Taste the flavours of the ocean in this seafood bouillon recipe, fresh from the North Island Kitchen.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 litre of good-quality fish stock
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. garlic, crushed
• ½ tbsp. ginger, grated
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green chilli, chopped (optional)
• Handful of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 small limes, segmented
• 50g bilimbi fruit, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• 100g fresh fish of your choice, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 400g Red Snapper fillet
• 12 King prawns, cleaned (with head on)
• 160g confit octopus
• Squeeze of lemon

Method:

• Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan with oil and fry the onions until slightly golden.
• Add the ginger and garlic and gently fry for a few seconds, taking care not to burn it.
• Now add the chopped tomatoes, chilli, fresh thyme and bay leaf.  Cook on a medium heat until the tomatoes and onions have cooked into a paste.
• Then add the fish stock, lime segments and bilimbi and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes until it has reduced by about a third, then add your fish and poach gently until cooked to your liking.
• Pan sear the Red Snapper and season with lemon juice, then grill the octopus and King prawns.
• When plating, arrange the seafood in a bowl and pour over the bouillon.