Hamachi carpaccio with kumquat oil
Susan Jung
This is a dish to make with the last of the kumquats in the market - the season for this fruit is ending soon.
Ingredients
10-12 kumquats, divided
80ml extra virgin olive oil
300 grams sushi-grade hamachi (yellowtail), cut into 5mm-thick slices
1 slightly heaped teaspoon pink peppercorns, roughly crushed
Rough-flaked sea salt (such as Maldon or fleur de sel)
Fresh chervil or Italian parsley
Crush six of the kumquats in a mortar. Put them in a bowl with the extra virgin olive oil and leave to steep while preparing the remaining ingredients.
Divide the hamachi into four portions. Put a sheet of cling film on the work surface and lay out a portion's worth of the hamachi slices, leaving a little space between each one.
Lay them out in a circle so that when pounded the slices will almost cover the serving plate.
Cover the slices with another sheet of cling film. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to gently pound the fish so it's very thin; when you finish, the slices should be touching each other. Occasionally, lift the cling film on both sides and smooth it out over the fish. Repeat with the remaining portions of hamachi.
Remove the top sheet of cling film from the fish then lay it, fish-side down, on a serving plate. Lift off the second sheet of cling film.
Thinly slice the remaining kumquats and remove the seeds. Arrange the kumquat slices over the fish.
Strain the kumquat oil, pressing on the solids to extract as much flavour as possible.
Drizzle some of the kumquat oil over the fish. Sprinkle with the pink peppercorns and rough-flaked sea salt then garnish with chervil or parsley leaves.
The remaining kumquat oil can be stored in the fridge; it's delicious when used in salad dressings.
