Christmas menu: Cherry cured kingfish
In an effort to make your Christmas entertaining as quick and easy as possible, use chef Kane Pollard’s kingfish dish to wow your festive guests.
Cherry cured kingfish
makes one large platter
1 bunch beetroot, tops off and washed
50ml olive oil
500g cherries, pitted
1 side kingfish
500g salt
500g caster sugar
100ml olive oil
200ml buttermilk
Preheat oven to 190C. Place beetroots in roasting tray with olive oil, 50ml water and a pinch of salt. Roast for about an hour until tender, set aside to cool. In a food processor, blitz cooked beetroots and pitted cherries until a smooth puree forms. Add a little water if required. Remove the skin from kingfish and cut into 4 chunks (2 belly, 2 trunk). Spread the base of a non-reactive tray with a layer of the beetroot and cherry puree. Lay kingfish pieces down and spread rest of the puree over liberally to cover. Allow to sit in the fridge for 1 hour. Mix salt and sugar together to make your curing mix. Once the flesh has been well stained, wipe off the puree and place on a bed of curing mix, then cover the fish with the rest of the curing mix until entirely covered. Allow to sit in the fridge for another hour. Rinse the curing mix off fish, using as little water as possible. Pat dry with paper towel and sit on a rack in the fridge, uncovered, overnight before use.
Slice and serve on a platter with leftover beetroot and cherry puree, buttermilk and pitted cherries.
This article first appeared in the November 2023 issue of SALIFE magazine.
