Warm salad of smoked tuna belly, Jamon iberico, Japanese Egg custard, omello vinaigrette.

Tuna (Serves 8)

Ingredients
 200g Tuna belly skin off
 ¼ cup kosher salt
 1 tbsp caster sugar
 ½ tbsp coriander seeds toasted & lightly crushed
 ½ tbsp Sichuan peppercorns toasted & lightly crushed
 1 tbsp orange zest
 ¼ cup wood chips
 1x 1 inch piece kombu crushed
 1 tbsp jasmine tea
 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns

Method

Combine salt, castor sugar, coriander seeds, Sichuan peppercorns & orange zest.

Lay out a sheet of cling film sprinkle the salt & sugar mix over the film place the tuna in the center & wrap the film around the around the tuna, ensuring that all of the tuna is covered with the salt & sugar mix, allow to marinate in the fridge overnight.

The following day remove the tuna from the cling film, rinse off the marinate in cold water and pat dry.

On a stove stop on a moderate heat place a heavy based pan & add the wood chips.

Once the wood chips begin to smoke add kombu, Sichuan peppercorns & jasmine tea, continue to toss together over a moderate heat until all the pans contents begin to smoke.

Transfer the pans contents to one end of a metal oven tray, at the other end place a small metal bowl of ice with a wire rack over it, place the tuna on the rack & cover the whole tray with foil.

Over a moderate heat place the end of the tray with the smoking mix in it over the heat while keeping the tuna end off the heat, allow to smoke for 6-8 minutes.

Remove tuna from smoker & refrigerate.

Japanese egg custard (makes 8 custards)

Ingredients
 1 x 6 inch piece kombu
 4 tbsp bonito flakes
 600ml water
 1 tbsp mirin (sweet)
 2 tbsp light soy
 1 tbsp fish sauce
 1 cup eggs whisked together

Method

Combine water, kombu and bonito in a heavy based pot and bring to the boil.

Turn down to a simmer and allow to cook for 20 minutes, remove the stock from the stove and allow to cool slightly, pass the stock through a fine strainer & season with the fish sauce mirin & soy, sonbine 2 cups of the stock with 1 cup of eggs.

Grease 8 dariol moulds with non stick spray and pour 80mls of the custard mix into each mould.

Place the custards in a bamboo steamer on a moderate heat for about 8 minutes, until custards is firm.

To Construct for 8 people

Ingredients
 200g smoked tuna belly – freeze for 20mins then shave into tuna slices
 8 thin slices of Jamon Ibemico or a good not to salty Serrano
 2 cups frizze lettuce (yellow parts of the endive only)
 8 Japanese eggs custards (warm)
 100ml extra virgin olive oil
 1 tbsp pomelo or ruby grapefruit juice
 Kosher salt & freshly cracked white pepper

Method

To make the pomello vinaigrette, combine extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar and grapefruit juice, whisk together, season with salt & pepper. Set aside.

Turn the eggs custard out onto a plate, in a bowl combine frizze & pomello segments lightly dress with the pomello vinaigrette, place a small handful of the salad beside the custard, ensuring the segments are distributed evenly among the plates.

Next drape 3 slices per seve of the tuna belly over the lettuce, then on a tray, warm the Jamon Iberico in the overn on 100°C for 30 seconds. Drape 2 pieces of the Jamon over the salad.

Finally dress the whole place with a little more of the vinaigrette.

To construct (serves 10)

Ingredients
 1 punnet of coriander shoots
 50g yarra valley salmon roe
 1 ballotine of Atalantic salmon – sliced into 1 ½ cm disks
 1 tray coconut & cucumber jelly (turned out & cut into 10cm x 3cm rectangles)
 10 tbsp crab aoli
 Citris air (blend with a stick blender until a large volume of bubbles form.
 Extra virgin olive oil

Method

On a plate place the coconut and cucumber jelly green side up, spoon over the salmon roe. Beside the jelly place 2 disks of the salmon ballotine, beside the salmon place a strip of crab aoli, sprinkle coriander shoots over the salmon and the jelly. Then carelfully lift the foamy bubbles from the citrus air with a spoon ensuring not to get ANY liquid & place a dollop of the air on the salmon.

Drizzle the whole plate with extra virgin olive oil.