Recipe

Sugar Coated Black Cod, Ponzu Dressing

A dish to make at home, by Glenn Ballis

Ingredients

180g black codfillet
(Any other firm white fleshed fish will do)
10g white sugar
1g salt (sea salt)
1g pepper (freshly ground)
60g romaine lettuce
(cut into chunks)
5g nutmeg (ground)
60g tomato, peeled, deseeded & diced
50ml olive oil
(good quality olive oil, I use Salvagno)

Ponzu sauce
1-cup soy sauce
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/4-cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup dried bonito flakes

Sauce preparation

Boil soy sauce in a pan. Add bonito flakes in the pan and cool it. Drain the soy sauce. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, and lemon juice. Set aside until required.
Makes 4 servings

Dish preparation

1. Lightly season the cod fillet with salt, pepper and sugar.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a non-stick pan and lightly sear the fish on both sides. Don’t over sear the fish, as this stage of the cooking process is simply to lightly caramelize the sugar.
3. Remove the fish from the pan and place it on an oven tray and cook in the oven for approximately 15 minutes. If the fish has bones, only remove them once the fish is cooked. The bones will come out easily once it is ready. It is also a good guide to let you know when the fish is ready.
4. Take the prepared tomato and season with salt, pepper and a little olive oil. Set aside until required.
5. Heat a non-stick pan with olive oil and lightly sautй the romaine lettuce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Do not over cook the romaine; keep it a little crunchy to add to the texture. Set aside until required, keeping it warm.

Dish assembly

1. Place the tomato on the plate.
2. Place the cooked fish on top.
3. Top with the sautйed romaine lettuce.
4. Dress with the Ponzu sauce and any remaining olive oil.

Notes

This dish is all about using quality ingredients, so shop wisely and look for only the best produce.