Cured & seared bonito with pickled baby cucumber, crispy potato & rock oyster dressing
Serves: 6

To make the bonito – combine all the dry ingredients and sprinkle liberally over the fish. Leave for 1 hour in the fridge to cure then rinse off and dry with a cloth. Season lightly on the outside with salt and pepper and rub the fish with some olive oil.

For the cucumbers – peel the cucumbers and combine with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to pickle.

For the crispy potatoes – slice potatoes into very thin strips and rinse thoroughly with hot water until the water runs clear. Dry the strips on a cloth and form into 6 equal portions and shape 6 flat crisscrosses of potato noodle. In a frypan, heat a generous amount of vegetable oil on high. Shallow fry the potato until golden and crisp then on paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt.

For the oyster dressing – whisk together all the ingredients and season with pepper.

To finish the bonito – heat a frypan to very hot; and quickly sear the outside of the fish. To serve, place a portion of bonito around a serving plate. Add some cucumbers and dress with the oyster dressing. Top with the crispy potato and garnish with thin strips of cucumber, watercress and bronze fennel.