Since opening D.O.M. in 1999 Alex Atala has redefined Brazilian cuisine and become a celebrity in his homeland. Having trained in Europe and cooked with Bernard Loiseau at the Côte d'Or Hotel and in the kitchen of Jean Pierre Bruneau, Atala applies classic French culinary techniques to native ingredients, such as the Amazonian fish filhote and priprioca, a root most often used in perfume production. Here he divulges one of his most beloved recipes.

•Coral butter

•500g of shrimp  

•30ml of olive oil

•3 garlic cloves

•400g of creamy butter

•300ml of water

•1.3kg of hearts of palm in the form of fettuccine

•12 cleaned big shrimp with tails

•Salt

•Black pepper from the pepper mill

1.Fry the minced garlic with olive oil in a big frying pan and add the shrimp heads.

2.Mix the heads until they release their coral (which adds coloring and flavor to the butter). Continue this process for five minutes.

3.Transfer the heads to a deeper pan and deglaze the frying pan well with a bit of water, then add to the bigger pan.

4.Add the 300ml of water to the pan and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Leave to cool and incorporate the creamy butter. Mix until it’s smooth.

1.Peel the bark around the palm heart and slice with a Japanese mandolin to make long strips 1mm thick, like fettuccine. 

2.Boil the palm heart fettuccine in salted water for about a minute until they soften. Drain.

3.Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the blanched fettuccine and season. Stir in circular motions until the sauce thickens.

1.Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and grill in a very hot frying pan until they become bronzed. The center must remain uncooked.

2.Glaze the shrimp and serve with the fettuccine.