SEAFOOD TAMALE

SALSA 5 pcs red tomatoes 1 pc white onion, quartered 3 pcs fresh jalapenos 2 pcs garlic cloves 2 tbsp olive oil 20g tinned chipotle chilli in adobo

5 cilantro stems

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Preheat your oven on the highest setting.

Coat the tomatoes, onion, jalapenos and garlic with olive oil. Place in the oven until the vegetables are nicely charred.

Mix the roasted vegetables, chipotle chilli and cilantro in a blender. Don’t close the lid entirely so that the jug will still have a gap for the hot air to expand. Blend until smooth and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. This salsa can be stored in the chiller for a few days.

TAMALE

4 pcs corn (shave the kernels and scrape the cobs) 175g water ½ pc white onion, coarsely chopped 1 tbsp honey 90g yellow cornmeal flour ½ tsp double acting baking powder

50g unsalted butter Fresh husks from the corn Salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD

Peel the corn and keep the husks intact for the tamale wrapper. Reserve the broken pieces as we will use this as a rope to tie the ends of each tamale. Wash everything in cold water and then drain.

To make the masa or maize dough, mix corn, water, onion, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. Pour the puree into a bowl. Add cornmeal, baking powder and melted butter while stirring until it firms up and reaches a consistency of slightly sticky, creamy peanut butter.

Pat dry the tamale husks. Lay two husks on a flat work surface with the wide ends overlapping by about 5cm. Spoon around 1/3 cup of the tamale filling onto its centre. Roll the husks around the filling to make a compact cylinder, folding in the sides as you roll. Tie both ends of the tamale with the husk strings so it resembles a wrapped candy. Repeat with the remaining husks.

Steam the tamales and make sure the water remains under the rack to avoid them from getting overly wet. For insurance, lay a few extra corn husks on the bottom to keep the tamales from falling through and prevent the water from directly touching them. Reduce heat into simmer and steam for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from steamer and let them cool down.

SALSA SUIZA

250g salsa roja 500g heavy cream 50g parmesan, grated Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Place the heavy cream on a sauce pan. Add the salsa roja.

Reduce until it reaches a sauce consistency. Season with salt and pepper, remove from fire, and sprinkle with grated parmesan.

SEAFOOD

12 pcs large tiger prawns, deveined and headless 12 pcs small scallops 1 pc white onion, cut into 2x2cm squares 1 pc red bell pepper, cut into 2x2cm squares 3 pcs fresh jalapenos, cut into 2x2cm squares 2 tbsp butter

Sour cream

Cilantro

Old Bay seasoning Salt to taste

METHOD

On low heat, slowly caramelise the onion and peppers. Season with salt and butter.

Sprinkle prawns and scallops with Old Bay seasoning. Sear them on a separate skillet, on high hear with a little bit of oil. Halfway, add the caramelised vegetables, then finish up with a spoonful of butter.

ASSEMBLY

Pour and cover the bottom of the serving plate with salsa suiza.

Place the tamale in the centre of the plate, together with the seafood.

Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro.

“Carbón’s Seafood Tamale is made of steamed Mexican corn cake, wrapped in corn husk and served with seared shrimp and scallops, creamy salsa suiza, and sour cream. Unwrapping the parcel feels like opening a present, something perfect to start a feast.”

Phillip Taylor

Executive chef of Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay

Taylor hails from Melbourne and this has influenced his outlook on cooking. His mastery in taking inspiration from global flavours and recreating them into dishes using the best local ingredients can be found at the resort’s restaurants, including Sundara. The latter, a Jimbaran’s beachfront dining institution, now features new meat and seafood dishes, slow-cooked to perfection with a smoking oven.

“Australia has some of the best lamb in the world. This one in particular is from Gippsland where pasture-raised lamb roam freely on the hillside, close to the beach, and eating grass that has been enriched with the natural salt from the sea. I’ve paired it with Italian and South American flavours which I believe is such an Australian thing to do.”