Cured Hamachi With Pickled Vegetables, Citrus and Petite Greens, Grapefruit Caviar

Recipe by Rhy Waddington - Executive Chef at Winged Foot Golf Club, 2014

Ingredients

• 1 side of fresh Hamachi (cleaned, skinned and blood line removed)
• 4 cups of Cure Mix (see recipe)
• 1 cup of Crème Fraiche
• 1 Meyer Lemon
• 1 Orange (segmented and diced) 
• ½ cup of Pickled Vegetables (see recipe)
• 3 Tablespoons of Ruby Grapefruit Caviar (see recipe)
• 20 Sprigs Picked Chervil
• 20 piece of Picked Upland Cress
• Edible Flowers

Cure Mix

• 3 cups Kosher Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Toasted Fennel Seeds
• 3 Tablespoons Coriander Seeds
• 1 cup of Sugar
• Zest of 2 Meyer Lemons​

Pickled Vegetables

• 1 bottle ver jus 8 cups white vinegar
• 8 cups champagne vinegar
• 8 cups water
• 8 cups sugar
• Garlic cloves
• Whole black pepper
• Toasted fennel, coriander and mustard seed
• Cayenne pepper
• Thyme 
• Bay leaves
• 1/2 cup Brunoised Vegetables (see recipe) 

Grapefruit Caviar

• 9 oz Grapefruit Juice
• 18 oz Cold Water
• 3 g. Calcium Chloride
• 1 g. Sodium Alginate

Preparation

Cure Mix
Cover the Hamachi with the cure mix and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Cure for 3 hours.

Brunoised Vegetables
Dice seasonal vegetables into small cubes with uniform measurement. Set aside.

Pickling Liquid
Bring all ingredients to a boil and chill.  Pour over Brunoised seasonal vegetables and let sit for 1 hour.

Creme Fraiche
Mix Crème Fraiche with zest of Meyer lemons and juice, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Fill one medium bowl with about 3-4 inches of cold water. This is called your water bath and is used in the final step, set aside. In a large bowl mix the sodium alginate with 1/2 the fruit juice and blend till completely dissolved using your mixer or immersion blender. (If you don’t have an immersion blender try to use a bowl that will allow the liquid to constantly move, and is deep enough so that the mixer attachments can blend properly). If it blends properly you will see a foam form on top. Add the remaining fruit juice. Strain your fruit mixture into a clean medium bowl. This will remove any air bubbles from the mixture. Dissolve the calcium chloride in the 18 oz. of cold water. (I use a whisk and it took about a minute to be completely dissolved). Fill a syringe or a squeeze bottle with the juice mixture about half way full. The mixture should be pretty thick. Gently drop the mixture into the calcium chloride bath. Try to use light repetitive pressure when doing this to achieve similarity After a minute, gently remove the “caviar” using a straining spoon and add to the cold water bath.  Wait a couple of minutes then remove the “caviar” from the fresh water into a serving bowl or serving spoon.

Assembly

Remove Hamachi from the cure and rinse off any excess cure mix. Pat dry with paper towel. Slice Hamachi into thin 8th of an inch pieces. Spread 1/2 Tablespoons of Crème Fraiche mix on the bottom of a chilled plate. Place 4 pieces of the sliced Hamachi, top with a tsp of pickled vegetables and orange segments. Garnish with Caviar, Upland Cress, Chervil and flowers. Finish with a pinch of sea salt and olive oil.

Wine Match

Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills, Australia 

Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York, USA
Image by Laurence Casey Lambrecht, courtesy Winged Foot Golf Club