Here's where to go as soon as the lockdown ends. And there is not much left. Yes, because the sea reaches up to Milan. No, don't worry, this time we are not talking about some disastrous effect of global warming, nor about some strange advertising campaign by the tourism agency of Milano Marittima. More simply, the Milanese culinary tradition par excellence decides to indulge in an unusual look, reinventing itself in fish: what is born – directly in the restaurant kitchen El Pecà, a few steps from the Crocetta metro station in the Lombard capital – è Milan to the sea, or a tasty Milanese cutlet where the veal gives way to bluefin tuna.

The restaurant

Fish & cocktail. These are the two words that summarize the vocation of El Pecà, "sin" in Milanese dialect, a charming place inaugurated in the center of Milan by Filippo Cadeo is Carlo Carnevale: a place that – among furniture recovered from the city's antique dealers and various and eventual decorations dedicated to the sea and its creatures – aims to become a point of reference for those looking for a private aperitif, a dinner at seafood or even just a refuge where you can enjoy a post-dinner long drink over a shared dessert. All washed down with an abundant dose of Milanese spirit, which is reflected in a playful, almost holiday menu, where you dare here and there with some reinterpretation of the great classics: here is the Taboo risotto, with saffron pistils, raw Mazara red prawns and licorice powder; or – in fact – Milano al Mare, fish cutlet made according to the sacred traits of the Milanese.

inspiration

"The idea behind Milano al Mare is very simple: to be able to combine the need for a fish-based proposal, that required by the local philosophy, with the gastronomic tradition and respect for the territory". Who speaks is Romeo Poltronieri, chef of the restaurant, who arrived in El Pecà after a series of starry experiences in the kitchen of Carlo Cracco and in that of the Marconi Bolognese restaurant. «El Pecà is essentially a fish restaurant, and every recipe, beyond the vegetarian alternatives that we still keep on the menu, must be somehow linked to the sea: this is a necessity that however I do not live as a limit, on the contrary, I has already opened several horizons. For the rest, on the one hand I try to take a cue from what is classic cuisine, not necessarily distorting it, but making it mine. On the other hand, I try to remain faithful to the territory in which I am located, paying homage to the products and traditions of Italy and, more specifically, of Milan ". Hence this new version of the Milanese cutlet, which has already become the symbol of the restaurant's proposal.

Milano al Mare, the recipe

For the cutlet
130 -140 g of bluefin tuna
2 eggs
Bread crumbs
Clarified butter to taste
Maldon salt to taste

salad
1/2 fennel
1 orange
Capers in oil

Vegetable mayonnaise
100 g soy milk
250 g seed oil
20 g bottarga powder
Salt to taste

Method

For the mayonnaise
Put the soy milk and the bottarga powder in a jug, adding a pinch of salt. Pour the seed oil flush by emulsifying with a blender, just like a classic mayonnaise. Season with salt and complete with a drop of vinegar. Put in the piping bag and leave to rest in the fridge.

For the salad
thinly slice the fennel with a mandolin. Put in water and ice and leave to rest in the fridge for a couple of hours. Take an orange and peel it raw, making three wedges per serving. Drain the fennel and season with extra virgin olive oil and salt. Add orange and six well-drained capers in oil.

For the cutlet
Open 2 eggs and beat them well. Pass the tuna in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs, repeat the step a second time and then put in the fridge for half an hour.
Pour the clarified butter (abundant) into a hot pan and heat well. Cook the cutlet for about 2/3 minutes per side, including the edges. Leave to rest on yellow paper and bake it for 2/3 minutes at 180 degrees. Cut it in two and sprinkle it with Maldon salt before serving.