Beetroot-marinated kingfish carpaccio

Chef Nathan Morphett and Franceso Ravanelli from Melbourne’s Il Solito Posto share their recipe for beetroot-marinated kingfish carpaccio. Although it takes a day to prepare, this seasonal Italian recipe is well worth the time. It's inspired by the southern coastal food of Italy with the addition of insalata di finocchi (fennel salad) – a very typical side dish from Sicily.

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 3 large beetroots (whole)
• rock salt
• thyme
• garlic cloves
• 1 kg sushi grade side of kingfish
• 300 g cucumber
• 3 baby golden beetroots

Cure mix

• 200 g sugar
• 100 g sea salt flakes
• 3 oranges, juiced and zested
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 2 garlic cloves
• fresh herbs, to serve (e.g. dill, cervil, parsley and thyme)

Resting  time 12 hours

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place the whole beetroot on a tray of rock salt mixed with thyme and garlic cloves. Bake for 3 hours. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, peel the beetroot and place in the jug of a blender or food processor. Process until smooth.

 

To prepare the cure mix, combine all the ingredients, plus the pureed beetroot, in a bowl. Drizzle this over the kingfish before it has been pinned and boned. Rub the mixture into the kingfish very well. Transfer to a tray, skin-side down, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for 12 hours.

Meanwhile, pickle the cucumbers, peeling them first and then cutting them lengthwise with a peeler. Remove the seeds and place the cucumber in a bowl. Add lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Set aside in the liquid to soften.

Boil the baby golden beetroot in water for about 40 minutes or until tender in the middle. Refresh under iced water and peel.

Wash and dry the cured kingfish. Place on a chopping board and thinly slice. Transfer to a plate and lightly season with salt and olive oil.

Garnish with fresh herbs, pickled cucumber and boiled beetroot. Drizzle with olive oil to serve.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.