Candied Kingfish, Almandine, Salted Grapes, Nasturtium

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 4 x 170 gms of pinned boned pave kingfish
• 100 ml of olive oil
• salt
• 4 x 4 whole confit onions
• 4 x 4 nasturtium leaves
• 400 gms of micro plane almond powder

Almond milk gel

• 600 gms of peeled almonds
• 1560 ml of whole milk
• salt
• 1 gm of agar agar for every 100ml

Salted grapes

• 400 gms of red grapes, skin on
• 10 gms of seasalt
• 10 gms of sugar

Method

Almond milk gel

Place the almonds on a roasting tray, sprinkle with salt and roast for 30 minutes. Heat the milk and when the almonds are roasted place into the warm milk and leave for 24 hours before straining and blending with agar agar.

Salted grapes

Blanche and peel the grapes. Leave to dry a little then place on an oiled baking tray, sprinkle with salt and caster sugar – and place in oven at 85 / 110 gas mark ¼.

Leave in oven for 2 ½ hours until wrinkled.

Cooking the fish  

Pre heat the oven to 132°C, no higher.

Pour the olive oil into the pan, until smoking, then place in the pan the kingfish that has been in room temperature for 10 minutes. Do not season (wait until the end of the cooking process). Crisp the skin then place the fish in the oven for 8 or 9 minutes. 

When the fish is ready, season upon removing from oven.

Plating up:

Place the two warm purees on the plate. Add the fish and the hot potatoes, then the onions that have been roasted in olive oil. Finally, garnish with nasturtium leaf and scatter salted grapes. 

Suggested wines to complement this recipe

Chardonnay
Montana Reserve Hawkes Bay 2007
Matakana Estate 2007