Kingfish Sashimi with Mandarin Sauce & Dill Oil

Serves 4

Time 30 minutes plus refrigeration

Ingredients

400g sashimi-grade kingfish fillet, skinned and pin-boned

2 mandarins, segmented (reserve juice)

½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced

100ml white wine vinegar

50g caster sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 bunch dill (reserve 2 tbsp chopped dill leaves for garnish)

150ml olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Begin by preparing the pickled fennel. Combine the vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon of sea salt and a crack of black pepper in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and pour over the sliced fennel in a heatproof bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

To make the mandarin sauce, juice one of the mandarins and place the juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and reduce to a syrupy consistency, about one quarter of its original volume. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Segment the second mandarin, removing any membrane, and set aside for serving.

For the dill oil, roughly chop the dill (reserving 2 tablespoons of leaves for garnish) and place in a blender with the olive oil. Blend on high speed until the oil turns bright green and smooth. Pass through a fine sieve or muslin cloth into a small bowl and set aside.

When ready to serve, thinly slice the kingfish across the grain into 3–4 mm thick slices and arrange them evenly across four chilled plates. Drizzle lightly with the mandarin reduction, followed by a few drops of dill oil. Top with a small handful of the pickled fennel and a few mandarin segments.

Finish each plate with a scatter of chopped dill, a pinch of sea salt and a grind of black pepper. Serve immediately.