Try one of the North Island Kitchen’s latest recipes at home: seared Yellowfin Tuna with coconut, palm heart and wild spinach soup, garnished with papaya pearls and edible flowers.
Ingredients:
200g sustainably-caught Yellowfin Tuna per person
For the coconut, palm heart and spinach soup (serves 6):
- 100g wild island spinach
- 100g fresh palm heart
- 200ml coconut milk
- 5g garlic
- 20g/1tbsp unsalted butter
- 5g white onion, finely chopped
- Maldon sea salt and white pepper to taste
For the papaya pearls:
- 140ml ripe papaya purée
- 40ml clear fish consommé
- 2g agar agar
- 500ml almost-frozen vegetable oil
For the garnish:
- Spring onion, finely julienne
- Edible flowers, such as wild garlic flowers, aubergine flowers or pumpkin flowers
Method:
Coconut, palm heart and wild spinach soup:
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent for about 2 minutes.
- Add the palm heart and sauté for an extra minute before adding the fresh coconut milk. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until the palm heart is soft and tender.
- In the meantime, blanch your spinach for 1 minute and refresh in iced water to keep the colour bright green. Add the spinach to the soup and blend. Strain using a chinois for a finer texture.
- Season well with salt and pepper to taste. A hint of truffle oil can be added if needed.
Papaya pearls:
- Place the vegetable oil in a small deep jug in the freezer and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Combine the papaya purée and fish consommé in a pot and bring to a boil, then add the agar agar. Pour the mix into a bowl and fill a pipette with the mixture.
- Remove the oil from the freezer and drip the mixture into the oil slowly. Using a sieve, remove the papaya pearls and rinse them in cold water. Place them in the fridge until plating.
Yellowfin Tuna and final touches:
- Sear the Yellowfin Tuna to the desired temperature and let it rest.
- Pour the soup onto the bottom of the shallow bowl and plate the seared tuna on top.
- Garnish with papaya pearls and finish it off with edible flowers.
