Kingfish is on the meatier end of the fish spectrum, so it pairs really well with the pepita miso. I love this dish. It’s got a wicked balance of savoury and brightness. Citrus is my thing and cumquat is such an elegant flavour. Lemon cucumbers, though not sour, have an enticing lemon scent and taste great. To make the dried cucumber skin, dry out any excess cucumber peel over a fire or in a low oven then grind into a fine powder.
Ingredients
Pumpkin seed cream
- 30g pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 10g broad bean miso or white
- Japanese miso
- 40g vegetable oil
- lemon juice, to taste
Cumquat oil
- 25g cumquat skins
- 25g olive oil
- 75g vegetable oil
Cumquat dressing
- 25g cumquat juice
- 25g lemon or plain shio koji
- 50g cumquat oil (see above)
To serve
- 140g kingfish, cleaned and cut into 5mm dice
- 20g pumpkin seeds (pepitas), soaked in water overnight
- 5g olive oil
- 120g lemon cucumbers, or heirloom cucumbers
- 5g lemon basil
- 5g mint
- 1 teaspoon dried cucumber skin, ground
Method
Pumpkin seed cream
Blend the seeds and miso in an upright blender and slowly add 100g water and the oil. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice.
Cumquat oil
Put everything in a small glass jar and place into a 60°C oven for 6 hours. Leave to cool overnight.
Cumquat dressing
Mix everything together and season to taste if needed.
To serve
Place the kingfish and drained pumpkin seeds in a small bowl. Add the olive oil and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Mix well and transfer to two serving bowls. Make a small hole in the middle of the piles of fish. Spoon 1½ spoons of the pepita cream into the hole. Using a sharp knife, cut the cucumbers on an angle 4mm thick. Place in a mixing bowl. Tear the herbs roughly with your hands and add to the bowl with the cucumber powder. Season lightly and dress with the cumquat dressing. Mix and arrange on top of the kingfish mix.
Recipe extracted from On Sundays: Long lunches through the seasons by Dave Verheul, published by Hardie Grant Books.
