Spice-Rubbed Leatherjacket I love the thick flaky texture of the fish in this spice-rubbed leatherjacket recipe, but you could use any firm-fleshed fish, whole or fillets, including some of the oilier ones like mackerel or tuna as they’ll stand up well to the rich Mediterranean flavours. When you remove the pan from the oven, drape […]
Prickly Ash Sichuan peppercorns, those wonderfully numbing little nuggets that are essential to Sichuanese food, aren’t a true pepper but a similar-shaped dried fruit from the prickly ash tree (Zanthoxylum piperitum). This spice has a great aroma, which is amplified by roasting and grinding it. Salt is often considered the foundation of Sichuanese cooking as […]
Fresh Fruit with Spicy Thai Salt I was reminded of this classic Thai dish at Viand, when Annita Potter served a simple pre-dessert of pomelo segments alongside a little mound of ground salt, sugar, chilli and kaffir lime. I’ve bought sliced pineapple from Asian grocery stores with a little pod of the salt-sugar-chilli combo, but […]
Hamin Eggs with Cumin Salt I first tasted this dish in the mid ‘90s at Middle Eastern restaurant Fez in Darlinghurst, and it became my go-to breakfast dish. Years later I discovered that it’s the long slow cooking that gives hamin eggs their creamy texture and brown onion skins that add the beautiful colour. Find […]
Spice-rubbed Lamb Backstrap This quick spice rub adds real punch to any red meat. I sometimes serve spice-rubbed lamb backstrap with instant couscous tossed with slivered almonds, finely diced preserved lemon, chopped green olives, chives, salt and olive oil, but if I’m short on time plain steamed rice is good too. And in the glass, […]
