Serves 2
For the kingfish
• 1 kingfish belly, skin on, or another firm-fleshed, oily fish such as tuna, marlin, mahi mahi or mackerel belly
• 1 tbsp Aji amarillo smoked chili (available at Nosh Food Market)
• 5 tbsp sushi vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp grapeseed oil
• A few grinds of black pepper
For the cucumber and grapefruit salad
• 1 cucumber, split in half lengthways, seeds removed and discarded, flesh sliced into bite-sized chunks
• sea salt
• 1 cup sushi vinegar
• 1 ruby pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented
• ⅛ red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 pinches sea salt
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
• ½ mild red chilli, diced
• Fresh coriander
1. Combine the smoked chilli, sushi vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, lemon juice, grapeseed oil and a little freshly cracked black pepper to form a wet marinade. Pour the marinade over the kingfish and set aside.
2. For the salad, cover the cucumber with sea salt, toss together and allow to stand for about 10 minutes. The salt will draw the water out from the cucumber and soften it. Wash the salt off with cold running water and drain. Pour the sushi vinegar over the softened cucumber, add the grapefruit segments, cabbage, sea salt, sesame seeds, chili and coriander and combine gently.
