Seafood Potjie with Miso Sand and Squid Ink Toast

Seafood Potjie with Miso Sand and Squid Ink Toast

Author: Christi Semczyszyn
Prep Time: 100
Cook Time: 55
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Yield: 4
Category: Fish & Seafood; Lunch; Main Ingredient; Mains; Meals and Courses; moderate

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Description

Inspired by the song Taking It Easy, by Good Luck, this dish is a playful and delicious.

Ingredients

Squid Ink Toast
2 C (500 ml) bread flour
pinch of salt
5 g dried yeast
12 g squid ink
2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil
tepid water
garlic infused oil
Maldon salt
Miso Sand
1 Tbsp (15 ml) white miso paste
3 Tbsp (45 ml) ground almonds, toasted
Seafood Potjie
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 C (250 ml) white wine
1 x 400 g tin chopped and peeled tomatoes
3 ml thyme
pinch of saffron
salt and pepper
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
500 g kob or a fresh white fish, cubed
250 g mussels
1 large crayfish, cooked
Herb Aioli
handful of parsley
handful of dill
handful of chives
handful of thyme
glug of olive oil
1 C (250 ml) aioli or mayonnaise
pea shoots
edible flowers

Instructions

Squid Ink Toast

Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the squid ink, oil and enough water to form a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes, cover and leave to prove in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

Knead for a further few minutes, then shape into a loaf and place on a floured tray. Prove for another 30 minutes and then bake for 20 minutes.

When the bread has cooled, cut into thick slices, drizzle with garlic oil and salt. Grill in the oven, turning after 2 minutes, or even better, toast on a braai!

Miso Sand

Spread the miso paste very thinly onto a silicon mat and leave to dry in the oven at 70 °C, until crispy. Crumble into the ground almonds and combine.

Seafood Potjie

Fry the onion and garlic in a saucepan with the olive oil. Add the white wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme and saffron, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook until soft. Add the mussels and fish, stir and simmer for 5 minutes until the fish is firm and cooked. Stir in the chopped crayfish.

Herb Aioli

Use a blender to blend the fresh mixed herbs with a generous glug of olive oil until completely blended. Mix this herbed oil into the mayonaise or aioli to form a herbed aioli/mayo.

To Assemble

Sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of the miso sand onto a large plate. Neatly arrange seafood on top of the miso sand and add a little of the potjie sauce. Pile the toast on one side and dot the plate with herb aioli. Garnish with pea shoots and edible flowers.

Christi Semczyszyn

At 27, she may be one of the smallest and youngest chefs in Cape Town, but Christi adds her explosive energy to transform any dish into a masterpiece. Christi comes from a typical South African background and her culinary beginnings were shaped by the women in her family; all talented cooks. Christi moved to the UK in 2011 and worked alongside renowned author and chef, Florence Knight, whom she considers as one to be of the most influential chefs in her cooking career. She then joined a small team at the award-winning, five-star Egerton House Hotel in Knightsbridge, London. Returning home, she decided to further her culinary education at Alfresco Academy in East London in 2012. Not only did she obtain an International Culinary Diploma, but also won every graduate student award. In Cape Town, Christi started working at the popular Dogs Bollocks at The Yard. Apart from cooking, she became a favourite with the regulars, and was offered a management role at the restaurant. Two years later, Christi is now head chef at Dear Me food world. She’s also taken on the new Tjing Tjing Torii, experimenting with Japanese flavours to add fresh and innovative ideas to the menu.