Underwater Skindivers and Fisherman's Association

Recipe thanks to Chef Jai Gibbons

Ingredients

• 1 red rock cod, filleted and diced
• 2 rashers of bacon diced
• 1-2 tablespoons of fermented chilli bean paste
• 1 knob of ginger finely grated
• 1 tin water chestnuts, quartered
• 1 bunch shallots cut into 1 inch batons
• 1 bunch of coriander
• 100g firm tofu cut into 2cm x 1cm chunks
• 2 sticks of celery sliced into half moons
• 100g flour
• 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
• Salt
• White pepper
• 30ml Shaoxing wine
• 150mls veg oil
• Jasmine rice
• abalone (optional) and if you can find one

Method

Fish / veg

Heat a wok to a high heat with 120mls of veg oil. Mix diced fish with flour and shake excess off, quickly fry in the hot oil in batches until golden and 50% cooked. Remove from wok and let it drain on paper towel. Remove most of the oil from the wok and quickly cook celery, water chestnuts and shallots for a few minutes while tossing on a high heat. You want them to have just started to cook but still be crunchy. Remove from the wok and set aside in a bowl.

Abalone

Give your abalone a wash and a bit of a scrub/rub to remove any dirt or sand. Put a heavy based pan on the lowest your burner/stovetop can go and add a tiny bit of oil place the whole abalone in flesh side down and let it cook for between 20-30 minutes. It should only lightly colour. Turn the heat off and let the abalone rest and relax. Remove the abalone from the shell and remove the guts. Cut the abalone into 3mm batons.

Stir fry

Heat the wok to a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil, add diced bacon and cook until the fat has rendered, add the ginger and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the Shaoxing wine and reduce by half. Add the fermented chilli paste and cook out for a few minutes add a pinch of white pepper. Then add about 40mls of water to the sauce and stir until combined. add the fish back to the wok, toss the fish to coat with the sauce then add the vegetables and abalone(optional) back in and toss until the sauce coats everything and it is nice and hot. Garnish with coriander and sesame seeds and serve with some steamed jasmine rice.

Thanks Chef Jai Gibbons

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized blue morwong, scaled, filleted skin on, pin boned.
• 80g butter unsalted
• 2 heads of fennel
• 1 small lemon (zested and kept for fennel)
• 1/2 bunch of chives finely sliced
• 30ml olive oil
• 50ml white wine (optional)
• 30ml veg oil
• Fennel seeds
• Tablespoon of flour.
• salt

Method

Fennel

Cut each head of fennel in half length ways and each half into 3 wedges and lay them in a baking dish, add white wine, olive oil, salt, lemon zest and fennel seeds over the top of the fennel. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes on 180c. Remove the foil and continue to bake them until coloured on top and the fennel is tender.

Fish sauce

Preheat a heavy based pan or cast iron pan to a high heat. Lightly season your portions of blue morwong with salt and coat the skin with flour, dust off any excess flour and add the veg oil to the pan. Place the morwong skin side down into the pan and apply a light pressure on the back of the fish with a fish flip/spatula. Reduce the heat to a medium heat and continue to cook until the skin becomes golden and the fish is about 70% cooked. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and the flip the fish and baste with the butter until the skin looks delicious and crisp. Remove the fish from the pan and place on your serving dish or plate.

Add the remaining butter to the pan and cook until the butter is foaming and just starting to colour. Squeeze the lemon juice into the butter and remove from the heat. Add the chives and about 30-50mls of water to the pan and swirl the pan until the sauce thickens slightly.

Spoon the sauce onto the plate with the fish but not over the skin as it will make it less crisp.

Serve with the roasted fennel and a light salad. Rocket would go nicely.

Thanks Chef Jai Gibbons

Ingredients-

4 medium sized leatherjackets cut into strips and put onto skewers

For marinade

• 1 tablespoon Sunflower Oil
• 1 Garlic Clove (crushed)
• 1 Long Red Chillies (chopped)
• 1 tsp White Pepper (ground)
• 1 tablespoon Ground Coriander Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Shrimp Paste or fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Kecap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)

For sauce

• 1 tablespoon Peanut Oil
• 1 Garlic Clove (crushed)
• 1 Asian Eschalot (red, finely chopped)
• 2 Small Red Chillies (thinly sliced)
• ¼ cup Smooth Peanut Butter
• ½ cup Light Coconut Milk
• 2 tablespoons Kecap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
• 50g Unsalted Roasted Peanuts (crushed)½ Lime

Marinade Method

Heat all ingredients in the marinade list, in a wok or small pot for about 5-8 minutes on a medium heat until fragrant and slightly thick, remove from the wok or pot. Let cool and coat the leatherjacket skewers with marinade.

Spicy peanut sauce-

for the spicy peanut dipping sauce, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, eschalot and chilli, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add peanut butter, coconut milk, kecap manis, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until the ingredients are combined. Add crushed peanuts, lime juice and 1/4 cup (125ml) water, then return to a simmer and cook for a further 2 minutes until reduced slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Grill skewers of leatherjacket, serve with spicy peanut sauce over the top or as a dipping sauce, serve with steamed jasmine rice and Asian greens.