Kingfish cured in kombu and chilli

This is one of my favourite raw fish dishes because it blurs the lines between cured and raw. The lovely salty flavour of the bonito and umami flavour of the seaweed are delicious with rich oily fishes like kingfish or tuna.

Credit: Danielle Abou Karam

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 25 g bonito flakes
• 15 g sea salt
• 25 g fresh jalapeno chilli
• 375 g piece skinless Kingfish fillet
• 100 g sheet dried kombu
• 1 bunch chives, thinly sliced
• Coriander sprigs, to serve

Ponzu

• 125 ml (½ cup) Japanese rice vinegar
• 60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce
• 60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice
• 10 g dried kombu

Marinating time: overnight 

You will need to begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

Instructions

1. For the ponzu, put all the ingredients in a jar, seal and shake to combine, then refrigerate overnight.  Remove the kombu the next day. The kombu is there for umami flavour, the longer it spends in the ponzu the stronger the flavour will become.
2. Meanwhile, place the bonito flakes, salt and jalapeno chilli in a blender and blend into form a smooth paste. Rub the paste all over the fish.
3. Wipe the dried kombu with a damp cloth to make it more pliable if needed. Wrap the fish in the kombu like a parcel, then wrap again tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to cure.
4. The following day, unwrap the fish and use a very sharp knife to slice it thinly. Place on a serving plate in a single layer, drizzle with ponzu and sprinkle with chives and coriander.  You can also cut the kombu you used to wrap the fish into very thin strips and serve it with the fish as a lovely salty textural component to the dish.

 

Photography by Danielle Abou Karam.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.