116 GOURMET TRAVELLER
1 kahawai(about1kg;
seenote),headon,
scaledandcleaned
1 lemonor2 limes,sliced,
plusextrahalvesforgrilling
50 gmclarifiedbutter,
melted,forbrushing
HERBDRESSING
1½ tbspbicarbonateofsoda
2 cups(firmlypacked)basil,
plusextraforstuffing
and to serveGrilledfishwithherbdressing
SERVES6-8ASPARTOFA SHAREDMEAL// PREPTIME 20 MINS// COOK 10 MINS“WeonlyuseNewZealandspeciesoffishatHiakai,”saysFiso.
“Oursuppliersline-catchlocalfish,butlookforanAustralian
speciesthat’ssimilar.”AtHiakai,thedressinginthisrecipeis
madewithnativekawakawaleaves(knownasbushbasilinNew
Zealand), but we’ve substituted basil, mint and flat-leaf parsley.Roastedcabbage
SERVES8-10ASA SIDE// PREPTIME 40 MINS // COOK 5 HRS 25 MINS
(PLUSCOOLING,PRESSING)“Wewantedtomakea dishthatheroescabbage,”saysFiso.
AtHiakai,FisomakesanXOsauceusingtitibirdanddehydrated
musselsandclams.Startthis recipe at least a day ahead to press
and pickle the cabbage.asidetocool,thenrefrigerate
(24hoursorupto1 week).
3 Forcabbagesauce,juice
cabbage(youwillneed250ml).
Bringjuicetoa gentlesimmerin
a smallsaucepanovermedium
heat,thenreduceheattovery
lowandsimmerwithoutstirring
untiljuiceclarifiesandseparates
frompulp(15-20minutes).
Strainthrougha sievelined
withmuslin.Youshouldhave
220ml.Addanequalquantity
ofstock,thenbringtotheboil.
4 Meanwhile,stirbutterand
flourcontinuouslyin a separate
saucepanovermediumheat
untildeepgoldenbrown(3-4
minutes).Addhotstockmixture
andstiruntilsauceis thick,
shinyandsilky(12-15minutes).
Seasonwithsalt,thenpass
througha finesieveintoa
heatproofjug.Keepwarm.
5 Preheata barbecueto
medium-high.Cutcabbageinto
wedges,thengrilltocharand
heatthrough(1-2minuteseach
side). Spoon XO sauce overa plattertotaste.Placecabbage
wedgesontop.Pouroverwarm
cabbagesauce,thengarnish
withpickledredcabbage,
rocket,chivesandbreadcrumbs.
NoteXOsauceis sonamed
becauseit’smadefromluxury
ingredients(thenamerefers
totheprizedXOCognac),
includingdriedscallops,squid
andprawns,andJinhua,
a Chinesehamsimilarto
prosciuttoorjamón.It’s
availablefromsupermarkets
andAsiangrocers,butbe
suretochoosethemost
expensivebrandyoucan
affordforthebest quality
andflavour.
Winesuggestion 2019
BlackEstateTrebleRosé,
NorthCanterbury, New
Zealand.➤1 Preheatovento160°Cand
linea bakingtraywithbaking
paper.Placewholecabbage
ontrayandroastuntil
blackenedandtenderand
a skewercanbeinsertedwith
littleresistance(4½-5hours).
Coolbriefly(5minutes),
thenplaceanothertrayon
top,pressingfirmlytoflatten
cabbageslightly.Weightwith
heavycans,thenrefrigerate
topressovernight.
2 Forpickledredcabbage,
bringvinegar,sugaranda
largepinchofsalttoa simmer
ina saucepanovermedium
heat.Placecabbageina
sterilisedjar,thenpourover
pickling liquid and seal. Set1 whitecabbage(about2kg)
XOsauce(seenote)toserve
Rocketandfinelychopped
chives,toserve
Toastedbreadcrumbs
(optional),toserve
PICKLEDREDCABBAGE
250 ml(1cup)white wine
vinegar
60 gmcastersugar
5 redcabbageleaves,cutinto
smallroundswitha cutter
CABBAGESAUCE
500 gmwhitecabbage
(about1/4cabbage)
220 mlbrownchicken stock
(ortotaste)
25 gmbutter
25 gm plain flour1 cup(firmlypacked)mint,
plusextraforstuffing
andtoserve
1 cup(firmlypacked)
flat-leafparsleyleaves,
plusextraforstuffing
andtoserve
1 smallgoldenshallot,
coarselychopped
2 tspchardonnayvinegar
125 ml(½cup)sunfloweroil
2 tsp lemon juice (or to taste)1 Preheata charcoalgrilluntil
veryhot.Lightlyscorefishskin
onbothsideswitha verysharp
knife,stuffwithslicedlemonor
limeandextraherbs,thentruss
withcottontwine.Setaside.
2 Forherbdressing,add
bicarbonateofsodatoa
saucepanofwaterandbring
totheboil.Blanchherbs
untiltheysoftencompletely
(10-20seconds).Strainleaves
andtransfertoa bowloficed
watertocoolcompletely.
Oncechilled,strainleaves
througha sievelinedwith
muslin,pressingfirmlyto
extractanyexcesswater.
Transfertoa blenderwith
remainingingredients(except
lemon juice) and blend untilsmooth.Seasontotastewith
lemonjuiceandseasalt.
3 Brushclarifiedbutterover
fishandseasonwithsaltflakes.
Grillfish,brushingwithbutter
occasionallyuntilskinis bubbly,
crispandlightlycharred(5-7
minuteseachside).Grilllemon
orlime,cut-sidedown,until
lightlycharred(1-2minutes).
4 Servefishwithgrilledlemon
orlime,extraherbs,and
herbdressingontheside.
NoteKahawaiis a native
NewZealandfishthat’s
knownasAustraliansalmon
here.If unavailable,substitute
trevallyorbonito.
Winesuggestion 2018 Seresin
Chiaroscuro,Marlborough,
New Zealand.