“This was one of the first dishes I put on the menu at Fish Face in Sydney as a young chef and I am still as proud of it now as I was 12 years ago,” says Australian chef Josh Niland. “Yellowfin tuna, bonito or blue mackerel are all great alternate species.”
Nutrition Facts
Sweet and sour albacore, radicchio and hazelnuts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 582
Calories from Fat 324
% Daily Value*
Fat 36g55%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 42mg14%
Sodium 390mg17%
Potassium 582mg17%
Carbohydrates 34g11%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 29g32%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 35IU1%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 53mg5%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Sweet and sour albacore, radicchio and hazelnuts
A smart dinner party option
Servings: 6
Calories: 582kcal
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wire rack
- Baking tray
- Tongs or a wooden spoon
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 600 g trimmed centre-cut albacore loin (alternatively use mackerel or tuna)
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 head white radicchio leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- sea salt flakes
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tbsp roasted hazelnuts
Sweet and sour currant sauce
- 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 150 g French shallots finely diced
- 150 ml white wine
- 375 ml white wine vinegar
- 150 ml water
- 75 g caster sugar
- 125 g dried currants
- sea salt flakes
- freshly cracked black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to the lowest possible temperature.
- For the sweet and sour sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and sweat the shallots over a low heat for 15 minutes until just golden. Add the wine, vinegar, water, sugar, currants and a little salt and pepper and simmer briskly for four minutes, until the shallots are very tender and the sauce is thick and syrupy. You should have 225ml of sauce after the reduction. Cool and chill until needed.
- Cut the fish you’re using into even-sized quarter planks, then chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator.
- Place a wire rack inside a baking tray to act as a trivet to cook the albacore on. Cut some baking paper to fit the size of the wire rack and, using a small knife, cut enough holes over the paper to allow the juices to strain through during cooking. Arrange the fish on the prepared wire rack and place in the oven. The oven should be between 90–100°C (194–212°F) throughout the cooking process. If you feel the oven is hotter than this then rest a pair of tongs or a wooden spoon in the door to hold the oven ajar. The internal temperature for the fish should be 40°C (104°F) when measured with a probe thermometer. Ideally, the fish should still look quite raw but with a gently cooked texture (be careful here as, unfortunately, albacore dries out very quickly during cooking).
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat and sauté the radicchio leaves. Season well with salt and, at the last minute when the leaves are blistered and lightly wilted, add the roast hazelnuts and four generous tablespoons of the sweet and sour sauce. Keep warm.
- Leave the fish to rest briefly, then slice three slices per portion. Brush with olive oil, season with sea salt, cracked black pepper and drape over the sweet and sour radicchio and hazelnuts. Serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 390mg | Potassium: 582mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 3mg
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The Whole Fish Cookbook: New ways to cook, eat and drink by Josh Niland, published by Hardie Grant. Photography Rob Palmer.
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