This zucchini cannelloni stuffed with hake and served with prickly pear sauce is perfect to surprise all your guests this holiday season. These original -pasta free- cannelloni will be the perfect first dish to start a magical evening. Although it may not seem so at first glance, its elaboration is easy and we can cook them in advance to spend more time with our family and friends.
For these cannelloni we will not use pasta, so it becomes a perfect gluten free option. The filling is made with crumbled hake and bechamel. The final touch is given with a sauce of prickly pear, black garlic, basil oil and mustard with honey. An spectacular combination of flavors and colors.
To make a more beautiful meal, I have made them quite big, and I have only served one per person. But if it’s more comfortable for you, you can make 2-3 smaller cannelloni per person.
Ingredients for 6 zucchini cannelloni stuffed with hake and prickly pear sauce:
- 2 zucchini
- 250 g fresh hake
- 2 prickly pears
- Dry dill
- Basil leaves
- Olive oil
- 3 black garlics
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion
- Nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup of milk
How to make zucchini cannelloni stuffed with hake and prickly pear sauce:
First, cut the hake into small pieces. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of dry dill and let aside.
In a small bowl, mix well the honey with the mustard. Let aside.
Very carefully, peel the prickly pears and cut one and a half on small dices. Crush the other half, until you get a puree. Set aside.
In the glass of the blender, place a good squirt of olive oil and some basil leaves. Blend and set aside.
Finely chop the onion and let it cook in a pan with olive oil. When the onion is almost ready, add the hake and cook it.
Place the cornstarch in a small bowl, mix it with a little cold milk and stir well. This will help us to dissolve the cornstarch and prevent the formation of lumps in our filling.
Low the heat, and add the cornstarch and a pinch of nutmeg on the fish. At this time, and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, when the mixture is thickening, add the milk little by little.
If you notice that the filling has become too thick, you can add a little more milk until you get the desired texture. So that the filling does not spill from the cannelloni, we look for a smooth but thick texture. Leat aside at room temperature.
With the help of a mandoline slicer, laminate the zucchini very thinly (look the picture). If you do not have a mandolin slicer you can use a knife, but it’s more difficult.
To shape the zucchini cannelloni, stretch a piece of cling film on a flat surface and place the zucchini slices side by side. We have to overlap them, as you can see in the image. With the help of a spoon, place the filling on the zucchini.
In case the zucchini strips are too long, this will be the time to cut them to remove the excess. Roll the zucchini over the filling using the cling film. Remove the cling film.
Now we have two options:
- Serve it untill tempered.
- Reserve them in the refrigerator in a baking tray covered with anti-stick paper. In this case, you will have to remove them from the refrigerator one hour before to tempered it. Then, place the tray in the preheated oven at 120 °C (49 ºF) for 10 minutes or until hot.
Placed one cannelloni in the center of each dish and painted it with basil oil. Place the prickly pear dices on top and some basil leaves. To add more color to the dish, stain it with a few drops of the other sauces: mustard and honey, oil with basil and the prickly pear puree. Sprinkle a pinch of black garlic and serve before it cools.
Taste it and share your foodie experience!