Sunday, January 21, 2007

A Taste of Terroir

Anna from Anna's Cool Finds has thought up quite a cool event where she asks us to search for our own Taste of Terroir.

Australia is well know for our seafood and after much contemplation I finally settled upon one of it's finest products, Bluefin Tuna.

tuna

Southern Bluefin is commercially farmed around Port Lincoln in South Australia and in the space of 15 years has grown to be our largest farmed seafood industry.

A majority of this tuna is destined for the Japanese market - it's particularly well regarded for it's higher fat levels, a most sort after trait for Sashimi.

A wonderful piece of tuna such as this just sings with freshness from it's jewelled glow to it's melt in the mouth texture. It speaks clearly of its pure waters and absolute care.

When looking for the best way to present this fish I turned to Justin North's BĂ©casse. Through the pages you are introduced to people who not only strive to produce the best, but strive to produce something that we can say is uniquely ours. Within every ingredient, a regard for it's place of origin is at the forefront.

The dish I've chosen is Tuna Sashimi with Pickled Daikon, Cucumber and Baby Coriander - I've made minor changes in regard to plating and those are reflected in the recipe that follows.

dish

Tuna Sashimi with Pickled Daikon, Cucumber and Baby Coriander
[Serves 4 as a starter]

400 grams Bluefin Tuna
Pickled Daikon
1 small Lebanese cucumber
2 small red radish
handful of fresh baby coriander leaves
juice of ½ a lemon
extra virgin olive oil
Murray Valley Pink salt (or Fleur de Sel)
freshly ground white pepper

It's most important that you only slice the fish when you are ready to serve the dish. You'll need to have all the components prepared and ready for plating.

Peel the cucumber and then slice into fine ribbons. Slice the red radish into fine discs. You can use a swivel peeler or mandolin for this.
Drain the pickled daikon (reserve the liquid).

Toss the cucumber ribbons and red radish discs with a spoonful of pickling liquid - season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

To Plate:

Slice the tuna evenly into 16 pieces - arrange four slices to a plate. Intermingle with cucumber and daikon ribbons. Top each tuna slice with radish discs then drizzle the whole lot in a little extra virgin olive oil and a touch of lemon juice. Scatter baby coriander leaves randomly over the plate and serve immediately.

dish

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14 comments

  1. Very nice!

    paz

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  2. I love sashimi and sushi so I'd love to try it!

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  3. Oh does that look delicious! Today, I'm making a version of your Seeded Orange Soda Bread. Can't wait to taste it. I'll blog the results. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  4. Beautiful dish! We are so lucky to have fresh fish here in Melbourne. I love our tuna and your dish is inspiring!

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  5. Thanks Paz!

    Thanks Kalyn - it's a perfect dish for summer.

    Thanks Susan - hope you enjoy the Soda Bread!

    Thanks Anh - Justin North's book is full of inspiration and makes you quite proud of our wonderful produce.

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  6. That's almost more art than food! But I'd definitely be devouring it!

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  7. That tuna looks so beautiful! What a fresh and lovely entry. Thanks.

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  8. Thanks Brilynn - it doesn't matter how arty a presentation, food is still food ;)

    Thanks Mia - it's hard to better beautiful tuna like this, perhaps salmon belly, but it's a close thing.

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  9. Stunning! You gave me some beautiful plating ideas. Well, eating ideas too. :D

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  10. Thanks Cookiecrumb - happy plating/eating ;)!

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  11. That Tuna looks so good I'm about to book a flight to Australia just to eat some sushi! That would be extravagant wouldn't it?

    You are daring to actually make something with it. I have a hard time finding sushi-grade tuna. But when you can find it, it's so amazing. I usually make ahi poke and have never tried anything else with it. This give me hope!

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  12. Thanks Rachel - I'd just call that dedicated ;) With good sashimi tuna and salmon, the best way is just plain, slice it thin and savour it.

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  13. WOW the dish looks very nice.
    Becasse's cookbook really makes ppl to appreciate the natural ingredients.

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  14. Thanks Thomas - it is a fantastic cookbook.

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