by Jamison Godfrey •
This superb table fish is readily available for mainland anglers to target quite freely.
For us in Tassie we have to wait for the warmer months. Unfortunately we didn’t see a lot of warm stuff this past summer with two Mt Wellington snowfalls through the summer period, but the weather was pretty crazy nationally!
So, firstly for the almond tarator, place the sliced bread into a mixing bowl and pour the milk over each slice and stack on top of one another for 30 minutes until it becomes soft.
Then place this into a food processor with the almonds, garlic and lemon juice. Turn the processor on and slowly add the olive oil until a white and reasonably stiff mixture is formed, add seasoning and remove for further use.
A tarator is usually thinner, almost soup consistency, but for this I like it a little thicker.
Peel and trim up the Dutch carrots, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and roast in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes.
Slice the eggplant into 5mm pieces, sprinkle with sea salt and leave for about 10 minutes, this removes moisture and bitterness from the eggplant. Now wash off the excess salt, pat dry and place on a baking tray lined with bakers sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 15 minutes until golden.
Cut truss tomatoes into four portions, season and splash with olive oil and bake in a moderate oven until skins begin to blister. Bring a small amount of water to the simmer; trim beans and blanche until bright green and crisp. Drain and place on the tray with the tomatoes to colour up slightly.
Cut 4x250g portions of yellowtail kingfish and with a sharp knife, score the skin and season. Place a little olive oil on each portion and bake in a moderate oven for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
To arrange on the plate, place a generous spoonful of tarator on the end of a rectangle plate and sit the kingfish fillet on top. Arrange the mixed vegetables at the other end, and you can sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds for garnish if you like.
Tuck in before it gets cold!
Ingredients (serves 4)
Almond tarator
3 slices of white bread with crusts removed
4 tablespoons milk
175g whole blanched almonds
3 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
120mls olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
4 x 250g kingfish fillets scored
1 eggplant
200g green beans
1 bunch of dutch carrots
1 vine of truss tomatoes (about 4 each)
Extra olive oil, sea salt and fresh milled pepper
Black and white sesame seeds (optional)
This recipe is from award winning chef Jamison Godfrey of the Drunken Admiral restaurant in Hobart, Tasmania. If you’re ever in Hobart we highly recommend visiting the Drunken Admiral and sampling their delicious menu of seasonal, local produce for yourself.
More info: www.drunkenadmiral.com.au
