Ingredients
| FOR THE PICKLE & SALAD | |
| 1 teaspoon coriander seeds | |
| 2 teaspoons pink peppercorns | |
| 125ml (½ cup) white wine or apple cider vinegar | |
| 3 tablespoons sugar | |
| 3 stems rhubarb | |
| ½ small red onion, thinly sliced | |
| 1 bulb fennel | |
| ½ lemon | |
| 4 radishes | |
| FOR THE FISH | |
| 2 teaspoons coriander seeds | |
| 1 teaspoon cumin seeds | |
| 1 whole clove | |
| ¼ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika | |
| ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional) | |
| a pinch freshly grated nutmeg | |
| 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt | |
| 400g oily fish such as salmon, kahawai, trevally | |
| TO ASSEMBLE | |
| 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard | |
| 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil | |
| a handful pea tendrils or other micro greens | |
| 3 tablespoons pistachios or toasted pinenuts |
Rhubarb is good for savoury uses and makes an excellent pickle. It’s a natural partner for fish – I used salmon to play up the pink colours of the salad but any oily fish would be perfect.
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Instructions
| 1. | PICKLE & SALAD |
| 2. | In a small saucepan, dry toast the coriander and pink peppercorns until fragrant then add the vinegar, sugar and 125ml water to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes then turn off the heat. |
| 3. | Wash the rhubarb and trim the ends, then use a mandolin or peeler to cut into long thin strips (alternatively you could cut it into thin slices on the diagonal). |
| 4. | Add to the hot pickling liquid in the pan along with the red onion, and set aside to cool completely, stirring the mix occasionally. It can be done ahead and put into the fridge. |
| 5. | Trim the outer leaves from the fennel and set aside the fronds. |
| 6. | Roughly squeeze the lemon and put the juice and the lemon half into a bowl of iced water. |
| 7. | Thinly slice the fennel bulb and radishes and put into the iced water – if the radish leaves are nice, shred them and add to the water, too. |
| 8. | Set aside for 10-15 minutes until crisp. |
| 9. | FISH |
| 10. | In a frying pan, dry toast the coriander, cumin and clove. |
| 11. | Allow to cool then grind finely. Mix with the remaining spices and salt. |
| 12. | If made ahead, keep in an airtight jar. Heat the oven to 200°C. |
| 13. | Dust the fish with the spices and put onto a tray lined with baking paper. |
| 14. | Bake for 10 minutes for just-cooked fish; if you prefer it well cooked then add an extra 5 minutes cooking time. Set aside to cool. |
| 15. | TO ASSEMBLE |
| 16. | Make the salad dressing by whisking 2 tablespoons of the pickle liquid with the mustard and olive oil then season with salt and pepper. |
| 17. | Drain the vegetables, discarding the lemon, and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Put into a bowl with the dressing. |
| 18. | Add the pickled rhubarb and most of the pea tendrils and toss together. |
| 19. | Put onto a serving platter, break up the fish into chunks and place on top of the salad. |
| 20. | Scatter with the remaining pea tendrils, chopped fennel fronds and scatter over the nuts. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Crowe