Name: Roasted hapuku with crushed peas and garlic
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 200 ml clarified butter (see note); 1.2 kg piece of hapuku fillet, cut into 6 portions, skin on and pin boned; Crushed peas; 100 gm butter; 600 gm podded peas (about 1kg unpodded); 200 ml fish stock; 6 cloves roasted garlic (see note)

Ingredients

200 ml clarified butter (see note)

1.2 kg piece of hapuku fillet, cut into 6 portions, skin on and pin boned

Crushed peas

100 gm butter

600 gm podded peas (about 1kg unpodded)

200 ml fish stock

6 cloves roasted garlic (see note)

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 200C. Heat clarified butter in a cast-iron frying pan over high heat until a heat haze appears. Add hapuku skin-side down and cook, pressing down with fingers for the first 30 seconds, for 2 minutes, then roast in oven for 6-7 minutes or until almost cooked. Remove from oven and rest for 3 minutes to finish cooking.

2.For crushed peas, melt butter in a saucepan, add peas and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until peas change colour. Add fish stock and roasted garlic, bring to the boil, then remove pan from heat. Using a hand-held blender or food processor, pulse peas until coarsely crushed and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3.To serve, spoon peas onto plates, top with hapuku, sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately.

Note For clarified butter, melt cold cubed butter, pour into a jug, stand, skim surface, then pour off clear butter and reserve, discarding the milk fat – 250gm of butter will make about 200gm of clarified butter. For roasted garlic, wrap a head of garlic in aluminium foil and roast at 200C for 30 minutes or until tender. When cool, squeeze garlic from skins. Store unused garlic under a layer of oil in a jar for up to 2 weeks.
Drink Suggestion: Barrel-aged semillon sauvignon blanc.
Notes