Lindsey Schwab’s Smoked Macadamia-Crust Blue-Eye Cod
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
This delicious dish, served on a bed of Israeli couscous, broad beans and olives with tomato essence, was awarded the People’s Choice prize at the Mid North Coast Signature Dish competition last Friday in Port Macquarie, NSW. You will need to prepare the tomato essence the night before.
Ingredients
- blue-eye cod 4 x 150g pieces
- blue-eye cod fish off-cuts 100g, boneless
- silken tofu 50g
- smoked macadamias 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup, lightly crushed with a rolling pin
- red onion 1, peeled and finely chopped
- garlic 4 cloves, crushed
- olive oil 2 tablepoons
- Israeli couscous 200g
- water or vegetable stock to cover
- broad beans 300g
- black olives 100g
- radicchio leaves 4
- Herbs chives and flat leaf parsley
- very ripe tomatoes 3
- fresh basil 1/2 bunch, leaves only
- garlic 3 cloves, peeled
- red chilies 2
- red onion 1, peeled and chopped
- cherry tomatoes halved, for garnish
Serves 4 Place the fish off-cuts in a food processor or blender, add the silken tofu and blend to a mousse. Season to taste. Spread a thick layer of the mousse on each piece of the blue-eye cod, then press the nuts on, enough to cover the mousse. For the Couscous Salad: Sweat the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the Israeli couscous then add some water or vegetable stock to cover. Simmer until cooked adding more liquid as needed. The couscous will absorb all the liquid leaving it like a risotto consistency. When cooked pour the couscous onto a tray and cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to cool. Cut the ‘cheeks’ off the olives, blanch and pod broad beans, finely slice radicchio, chop chives and parsley. For the Tomato Essence: Wash and chop the tomatoes and mix with basil leaves, garlic, chilli and red onion. Blend in food processor then put in a fine mesh strainer and leave overnight. DO NOT PUSH the mix through the strainer. You should be left with a clear liquid. Season to taste. To Assemble: Heat a pan over medium heat. Place fish, nut side down and cook till the nuts start to brown a little, turn over then finish in a hot oven. Mix the salad ingredients together with a little olive oil. Place a generous spoonful of the salad in a bowl. You can gently heat the tomato essence if you want but it’s also nice at room temperature. Pour the essence around the salad. Place cooked fish on top of salad. Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes. Note: Lindsey Schwab is owner/chef of Fusion 7 restaurant in Port Macquarie. You’ll find smoked macadamias here.