South Australian chef and ethical food advocate Simon Bryant is a supporter of the continued sustainable Coorong mullet fishery and shares his recipe for smoking the fillets on the barbecue over native knobby club rush reeds “sort of a la nicoise”.
Bryant will be taking part in a Planet Talks sustainability workshop at WOMADelaide this weekend (details below).
Coorong yellow-eye mullet ‘sort of a la nicoise’
Ingredients
4 MSC Coorong yellow-eye mullet butterfly fillets
Splash of Australian extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt flakes and cracked pepper
2 inch bunch of knobby club rush reeds (you can buy a plant and grow these yourself or contact Outback Pride bush food supplier for a pack ready to go)
4 free-range eggs (talk to me about real “free”)
Big handful green beans
Cup of heirloom cherry tomatoes, mixed up varieties
¼ cup Koroneiki olive oil
8 caper berries (The Australian Caper Company)
A few sprigs basil
120 ml Australian extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Murray salt flakes
1 tablespoon desert limes (see Outback Pride link above)
Big pinch cracked organic shade grown black pepper
Simon Bryant. Photo: David Finnegan
Method
Boil eggs from cold. When they reach a simmer, give them 3 minutes. Refresh in iced water. Peel then gently split in half.
Blanch beans in salted boiling water for 5 or so minutes (less if you like ’em squeaky).
Cut caperberries in half. Cut the tomatoes in half.
Preheat a grill plate or barbecue. Season lightly oiled fish fillets with a little sea salt and cracked pepper. Chuck the knobby club rush reeds on the barbecue and get them smoking, then throw on the fish fillets, skin side down. Cook 3 minutes, turn and cook 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Make the dressing by roughly blending desert limes with olive oil, then adding sea salt and pepper.
Put beans, tomatoes, olives and caperberries in a bowl and toss through dressing.
Chuck on a plate, then place fish, eggs and basil on top and pour over remaining dressing.
Serves 4
Join Simon Bryant on Saturday, March 7, from 12pm to 1pm at the WOMADelaide Planet Talks Workshop ‘Seeds of Hope – How Sustainable is Your Diet?’. In this workshop Bryant will demonstrate how to make a delicious meal using sustainable and organic produce, and explain why people should think more about their food choices. Working alongside him will be UniSA nutrition expert Dr Evangeline Mantzioris, providing some of the science behind an organic and sustainable diet, and Louisa Rose, Yalumba’s head of winemaking, with the lowdown on organic and sustainable wine. At the end of the session, there will be a chance to have a taste and take home the recipe.
Don’t forget local chef and food identity Rosa Matto will also be at WOMADelaide with selected artists at Taste the World as they celebrate the delicious food and fascinating culture of their home countries, all entwined with musical interludes and intimate personal anecdotes. More information about Taste the World can be found here.
Taste the World recipes:
Fanfare Ciocarlia’s Tochitura Moldoveneasca
Luzmila Carpio’s Stuffed potatoes Bolivian style
Balkan Beat Box’s shakshuka breakfast eggs
Tara Tiba’s saffron chicken with barberry rice
