WAITANGI WEEKEND

I’m sure you’re taking advantage of the public holiday and making the Waitangi weekend a four-day one. Whether you’re headed to the beach or staying at home, Waitangi Day makes me think of cooking lots of seafood. Maybe you’ve caught it yourself, some generous friend has dropped it off or you’ve made the trek to the supermarket. I suggest you try the famous Giraffe Smoked Kahawai Butter served with crudites or some steamed mussels with butter, ginger and chipotle tabasco.

Smoked Kahawai and Turmeric Butter

Serves 6

Prep time: 10 minutes 250g unsalted butter, softened 250g smoked kahawai

2 tsp tumeric powder

2 tsp lemon juice

Zest of a lemon

2 tsp chopped curly parsley

Break up the smoked kahawai, making sure you remove all the bones. Place the fish in a food processor and process till the fish is as fine as you can get it.

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and blend till well combined and smooth.

Place on a serving dish and top with lemon zest curls and the chopped curly parsley.

Serve with ciabatta; we use the sensational Olaf’s Charcoal Ciabatta at Giraffe and crudities, for example; baby carrots, radish wedges and green beans.