Pan-fried kahawai with pickled heirloom peppers and red onions

Aaron Stott, owner and chef of Tinakori Bistro in Wellington, created this pan-fried kahawai dish for Seafood New Zealand's bestfishguide which covers everything from sustainable fish to cooking lesser used varieties found in New Zealand waters.

For the kahawai

1 fillet	Kahawai, approx. 150-200g per person, skin on (Main)
½ tsp	Salt, per fillet
1 tsp	Sugar, per fillet
1 scoop	Tapioca flour, to dredge fish
1 dash	Shallot oil, for frying (see note below)

For the pickled sushi-zu base

250 ml	Rice vinegar
2 Tbsp	Sugar
2 tsp	Salt
10 g	Kombu, Japanese kelp (Main)
3	Heirloom peppers, finely sliced in rings (Main)
1	Red onion, finely sliced in rings
1	Red chilli, finely sliced

For the garnish

1 serving	Microgreens, optional
1 serving	Smoked mussels
1 dash	Extra virgin olive oil
1 sprinkle	Black sesame seeds

Directions

1. Rub the kahawai with the dry brine — ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar per fillet. Cover and refrigerate the fish for a few hours, preferably overnight.
2. Bring the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and kombu to a boil and let cool. Add the sliced peppers, onion and chilli to this pickling base and refrigerate.
3. Score the kahawai skin in a criss-cross pattern. Dredge the fillets in tapioca flour. Heat shallot oil in a pan and fry the fillets, skin side down on medium heat. Flip over and cook until done.
4. Arrange the fillet on a plate, top with pickled peppers and onion, microgreens and a couple of chopped, smoked mussels. Drizzle the lot with good extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle over black sesame seeds.

Note:You can make your own shallot oil by frying shallots in any bland, flavourless oil (like soybean oil). Remove the shallots after frying and reserve the oil, which can be used to add a smoky onion flavour to many preparations.