Swordfish, Native Ginger, Vegan Fish Sauce and Seawater Fermented Vegetables - Chef Recipe by Dayan Hartill-law

Ingredients

200g Lady Musgrave Island swordfish loin, cut
2 native ginger leaves
100g native ginger berry
100g native ginger root
200mL white wine vinegar
100mL grapeseed oil
100g caster sugar
1 bundle Dutch carrots
1 bundle watermelon radish
2 stalks saltbush
1 stem garlic flowers
1 jalapeño
1 sheet nori
25mL tamari
1 dried shiitake mushroom
20g white miso
10g soy sauce bean curd
10mL rice vinegar
5g garlic powder
10g tomato purée
20g salted butter

Method

For this recipe we start a week out by making a salt brine for the carrots and radishes, this we make by mixing 17g of sea salt with 500ml warm filtered water.

Once the salt has dissolved pour over the carrots and radishes whole, just washed prior and all stems removed, cryovac and then leave on the bench for 7 days. (When cryovacing ensure there is no air at all).

If you don’t have a cryovac machine you can use a jar, again ensure there is no air.

On the day of the cook:

Native ginger oil:

Peel and thinly slice the native ginger root, then cover with grapeseed oil and place on a low heat until you see bubbles start to bubble up. Turn off the heat and allow it to infuse until you need it.

Pickling liquid:

Place vinegar and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil, then place 100g of ice in the liquid and reserve with the ginger berries. Slice the carrots, radish and jalapeño around 2mm and place in the pickling liquid.

Vegan fish sauce:

Place nori, tamari, dried shiitake, white miso, soybean curd, rice vinegar, garlic powder and tomato purée in a blender with 500mL water then strain through cheesecloth. Reduce by half, then when you are ready to serve, heat liquid and with a stick blender add the butter in small chunks at a time.

For the fish:

Gently rub with a healthy amount of the native ginger oil, then season with salt.

The native ginger leaves will need to be sterilised - turn on your gas flame and run the leaves over the flame. This will start to draw out the natural oils but also ensure there are no bugs hiding away.

Lay the leaves down in a cross and place the fish in the middle, wrap the leaves over the top to make certain there are no points of the fish showing.

Steam for 12-15 minutes in a bamboo steamer basket. A good tool to have is a skewer to test to see if the fish is cooked, it will have no resistance when you push it through the flesh of the fish.

To serve:

Place the fish on the plate and unravel the ginger leaf, sometimes there’s a white residue left on the leaf, this can be wiped off using a damp cloth.

Pour around 50mL-70mL vegan fish sauce over the top of the fish.

Strain the carrot, radish and jalapeño and arrange the sliced vegetables over the top of the fish, then a couple of pieces of saltbush and garlic flowers to present.

Recipe provided by Palette