Fish Fingers

Ingredients

4 cuttlefish
4 slices levain bread (crusty semi-sourdough), about 1.5 cm (5/8 inch) thick
2 garlic cloves, halved
Extra virgin olive oil
River salt flakes
2 x 250 g (9 oz) pieces of sashimigrade hiramasa kingfish top loin, skin off and pinboned
2 teaspoons chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ of a small brown onion, thinly sliced
Freshly ground white pepper
1 small piece of mojama, about 2.5 cm (1 inch)

Method

To prepare the cuttlefish, gently pull off the tentacles so the insides come out with them. Cut just underneath the eyes and remove and discard any beak from the tentacles. Save the tentacles to fry up later, as a snack.

Discard the eyes and any insides and gently pull the cartilage from the body and discard.

Remove the skin, wash gently then dice.

Preheat a large grill plate or barbecue grill over a high heat and grill the bread until well charred on both sides. Rub the hottest side of each slice of bread with half a garlic clove then drizzle heavily with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt.

Cut each slice of bread into four equal ‘fingers’.

Slice the kingfish 5 mm (¼ inch) thick and place on the toast. Mix the diced cuttlefish in a bowl with the coriander, lime juice, some salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Place a spoonful on each piece of fish then top with a couple of very thin slices of onion and season lightly with white pepper. Microplane the mojama liberally over all of the fingers and serve.

Credits: 'Recipes for a Good Time' by Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz, Published by Murdoch Books, RRP $59.99

Photo Credits: 'Recipes for a Good Time' by Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz, Published by Murdoch Books, RRP $59.99