2019-09-01 delicious

PHOTOGRAPHY

JEREMY SIMONS

STYLING AND MERCHANDISING

VIVIEN WALSH

I LOVE... THE GOOD

AND THE BAD

THISMONTHMARKStheannualdelicious.HarveyNorman
ProduceAwardsnight,whereI’llbeonstagetryingtoget
throughthelonglistofdeservingawardwinnersbeforethe
chefsbythebargettooloud.I’llshakea lotofhands.Notchefs’
handsfullofboozeglasses,butfirmhands,likesandpaper-
wrappedgranite.Pawsthatgetupearlytoplungeintosoil,
dairytroughsoricywatersto bring us the deliciousness our
panelhasbeenjudging.
Thispanelhasabout 2000 yearsofexperiencebetweenthem.
Occasionally,however,theoddrogueproductgetsthroughand
long-buriedShakespeareanrivalriesrisefromthedead.This
gotmethinking...wouldit behelpfulif I sharedmylistof items
thatshouldneverwina Produce Award? Here goes...
FROMTHEPADDOCK
NevergiveanawardtoSpam(nomatterhowmuchit is
veneratedin KoreaandacrossthePacific),Saveloys,Cheerios,
Twiggysticks,tinnedchicken,really,reallywhiteveal,andcaged
eggs.Oh,andnoawards for any fake honey from China.
FROMTHEEARTH
Anymixedcutfrozenvegetables,cannedcreamedcorn,Deb,
fluffywhiteloavesofdeath,marrowfatpeas,reducedsugarand
saltbakedbeansunlessthey’remadebyhandina forestin
Tasmaniaandpackedin recycledsugarcane,oakleaflettuce,
tinnedcocktailmix(althoughtinnedpeacheshavea loveoftheir
own– probablywhyI’m no longer on the judging panel).
FROMTHEDAIRY
Cheesein a jar,cheesein a can,cheesestringers,vegan
cheese,cheeseTwisties,cheeseslicesthatfloplikethemost
disappointingofdates,sourcreampopcorn,margarine,
caramelandcheesepopcorn(mixed),icecreamwithloads
ofairwhippedintoit.Anythingwheretheingredientslist reads
likea particularlyfun weekend at a music festival.
FROMTHESEA
Fishsticks,fishballs,fishmousse,fishpastein a jar,illegally
fishedtuna,endangeredanything,farmedmullowaythattastes
ofmudandanythingthatrequirestheuselessdeathofbycatch.
There’sbeena pushtobanfishfingersfromthislistbutI am
loathetolegislateagainstthemforfearit wouldstopmecooking
thefamousfishfingersandwichesI fed,withmuchacclaim,
toGeorgeCalombaris,GaryMehiganandHestonBlumenthal
whentouringaroundcountryVictoriaforMasterChef.
ButI havefeltthatI mightneedtostepupmyfishfingergame
ratherthanpullingthemfroma packet.So,forthischallenge,I
giveyoumyanswertotheJapanesekatsusandwich.My– andthis
is real Japanese – fisshufingasandoitchi (aka the Kingfish Katsu).

AsAustralia'stopproduceis celebrated,MattPrestongoestheotherwayand

announces his culinary duds, and updates a classic sandwich in the process.

FISHFINGERSANDWICHWITH MISO

& BACONMAYONNAISE

SERVES 4

(^1) / 2 cup(75g)plainflour
2 cups(100g)pankobreadcrumbs
(^1) / 4 bunchflat-leafparsley, finely chopped
1 cup(250ml)milk
2 eggs,lightlybeaten
600gskinlesskingfishfillet,sliced into 4cm x 10cm fingers
Sunfloweroil,todeep-fry
8 thicksliceswhitebread,crustsremoved
Unsaltedbutter,roomtemperature
8 largeshisoleaves,picked, plus extra small leaves to garnish
1 avocado,sliced
2 Lebanesecucumbers,slicedinto5mmlengths
Store-boughtpickledginger,(ortryMattPreston’s pickled
ginger recipe online at delicious.com.au)
MISO& BACONMAYONNAISE
2 (30geach)thinsmokedbaconrashers, rind removed
(^3) / 4 cup(225g)Kewpiemayonnaise
1 tbswhitemisopaste
(^1) / 4 tsp smoked paprika
Forthemisoandbaconmayonnaise,heata non-stickfrypanover
highheat.Addbaconandcookfor1-2minutes,turnandcookfor
1 minuteoruntilgolden.Drainona platelinedwithpapertowel.
Oncebaconis cool,placeina foodprocessorwithremaining
ingredientsandwhizuntilbaconis finelychopped.Season.
Tomakethefishfingers,seasonflour,thenspreadona tray.
Combinebreadcrumbsandparsleyona separatetray.Ina bowl,
beatmilkwiththeeggs.Workingwith1 pieceoffishata time,coat
firstin flour,thenin milkmixture,andfinallyin thebreadcrumbs.
Repeatwithremainingfish.Chillfor 15 minutesbeforefrying.
Half-filla largesaucepanwithoilandheatto180°C(a cubeof
breadwillturngoldenin 45secondswhentheoilis hotenough).
Fryfishfingers,in batches,for2-3minutesoruntilgolden.Drain
onpapertowelandseason.Repeatwithremainingfishfingers.
Trimbreadslicestoslightlywiderthanfishfingers.Spread1 side
ofeachbreadslicelightlywithbutterandplace,buttered-sideup,
ona cleanworksurface.Top4 breadsliceswithshiso,avocado,
cucumberandfishfingers.Drizzlewithmisoandbacon
mayonnaise.Topwithremaining4 slicesofbread,buttered-side
down. Scatter over extra shiso and serve with pickled ginger.
I’M LOVING.
60 delicious.com.au