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Salmon and Passion Fruit Tiradito, Crispy Sweet Potato & Espelette Pepper

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The world is your oyster when it comes to seasoning Tiradito. Much as I love using lime as a major component for Leche de Tigre (the marinate for ceviches and tiraditos), there is a whole range of different fruits to play with. Here, I use passion fruit and aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow chilli) to create a zingy, punchy dressing that works really well with the fatty salmon. Finish the dish with a dusting of fine Espelette pepper for a gentle, fruity hint of chilli.

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 200g sushi-graded salmon fillet, skinned
  • 400g sweet potatoes
  • Sunflower oil for deep-frying
  • a few sprigs of chervil (or coriander)

For the passion fruit Leche de Tigre (Tiger’s Milk):

  • 4 small passion fruit, juice and seeds (around 50g in total)
  • 1 teaspoon of aji amarillo paste
  • 1 lemon, juiced (60ml)
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 1 clove garlic, cut
  • 1cm slice of ginger
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ¼ banana shallot, very finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp of chervil, very finely chopped (or coriander)
  • A sprinkle of Espelette pepper (can substitute with sichimi pepper)
  • A sprinkle of Maldon salt flakes

Method:

  1. Make the passion fruit leche de tigre by whizzing all the ingredients (except the shallot and chervil, and 1-2 tablespoons of passion fruit seeds to be reserved for the presentation) in a food processor. Pass it through a fine sieve, add the finely chopped shallot and chervil. Refrigerate until needed.
  2. Peel the sweet potatoes. Using a zester or preferably a Spiralizer, cut fine strips of potatoes rather like spaghetti. Line a plate with absorbent paper. Add sunflower oil to a pan and heat to 140°C (note – use a deep pan and do not fill more than 1/3 full as the hot oil will rise to the surface as the potato is added). Fry the potato spaghetti for about 1 minute until lightly browned, transfer to the lined plate. The potato strands will not be crispy at this stage but do not worry – we will re-fry them just before serving. Keep the oil hot.
  3. Remove any residual brown flesh from the salmon fillet. Cut the salmon into thin slices and arrange them in a single row over each of the four serving plates. For each plate, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the passion fruit leche de tigre over the salmon and dot with a few passion fruit seeds around the plate. Let it ‘cook’ for 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, quickly re-fry the potato spaghetti for another 30 seconds, drain on kitchen paper and season with fine sea salt.
  5. When you are ready to serve, arrange a line of crispy sweet potato spaghetti in the middle of the salmon row, and scatter a few sprigs of chervil (or coriander) on the plate. Sprinkle some Maldon sea salt flakes and Espelette pepper. Serve immediately.
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 Salmon and Passion Fruit Tiradito, Crispy Sweet Potato & Espelette Pepper
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Servings

Prawn Moqueca & Coriander Rice Donburi

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Moqueca is a quintessentially Brazilian dish, with nearly every seaside town having its own variation on the theme. In Bahia, they add an African element to the dish in the form of dendê oil. Derived from the palm tree, this bright orange oil has a very special flavour for which there is no substitute. Moqueca is very easy to prepare, and you can substitute prawns with small fillets of fish or other types of seafood. I love serving this moqueca over Japanese rice flavoured with coriander and lemon rice, as in this donburi recipe.

Ingredients (serves 6):

  • 750g large fresh prawns, peeled and deveined (reserve 2 whole prawns for presentation)
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 lemon, juice
  • 400g tinned Italian tomatoes including juice
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp dendê oil (palm oil – available from Brazilian or African food shops)
  • 2 tbsp coriander cress
  • Maldon sea salt

For the coriander rice:

  • 1 ½ portions of steamed rice (see recipe on page XXX)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Maldon sea salt
  • 8 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
  • ½ lemon, juice and zest
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Method:

  1. Prepare the Japanese steamed rice by following the recipe on page XXX. Once the rice is cooked and before fluffing it, make a green coriander salsa by mixing in a bowl the extra virgin olive oil, salt, juice and fine zest of a lemon, crushed garlic cloves and finely chopped coriander. Fold the coriander salsa well into the cooked rice.
  2. In a bowl, add the prawns, the light soy sauce, the lemon juice and garlic, mix well, cover and marinade for 15 minutes.
  3. Blend the tinned tomatoes with their juices in a food processor, pass through a sieve discarding any seeds or skin.
  4. In a medium-sized cast iron pan, fry the chopped onion on a low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika, 2 teaspoons of Maldon sea salt and the tomato purée and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, fry the reserved whole prawns in a little olive oil until pink, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the prawns warm.
  6. Now stir in the coconut milk and finely chopped red chilli to the thickened tomato sauce, bring to the boil, then add the prepared prawns and its marinade, and cook until the prawns have gone lightly pink, about 1 minute. Stir in the dendê oil, turn off the heat and check for seasoning.
  7. A classic Japanese donburi is a bowl of steamed rice with a topping of meat, fish or vegetables. For this dish, however, I like serving the moqueca de camarão placed around the rice rather than over it. Lightly grease a rice bowl with a little oil, fill it with rice and press it down so that the rice is lightly compressed. Turn the rice bowl onto the middle of a serving plate and remove the bowl. Spoon the moqueca de camarão around the mound of coriander rice adding plenty of sauce, place the whole prawns on the plate finishing with a scattering of coriander cress. Serve immediately.
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 Prawn Moqueca & Coriander Rice Donburi
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Servings

Nikkei Sea-Bream, Yuzu & Green Jalapeño Rice Cooked in Clay Pot

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Tai gohan (sea-bream rice) is a classic of Japanese home cooking, and a dish I have always loved. It can be made in a rice cooker or in a clay pot or elegant pan to be served at the table for a wow factor. The fish fillets are cooked over the rice, imparting a delicious flavour to the whole dish. In this version I give a Nikkei interpretation, by adding a dressing of olive oil, yuzu juice and jalapeño green chillies, mixed into the rice just before serving. This is like traditional Japan embracing the spice of South America.

Ingredients (serves 8-10):

  • 4 sea bream fillets, scaled and pin-boned
  • 600g uncooked short-grain rice
  • 550ml dashi (1 tsp instant dashi dissolved in 550ml hot water) or water
  • 100ml cup light soy sauce (usukuchi)
  • 100ml cup mirin
  • 2.5cm piece ginger, peeled and cut in fine julienne strips
  • Sansho pepper, a sprinkle

For the Yuzu & Green Jalapeño dressing:

  • 1 green jalapeño chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp yuzu juice
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

  1. Wash the rice in a bowl with plenty of fresh water using a circular motion with your hand. Drain the water and repeat this rinsing three or four times until the water runs clear. Let it drain for 15 minutes in a sieve.
  2. In the meantime, prepare the soaking and cooking broth – combine the dashi or water, mirin and usukuchi soy sauce and set aside. Soak the drained rice between 30min (less sticky) and 4 hours (more sticky) in the cooking broth in the clay pot or rice cooker (see different methods below).
  3. Rice Cooker Method: After the soaking and before cooking, scatter half of the ginger strips over the rice, lay the sea bream fillets on top and turn the rice cooker on. It should take approximately 15-20 minutes to cook. Once the rice cooker’s alarm beeps indicating that the rice is cooked, let the rice rest for at least 15 minutes before opening the rice cooker.
  4. Clay Pot Method: tightly wrap a tea towel over the lid of a Japanese clay pot (known as donabe) or if you do not have one you can use a heavy casserole pan. After soaking time and before cooking the rice, scatter half of the ginger strips over the rice, lay the sea bream fillets on the top, I like arranging the fillets so that they look like an open flower, place the lid on top and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring the temperature down to the minimum setting and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and without opening the lid (the lid should not be opened at any stage of the cooking process), let the rice rest for a further 15 minutes.
  5. Up to this stage, this rice is a traditional Japanese ‘Tao Gohan’ or Japanese sea bream rice and can be served as it is, it will taste delicious. But for added va-va-vroom, I like serving this with a yuzu and green jalapeño dressing which I pour over the fish and rice at the table just before serving. To make the dressing just add all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.
  6. Take the unopened clay pot to the table, open it in front of your guests, and if desired, carefully remove the skin of the fish, sadly some people are squeamish about fish skin. Pour the yuzu and green jalapeño dressing over the fish and rice then using a wide wooden spoon, fluff the rice well breaking the fish into tiny pieces and mixing it together with the dressing into the rice. Mix thoroughly.
  7. If you are using a rice cooker, follow all the above steps although do not take the rice cooker to the table! Make all the necessary preparation and serve the rice in individual bowls at the table.
  8. To serve, place the rice in individual rice bowls, top with the remaining 1/2 julienned ginger in the centre of each bowl followed by a sprinkle of sansho pepper and serve immediately.