Kingfish sashimi, Persian feta, ginger and shallot

You can use any good quality fish for this canapé.

• serves

  10 or more

• cook

  1 hour

Ingredients

200g good quality kingfish

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

50g Persian feta

Dressing

50g ginger

100ml sugar syrup (see below)

50ml vinegar

1 shallot, peeled and finely diced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

splash extra-virgin olive oil

Sugar syrup

500g white sugar

500ml (2 cups) cold water

Instructions

For the sugar syrup, put sugar and water in a saucepan and boil until sugar dissolves. Makes about 1 litre. Sugar syrup lasts for a long time and is handy to have made up. Store in a sterilised jar in the refrigerator.

For the dressing, peel and slice ginger very thinly with a sharp knife (or mandolin if you have one). Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes and refresh in cold water three times. Heat sugar syrup and vinegar together and pour over blanched ginger. Let cool, place in fridge for at least a couple of hours for flavours to develop.

To serve, dice ginger as fine as you can (retaining pickling liquor), mix with shallot and soy sauce, olive oil and a splash of pickling liquor. Slice kingfish thinly with a sharp filleting knife, season and drizzle with ginger and shallot dressing. Twist the kingfish into the shape of a rose and serve on Chinese spoons, lavosh bread or another type of biscuit. Finish with crumbled Persian feta.

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.