Kingfish and prawn dumplings, saffron wakame broth

“Hosting Pinetrees at Lord Howe’s first Food & Wine week will be a great opportunity to talk to food lovers who come back to Pinetrees year after year for the great menu in its stunning location. Our workshops will highlight everything from making our stocks and sauces to demonstrating how best we fillet and cook our most popular Kingfish. Supporting our ‘Sea to Plate’ focus is our local fishermen who supply Pinetrees everyday with top quality kingfish from what is the world’s most southern coral reef ecosystem. We expect may of our guests that week will be out catching the fish themselves!” said Executive Chef Warren Farrugia.

While I haven’t been to Lord Howe Island myself, I have a soft spot for the island as my parents often enjoyed trips to Pinetrees together as a way to escape the pace of their busy lives, and as a way to reignite romance and their relationship.

Pinetrees Lodge on Lord Howe Island, 2 hours off the coast from Sydney Australia, is hosting the Island’s first Food and Wine Week, showcasing the island’s popular and one’s of Australia’s best table fish, Lord Howe Kingfish to food loving guests.

Each afternoon from Monday 25 July to Friday 29 July, Executive Chef Warren Farrugia and his chefs will host a 2 hour cooking workshop and demonstration. Warren’s knowledge of European and Asian cuisine is exceptional, and his blending of flavours and textures creates dishes that are relaxed, clean and fresh. Warren spent many years at the exclusive Gleneagles Resort in Scotland, where he refined his knowledge of classic European cuisine. He then worked for the 6 star luxury cruise line, Crystal Cruises, before returning to Australia and Lord Howe.

I’m really pleased that Chef Warren Farrugia has also agreed to share a recipe with our readers of Inside Cuisine. I hope you enjoy Kingfish and Prawn Dumplings in Saffron and Wakame Broth. Thanks Chef

Kingfish and prawn dumplings in saffron and wakame broth

INGREDIENTS

4 portions of fresh kingfish
12 king prawns, peeled
3 litres of good fish stock
2 brown onions
3 sticks celery
1 leek
3 tsp chopped garlic
3 tsp chopped ginger
1 red chilli
1 bunch coriander
1 bunch dill
2 stalks lemongrass
1 lime
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 lemon
1 lime
12 strands saffron
3 egg whites
1 tbsp dried wakame
2 tomatoes
1 tbsp fish roe
12 wonton wrappers
½ packet organic soba noodles
1 green zucchini
1 tbsp coconut cream
1 egg
1 tbsp cornflour

To make the broth:

Finely dice 50g of each of leek, celery and onion and reserve for the dumplings. Roughly chop the rest of the vegetables. Pick dill and coriander and keep leaves for garnish. Place dill stalks, coriander stalks, chopped vegetables, 2 tsp of ginger, 2 tsp of garlic, chilli, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves in a food processor and chop into small dice. Strain stock into a clean pot and combine with egg white mix. Place on a low heat and do not stir again. Allow the mixture to come up to a slow boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

To make the dumplings:

Peel and devein prawns and leave the tails on. In a frying pan, sauté diced vegetables, 1 tsp of garlic and 1 tsp of ginger until translucent. Deglaze pot with 100 ml of stock and reduce until all the stock has evaporated. In a food processor, place prawn meat, 1 tbsp coconut cream, lemon juice and zest, lime juice and zest, egg, salt and pepper and blitz to form a paste and fold through with vegetables, coriander and dill. Mix cornflour and water to make a paste. Lay wonton wrappers on a floured bench and brush around the edges with cornflour paste. Place one tbsp of the mixture on one corner of the wrapper and a prawn tail at the top of the wrapper, fold and seal, brush bottom corner and seal together. Place dumpling on a floured tray and repeat with the rest of the wrappers. Strain fish stock into a clean pan, add saffron and reduce until you have 500 ml of broth.

To assemble the dish:

Thinly slice zucchini in noodle lengths. In a pot of boiling salted water, blanch zucchini, soba noodles and wontons. Pan fry kingfish in olive oil and butter and finish in the oven until just cooked through. Place a nest of noodles and zucchini in the centre of the bowl. Add wakame and diced tomato around the plate. Place dumplings around the noodles, add hot broth and place fish on the noodles. Garnish with fish roe, fresh dill and coriander.