Definitely one of my fave and EASIEST recipes this week. Asian kingfish Crudo. If this doesn't look like something, you would pay $20+ for in a restaurant, then what does? From start to finish this dish takes about 10-15 minutes. No cooking time and if you are a fan of raw fish then you are in for a MAJOR treat. Read on to check out my delicious wine pairing with White Gate Wine Co too!
sponsored by White Gate Wine Co, South Australia
WHAT IS CRUDO?
Wikipedia will tell you that Crudo is the Italian word for raw. When we think of Crudo we think of raw fish. The fish is sliced thinly and usually covered/drizzled with oil and acidity of some sort in the form of citrus or vinegar. But we also have terms like sashimi, poke and ceviche. What's the difference?
Crudo = raw fish dressed with vinegar, citrus & oils
Sashimi = raw fish, usually found in sushi restaurants that is dipped or drizzled with a soy and wasabi mixture.
Ceviche = we usually think of Mexico when we think of ceviche. This is where fish is "cooked" in the acids. Fish is chopped and mixed with acids, herbs, tomatoes, onions etc. The fish would be left to "marinate" longer in these acids, therefore, cooking the fish.
Poke = a bowl of many things from rice, beans, peas, fish, vegetables. The fish is often tossed in a sauce that contains acid which helps to marinate it.
IS IT SAFE TO EAT RAW FISH?
The truth is like everything you eat there are certain risks to eating raw food, BUT if you buy your fish or meat from a reputable supplier, i.e. fishmonger and stick to fresh fish, then there shouldn't be a problem at all. Here in Brisbane, I source mine from Fresh Fish Co on James St in The Standard Market Company. Their fish is fresh every day, the guys there are experts at cleaning and filleting fish, so I know every time the quality is going to be great! So, when I had the idea of an Asian kingfish Crudo recipe, there was only one place I was going for my fish!
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT FISH?
100% you can. I prefer a white fish for this recipe, personally. But you can use anything from snapper, bass, salmon, hamachi or tuna. The best advice I can give is to speak to your fishmonger, buy fresh, NOT frozen.
CAN I MAKE THIS IN ADVANCE
The essence of a Crudo is to dress it at the last minute so that you have cool, fresh fish with a magnificent dressing drizzled over the top. This allows for the sweetness and freshness of the fish to shine whilst getting that little kick of spice or acidity from the dressing. If you dress it too soon the acid from the dressing would cook the fish and leave it a little mushy.
HOWEVER, if you are serving it for a dinner party, you can certainly make each component ahead of time. Slice the fish and wrap it tightly in cling film to keep it moist, make the dressing and store it in the fridge, pick your herbs and store in an airtight container covered in a damp piece of kitchen towel. That way it will literally take moments to plate!
SLICING THE FISH
One of the easiest and most difficult things to do. Easy if you have good quality sharp knives and IMPOSSIBLE if you picked up the latest knives on sale in the dollar store! Make sure your knife is razor-sharp and your fish is ice cold. Heck, you can even pop it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes prior to cutting.
The key is (aside from the sharp knife) is to cut gently through the fish in one fluid motion. If you hack at it slicing back and forward like you are sawing a tree then you will be left with raggedy edges. It's often a good idea to slice at a slight angle away from you from top to bottom. This can help have cleaner edges and also means if you don't cut it perfectly straight you can layer the pieces on top of one another to hide your error. The truth like everything in life is practice makes perfect so if at first it doesn't look the best then sure just make it again next week 😉
GARNISH
Aside from the delicious and simple dressing for this Asian kingfish Crudo the garnishes are equally as important. The pickled ginger (available at any grocery store) adds a bright zing to the dish. Sesame seeds add a little crunch and beautiful colour contrast too, spring onion brings some freshness alongside the coriander. The crispy shallots (my recipe HERE) are readily available in the super market add much needed texture to the dish and finally the micro shisho not only looks sexy but adds a little minty/licorice flavour too.
Don't skimp on them if you want to wow people with the presentation!
WHITE GATE WINE CO
Have you ever met someone or had an interview with someone and thought "I wanna work with these guys"? Well. That's the feeling I had after bantering with Chad & Gee on insta. Their "non-conventional" riesling bottle, old school cork and dipped wax bottle (all super cool) drew me towards the chat. I felt anyone who puts this much effort into their packaging must really care about their product. After many a chat after a glass or two too many, we decided to collab together and create some recipes to pair with their wines. This is the first of a few, so stay tuned for more.
The guys are in their infancy in the winemaking world. Chad is in his final year of studying winemaking, and this is their first vintage ever. You can imagine my excitement being part of the journey from the get-go!! They have a minimalistic approach to their winemaking, focusing on small parcels of fruit and letting the vineyard do the talking. Together Chad & Gee do everything from pruning, picking, bottling & labelling. If that's not love, passion and dedication, then what is?
Having tasted their Riesling and Petite Sirah I am excited to get my hands on their Cabernet & Shiraz which will be released in 2021.
WINE PAIRING
So after speaking with the guys at White Gate Wine Co about their wines (and tasting them) I wanted a dish that would pair well with their light, fresh and moreish Riesling. I decided on an Asian kingfish Crudo as I wanted something with a little kick to it but also something light and delicate too.
SO............ with that being said the wine pairing was already in the bag for me when it came to this dish!! Their 2020 riesling (their first vintage) is one of those light summery wines that make you think of picnics in the park, sitting side by side in a restaurant staring at the world go by eating delicious food. It's light, bright, crisp and packed with citrus notes. Trust me when I say that this Asian kingfish Crudo and a glass of UBER cold White Gate Wine Co 2020 Riesling is a match made in heaven. So much so that I ate (and drank) it for lunch and again that evening for dinner when the "boss" got home. It's also being made this weekend for our friends coming over for dinner too!
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
- 400 g kingfish or other sushi grade white fish
Dressing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp mirin
- 1 tsp sesame Oil
- 1 tsp gochujang paste
Garnish
- 24 pieces pickled ginger
- 20 leaves coriander
- 20 leaves micro shisho
- 4 tsp crispy shallots
- 1 spring onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- Measuring utensils
- whisk
- mixing bowl
Instructions
- Mix all the dressing ingredients together and set aside
- Using the sharpest knife you have slice the kingfish into 1cm slices
- Lay the kingfish on a plate (artfully), drizzle 2 tbsp of the dressing over the kingfish
- Sprinkle/lay/use tweezers to place garnish onto dressed kingfish – depending upon how fancy you want to be!!
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- make sure your fish is as cold as you can get it – this will help to slice it cleanly if your knife isn’t razor-sharp. Even pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes
- store the fish & dressing in the fridge until ready to use so that it is cold when serving
- if you can’t get kingfish you can substitute snapper, tuna, Hamachi, bass will work instead – speak to your local fishmonger
- buy fresh – fresh is best when it comes to serving Crudo
- if you can’t get red shisho then add a little extra coriander. I like the minty licorice flavour it adds to the dish
Made this twice and love it
Great to hear - glad you enjoyed it. Have you any pics you can share with me at all?
This recipe was easy to follow and I love all the pics. The Asian dressing is a flavour bomb with great balance. I added a touch of soy sauce to mine for a bit more umami saltiness. I always fry my own shallots for a dish like this. I agree that it's really worth making the effort for the result. You can claw back some time by buying ready sliced sashimi grade kingfish:-)
Such a delicious fresh and flavour packed dish, I could quite happily eat this every day!
Such a tasty and fresh dish, packed with flavours - definitely one that will impress all our guest without them ever guessing it only took us 10 minutes to prepare it!
Nice article, lots of clear info and ides. Particularly like the freshness of fish prepared using any of the above methods.