Agadashi Style John Dory with Green Tea Noodles

Serves 4

2 green onions, chopped

1 long green chilli, seeds removed and

chopped

¼ cup coriander leaves

¼ cup sesame oil

Vegetable oil, to shallow fry

2 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise

150ml iced cold water

100g plain flour sifted, plus extra to dust 4 x John Dory fillets, cut into three 240g green tea noodles, cooked

¼ cup finely grated daikon

Green onion oil

Purple shiso, to serve

Bonito flakes, to serve

AGADASHI SAUCE

⅓ cup mirin

¼ cup soy sauce 1 tbsp dashi powder

To make the agadashi sauce mix the mirin, soy, dashi powder and 1½ cups water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and keep warm.

To make green onion oil, place the green onion, chilli, coriander, sesame oil and ¼ cup of water in a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Season and set aside.

Fill a medium saucepan or wok three-quarters full with vegetable oil. Place over medium heat until it reaches 180°C on a deep-frying thermometer.

Mix the mayonnaise and iced water together using chopsticks in a medium bowl until combined. Place the flour in a separate bowl, add the mayonnaise and water mixture and mix with the chopsticks until just combined. Dust the fish in flour. Working in batches dip the fish into the batter and lower into the oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden and fish is cooked. Drain on absorbent paper. Repeat with remaining fish.

To serve, divide noodles and agadashi broth between 4 shallow bowls. Top with fish and serve with daikon, green onion oil, shiso and bonito flakes.

COOK’S TIP

Using chopsticks to mix the tempura batter ensures a light batter. If you make your batter ahead of time, keep it refrigerated until ready.

fish are more golden-yellow with green lines. The large black/brown spot ringed by gold or sometimes green is prominently positioned on each side of the fish. This eye is thought to act as a deterrent to carnivorous predators.

There are no scales to note, just microscales that feature in a striped pattern at the very bottom of the fish.

WHERE TO FIND THEM

John Dory are found in warm coastal waters all over the world. While mostly found in the north-east of New Zealand, and the western and southern shores of Australia, they are also plentiful around coastal Japan, South Africa, the Mediterranean and other Atlantic shores. The fish is farmed in the Mediterranean and is grown to about 1.5kg in size for regular supply.

They are solitary fish and very unlikely to swim in large groups. They hang out on sandy bottoms, reefs and mud bottoms in as little as one metre and up to 150 metres of water.

They aren’t very good swimmers, due to their flat shape and large skeleton, which is an indication of why they hang out near coastal areas. They are more likely to inhabit the same areas as snapper and kingfish, which like to swim in schools together.

SEASON AND AVAILABILITY

The joy of John Dory is they are available all year round, although they spawn in summer, so there are some restrictions on taking large reproductive females. They grow rapidly – a small baby fish will look similar to an adult, and females are distinctly larger than the males at the same age. They reach maturity in three to four years with a probable life span of seven to nine years.

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

The John Dory’s thin profile front-on helps it sneak up on prey. Its large eyes at the front of its head give it exceptional bifocal vision, helpful in sizing up the whereabouts of the next meal. They are voracious predators, devouring small fish like mackerel, sardines, mussels and squid as they swim with their large telescoping mouth and extended jaw. They will often wait for a struggling fish to come along and so are often caught as a by-catch fish by recreational fishermen using live bait.

SUSTAINABILITY

John Dory is caught in mixed species trawls with snapper and tarakihi or by Danish seine trapping methods. The Australian and NZ stocks of John Dory are monitored by the Ministry of Fisheries in both countries using commercial catch rates and, in some areas, trawl surveys. In some areas, John Dory has fluctuated in availability. Cyclical patterns in abundance are evident in some regions, and as they only reproduce at three to four years old. The nontaking of females is recommended for sustainability.

REDUCE WASTE TIP

The skin on John Dory has minute microscales, but it appears like there are no scales at all. This means that John Dory is ideal for cooking whole and frying until the skin is crispy. The skin is rich in the essential omega-3 fatty chain nutrients essential for growth and repair. The frames and heads with gills removed can be used to make fish stock as a flavourful base for soups, risotto, chowder and sauces. Add herbs like bay leaf and thyme, and chopped vegetables like carrots, onions, leeks and celery.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING

John Dory can be sold as whole fish, freshly filleted or as frozen fillets. The fillets are often removed from the large skeleton frame to preserve the quality of the flesh.

When buying fresh John Dory fillets, check the flesh is glossy and semi-transparent. If it looks sticky or grey then it is not fresh.

When buying whole fish, look for lustrous, luminous, tight skin, shiny dark eyes and the whole fish should have a pleasant, fresh sea smell. John Dory is often falsely marketed to cash in on the popularity of the fish, so check that the skin of whole fish has a black ‘eye’ as an authenticity mark.

HOW TO STORE

Make sure a whole fish is gutted and cleaned thoroughly before storing on ice, and use quickly. Wrap whole fish and fillets in paper or place in an airtight container if storing in a fridge for up to two days. Refrigerate fillets for up to 3 days. Freeze whole fish for up to 6 months, and fillets for up to 3 months, below -18°C.

HOW TO COOK

John Dory is a delicate, mildly sweet flavoured fish. It has low oiliness with firm, dense, white fillets that are not too large, and often the perfect size for pan frying. The fresh fillet can be grilled or chargrilled quickly and also suits most methods of cooking. Avoid over cooking or baking as the flesh will dry out quickly. The fillets can be cooked frozen or semi-frozen to retain moisture and succulence.