Tempura oysters and tartare sauce

SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 30 MINS // COOK 30 MINS

“I like serving oysters with tartare sauce because it reminds me of fish and chips, which is what this dish is about,” says Kazuki.

14 freshly shucked oysters, shells reserved (see note) Vegetable oil, for deep-frying Rock salt, to serve TEMPURA BATTER

150 gm rice flour

50 gm cornflour, plus extra for dusting

1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce TARTARE SAUCE

150 gm mayonnaise or Japanese mayonnaise, such as Kewpie

50 gm pickled ginger, finely chopped

10 gm baby capers, finely chopped

1 golden shallot, finely chopped

1 baby cucumber, seeded, finely chopped

20 gm piece red capsicum, finely chopped

1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped

10 gm karashi mustard (see note)

1 tbsp each finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and chives

1 For tempura batter, place flours in a bowl and whisk to combine. Gradually whisk in 200ml chilled water and soy and refrigerate until ready to use.

2 For tartare sauce, combine all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. 3 For tempura oysters, heat oil in a large saucepan to 180°C. Working with six oysters at a time, dust with extra cornflour and shake off excess. Dip oysters in batter, shake off excess and deep-fry until lightly golden (3 minutes). Drain on paper towel, season to taste and place in cleaned, warmed oyster shells.

4 Once all oysters are cooked, serve on a bed of rock salt and top with a little tartare sauce.

Note Scrub oyster shells with dish brush, boil for 15 minutes in salted water, then drain, rinse and dry completely. Karashi mustard is available from Japanese and Asian grocers. If unavailable, substitute hot English mustard.