This dish is inspired by a pretty dish I saw at Great British Chefs, with a few elements replaced. Marlin has a very firm white flesh and is a popular dish served cold smoked in Mauritius or as sashimi in Japan. I wanted to experiment by curing the flesh.
Ingredients
Gin Cured Marlin
- 1 marlin fish steak
- 30g salt
- 30g sugar
- 1 tbsp gin*
- zest of half a lemon
Smoked Creme Fraiche
- 100g creme fraiche
- 1/2 shallot finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp lime zest
- salt
Pickled French Radish
- 2 French radish finely sliced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/6 cup rice vinegar
- 2/3 tbsp sugar
- 2/3 tbsp salt
Garnish
- pinch of sumac
- sorrel leaves
Serve With
- 2 thin slices of sour dough toasted with olive oil in a pan
* I used Patient Wolf gin which has a citrus, floral and earthy notes which I love. You can use any gin you love.
Method
1. To cure the malin fish steak, mix the salt, sugar, lemon zest and gin in a bowl, coat the marlin fish steak well on all side. Leave it in the fridge to cure from 30 minutes to up to 24hrs. The longer you cure it, the firmer the flesh becomes. I cured mine over 24 hours for a firmer texture.
2. Make the pickling mixture by combining the water, vinegar, salt and sugar in a bowl and mix until fully dissolved. Add the thinly sliced radish and let it pickle for 30 minutes.
3. Smoke the creme fraiche with a smoking gun using applewood chips. In the meantime, mix the lime juice with finely chopped shallot and let it soften in acid over the next 30 minutes. When ready, mix the shallot lime mixture and lime zest with the smoked creme fraiche, season to taste.
4. Assemble by thinly sliced the marlin fish fillet, lay it in the middle of the plate. Top with the smoked creme fraiche, pickled radish and garnish with sumac and sorrel leaves. Enjoy with toasted sour dough slices.
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