VCC33: Rum & Pepper Painted Halibut

Recipe By Darren Mitchell

Rum & Pepper Painted Halibut
Ahi Tuna and Dungeness Crab Roll
Potato Crisp, Julienne Slaw
Roasted Red Pepper & Coconut Milk Cream
Wasabi Sesame Tuile

Yield: 4 portions

160 g Fresh Albion Halibut
250 g Fresh Albion Ahi Tuna
100 g Fresh or frozen Dungeness Crab
1 Russet potato
20 g Parmesan cheese
100 ml Clarified Butter ( or oil)
1 lemon
TT Fresh ground black pepper and fleur de sel( sea salt)
1 large red bell pepper( roasted, skin removed)
100 ml Canned coconut milk
1 Avocado ( ripe)
Pinch Tabiko Caviar
50 g each Fine Julienne of carrot, zucchini, Snow peas
red and yellow bell Peppers and leeks
Pinch Black and white sesame seeds, pink peppercorn
1 Rum and Pepper Paint ( recipe to follow)

Start by making the pepper paint recipe,
Potato crisp: On a mandolin, cut the potato very thin using the fine julienne attachment, in a bowl, mix with 30 ml of the clarified butter, parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan with a little clarified butter and add a small amount of the potato mixture at a time. Form them into circles while cooking using a heat resistant spatula. Cook till lightly brown, then place on a napkin to dry.
Julienne slaw: After slicing all the vegetables mix with a little rum and pepper paint and set aside.

Tuna and crab roll: In a bowl mix the crab meat with salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Slice the tuna very thin and lay side by side, overlapping each other on a piece of saran wrap (roll it out with a rolling pin if to thick). Place the crab meat in a log shape along the tuna, then roll it up in the saran wrap (make sure it is as tight as possible). Cut 12 equal slices about ½ inch thick, then remove the saran wrap. Place moist paper towel over the tuna till you serve it. Cut little squares with any left over pieces for plate garnish.

Halibut:Slice the Halibut into four equal pieces. Heat sauté pan up with 20 ml of clarified butter and sear the halibut (presentation side down first) till they are nicely browned on both sides. Remove the fish from the pan and glaze them with the pepper paint and set aside.

Coconut Milk Cream:In a sauce pot heat up the coconut milk, roasted red peppers and a pinch of salt. After it is hot, blend it using a hand blender. Strain (Do this right before plating).

Plate Up:Using a pastry brush, dip it into the pepper paint and draw a design on the plate as you would like. Place 3 crab rolls in a small circle. Put two tbsp of slaw in the circle and top with a potato crisp. On top of that place the Halibut. Spoon some of the foam around the dish. Using the square pieces of tuna, lay them around the plate. Garnish with avocado slices, chervil and tabiko or as you please. Enjoy!

Rum and Pepper Paint
Yield:200 ml

100 g brown sugar
150 ml Soy Sauce
150 ml water
50 g scraps from leeks
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
50 ml Jamaican spiced rum
1 fresh squeezed lemon juice

Place the first five ingredients in a sauce pot and boil until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Then add the rum( be careful).
Taste if lemon juice or salt and pepper is needed. Sauce should have quite a strong flavour. Strain, cool and set aside. Last up to 4 four months properly stored in your refrigerator.

VCC: VCC Q1-2006