Fiordland venison, nettles, quail yolk

This dish emphasises what wild and foraged Central Otago produce is all about in spring. We use wild venison from Fiordland and we forage the watercress, nettles and Miner’s cress from around Queenstown. The nettles are fermented to provide complexity to the tartar. We also deep fry them to add a textural component. Pea shoot tips and radish flowers are harvested from the vegetable garden and used to garnish.

320g venison fillet, diced into

4mm cubes

22g fermented nettles, finely chopped

(see below)

4 pickled quail yolks

32 Miner’s cress tips

32 pea shoot tips white radish flowers

40ml extra virgin olive oil

Fermented nettles 2kg nettles table salt

Nettle crisps 500ml rice bran oil 32 nettle leaves sea salt

Method

In a small mixing bowl, combine the diced venison and the chopped fermented nettles.

Using a large ring mould, form the tartar into a circle in the centre of each plate. Garnish the tartar with the assorted greens, flowers and nettle crisps. Drizzle the inside of the circle with the extra virgin olive oil and place a pickled quail yolk in the centre.

Fermented nettles

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Quickly blanch the nettles, then refresh in an icewater bath. Place the nettles in a sanitised fermenting jar and cover with cold water. Weigh the nettles and water together and work out 2% of the total weight. Weigh out that 2% weight in table salt. Strain the water off the nettles and dissolve the salt in the water. Place the nettles back in the jar and cover with the brine. Place a fermentation weight on top of the nettles and place a lid on the jar. Leave in a warm place for up to 2 weeks and then refrigerate.

Nettle crisps

Place the rice bran oil in a mediumsized saucepot. Over medium heat, bring the oil to 180degC. Line a tray with paper towels. Once the oil has reached 180degC, fry the nettle leaves for approximately 30 seconds or until crispy. Quickly remove and place on the paper towels to drain. Season with sea salt.