SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Yellowfin whiting roasted in shio-koji butter with capers & sugar snap peas

Prep: 10 mins. Cooking: 6 mins. Serves 6.

6x 100-150g whole yellowfin whiting, cleaned (ask your fishmonger to do this for you)

100g shio-koji (available from riceculture.com.au)

200g salted butter, at room temperature ¼ cup capers

Juice of 3 lemons

500g sugar snap peas, trimmed

2 tbsp pickled shallots, finely chopped

Fennel fronds or dill, to garnish

1 Preheat oven to 270˚C (250˚C fan).

Line a large tray with baking paper, lay fish on tray.

2 Place shio-koji and butter in a bowl and beat until smooth. Reserve 2 tbsp shio-koji butter, then heat remaining in hot frypan until light golden. Pour ¼ brown butter over fish, place in oven and cook 6 mins or until skin bubbles and flesh slightly comes away from the bone.

3 Meanwhile, return frypan to heat and continue to brown butter to medium-brown colour. Add capers and lemon juice and reduce to honey consistency, swirling pan to ensure sauce doesn’t split.

4 In a separate frypan, brown reserved shio-koji butter over high heat. Add sugar snap peas and pickled shallots and season with salt. Cook for 30 secs or until peas are tender but still crunchy.

5 Remove fish from oven, pour sauce over, garnish with sugar snap peas and fennel fronds or dill. Serve immediately.

TIP Shio-koji is an amazingly versatile seasoning that can be used as a direct salt replacement. Recipe by Emma McCaskill thepotfoodandwine.com.au