ROASTED HĀPUKU WITH SWEETCORN SUCCOTASH
SERVES 4 / PREPARATION TIME 25 MINUTES / COOKING TIME 25 MINUTES
Troy Smith from Immersion Fishing is a man on a mission. He uses Dutch hand lines to fish in the Cook Strait for hāpuku, which is always of the most immaculate quality and a joy to use. The deceptively simple sweetcorn succotash is rich, fresh and vibrant, the perfect accompaniment for a beautiful piece of thoughtfully harvested hāpuku.
SUCCOTASH
50g butter
50ml olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 pinch pepper
2 stalks celery, finely diced
½ leek, finely diced
2 stalks thyme
70g crème fraîche
100ml free-range chicken or vegetable stock
2 ears fresh sweetcorn, peeled, kernels removed with a knife 100g broad beans
1 handful of garden herbs, chopped (eg tarragon,
flat-leafed parsley, chives) zest and juice of 1 lemon
Place the butter and oil in a saucepan on a medium heat. Once the butter begins to foam add the shallots and garlic stirring for 2 minutes until very lightly caramelised. Add the salt, pepper, celery, leek and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the crème fraiche and stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sweetcorn, broad beans, herbs, lemon zest and juice, stir and remove from the heat. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if required. Put in a serving dish and keep warm while the hāpuku roasts.
4 x 120g pieces of hāpuku fillet (see note) 10g Marlborough flaky sea salt olive oil for brushing
60ml grapeseed oil
50g butter
2 sprigs thyme
Remove the hāpuku from the fridge at least 20 minutes before cooking. Season with salt and brush with olive oil. Heat a heavy-based pan to medium, add the grapeseed oil and when it starts to give off a heat haze place the hāpuku in the pan. Cook without moving or turning for 3 minutes (if it is a super-thick fillet add 30 seconds per side). Turn gently, add the butter and thyme, cook for 2 minutes while constantly spooning the butter from the pan back over the fish. Remove the hāpuku from the pan and onto a serving dish. Rest for 5 minutes and then serve with the succotash.
NOTE If you have leftover hāpuku trimmings don’t discard them. You can smoke or roast them, then once cooked break up and mix with a little crème fraîche, mayonnaise, lemon zest, salt, pepper and herbs. Chill and use as a dip for crudité vegetables or chips.