave them a go.
How do you fry something that's mostly water?
I dropped a couple of leaves into a pan of hot olive oil for all of 5 seconds. Just like Gordon did. But when I retrieved them they were just lettuce leaves soaked in olive oil. They weren't just wilted, they were sodden, and not terribly nice.
Has anybody else tried this, and if so have you had success?
They have to be absolutely really really fresh 'n' crisp....I use very little oil, and remove the lettuces from the pan almost the instant after they hit it. Also, don't salt in the pan - it makes them lose water.... Hope this helps
Ah! I now see where I might have gone wrong. The oil was certainly hot because I'd just been flash-frying some meatin it. I imagine the added meat juices probably didn't help.
I'll try it again in a clean pan with just a smidgeon of oil. Cheers guys!
