The accidental paua salad

Paua with pickled onion and tomato. Photo / Supplied

Serves six

6 baby paua, sac and teeth removed

2 passionfruit, pulp reserved

1 tbsp palm or muscovado sugar

2 tbsp low-salt soy

1 lime, juiced

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

200ml light olive oil

12 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced

6 pickled onions, sliced

4 potatoes, peeled, diced and roasted


Open a snaplock bag, place the paua in the bag and flatten slightly with a cleaver or tenderiser.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together passionfruit, sugar, soy, lime juice, fish sauce and the olive oil. Marinate the paua in the dressing in the fridge for two hours.

Drain the dressing, reserve and pat dry the paua, then dip in rice flour.

Heat a saute pan with a little butter and saute the paua for 3 minutes, then slice thinly.

On a platter, lay the slices of tomatoes and pickled onions together, scatter the paua and potato over this layer, spoon over the dressing and garnish with watercress leaves.

Steamed paua, blood orange, beetroot & rhubarb

Serves four

4 baby paua, sac and teeth removed

¼ daikon radish (white radish), peeled and grated

8 baby beetroot, roasted with olive oil in tin foil

1 stick rhubarb, thinly sliced on a bias

½ tbsp caster sugar

2 blood oranges, segmented and juice saved

Handful flat leaf parsley, leaves torn

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp avocado or macadamia oil


In a steamer, place the paua on to a nest of grated radish then scatter over a little of the remaining radish and gently steam for 10 minutes. Remove, cool slightly then slice thinly.

Cut the beets into quarters, put in a bowl and gently toss with the rhubarb, sugar, the blood orange segments, juice and the parsley. Add the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, oil and paua, fold through the ingredients. Spoon into four dinner-sized pasta bowls, top with shavings of pecorino cheese.